The fotten gay soldiers of the First World War - Attu

Contents:

• HOW WWI SPARKED THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE GAY SOLDIERS WHO SERVED THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• THE FOTTEN GAY SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

HOW WWI SPARKED THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

One of the World War I’s most endurg legaci is largely fotten: It sparked the morn gay rights movement. Gay soldiers who survived the bloodlettg returned home nvced their ernments owed them somethg – full cizenship.

Especially Germany, where gay rights already had a tenuo footg, they formed new anizatns to advote public for their rights. Though the movement that lled self “homosexual emancipatn” began the 19th century, my rearch and that of historian Jason Crouthamel shows that the war turned the 19th-century movement to gay rights as we know today. The Scientific Humanarian Commtee was then the world’s leadg homosexual emancipatn group, boastg a membership of about 100 people.

Homosexualy meant the loss of one’s job, social ostracism, the risk of blackmail and perhaps crimal prosecutn. They went directly to a set of mands that characteriz gay rights to this day – that gay people are upstandg cizens and serve to have their rights rpected.

THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE GAY SOLDIERS WHO SERVED THE FIRST WORLD WAR

“The state mt regnize the full cizenship rights of verts, ” or homosexuals, an activist wrote  the year after the war. He mand not jt the repeal of the sodomy law, but the openg of ernment jobs to known homosexuals – a radil ia at the time, and one that would rema far out of reach for many s.

Throughout the 20th century, gay rights groups stggled for the right to serve openly the ary, a hallmark of rpectabily. ” It was, ironilly, the ghastly vlence and horrible human toll of the World War I that first spired such assertive lls, lls that characterized gay rights movements around the world the 20th century. HomeHistoryIn DepthDiscrimatn and persecutn has led to gay soldiers of the Great War beg seen as tragic figur, but this was not always the seGetty ImagThe Royal Brish Legn is lnchg a mpaign today to mark 100 days before the 100th anniversary of the armistice that end the First World will be revealg a 3D “Thank You” stallatn on London’s Southbank before embarkg on a natnal cy tour to “thank the First World War generatn who served and sacrificed to benef generatns to e” centenary has also offered an opportuny for the ls well-known figur of the war to be discsed, cludg women, black and mory ethnic people and homosexuals, many of whom faced discrimatn spe servg their acts between men often rulted rporal punishment or imprisonment, and th acunts of gay servicemen om this time are rare.

Today, the Brish armed forc wele people of all sexual orientatns, recg gay magaz and anisg LGBTQ pri many gay soldiers served the First World War?

THE FOTTEN GAY SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Harvey claims that homosexualy was “not exactly unknown” the Brish Army durg the First World War.

Homosexualy was not only illegal the UK at the time, but there were also “strong social currents, particularly among the upper class, opposg same sex relatnships”, East Ssex WWI a rult, Harvey wr that “at least 230 soldiers were urt-martialled, nvicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment for homosexual offenc” were homosexual solirs treated? Stephen Bourne, thor of Fightg Proud: The Untold Story of the Gay Men Who Served Two World Wars, pots to Edward Brta, a soldier om Macclfield who earned the Milary Cross for his “gallantry” the Battle of the was killed by Atrian gunfire 1918, but after the war his sister Vera revealed that the prev day he had been acced of homosexual activy after a letter of his was opened by a censor. “When I started to look closely at the experienc of gay men the war, I found that, spe homophobia, there were many who were tegrated, ” Bourne told The Week.

Although many gay men quietly outed themselv and were accepted by their ras, efforts would have been taken to hi this fact om stggle is evint cryptilly phrased letters om the example, celebrated poet Wiled Owen, who never me out but is believed by some to have been gay, wrote to his 1918: “There are two French girls my billet, dghters of the Mayor, who (I suppose bee of my French) sgle me for their joyful gratu for La Déliverance.