BBC - WW2 People's War - A Gay Soldier's Story

Contents:

• I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.
• IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS
• A GAY SOLDIER'S STORY
• NEW OVERWATCH LORE CONFIRMS SOLDIER 76 IS GAY, AND CHOSE HIS MISSN OVER HIS RELATNSHIP
• GAY GENERAL HID PRIVATE LIFE OM ARMY FOR YEARS
• THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE GAY SOLDIERS WHO SERVED THE FIRST WORLD WAR
• SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX

I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.

In rponse, and apparently to monstrate his petency his assigned posn, the nonmissned officer had taken upon himself to approach the person he nsired cled toward mtg a siar offense the future: me, the only openly gay soldier my un. Together we approached our un’s learship, where she sisted that the ments had stemmed om the reprentative’s own homophobic feelgs and remend that he be reprimand and removed om his posn as the un’s sexual harassment watchdog.

But by then was hard to ignore the anxiety I felt durg required social activi — “mandatory fun, ” as ’s lled the ary — or the tensn om my fellow moment I cid to bee a soldier and the moment I chose to live openly as a gay man occurred so closely time that ’s hard to remember which me first. It was still four months before the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell, ” a double-edged policy prohibg askg any service member about his or her sexualy while enforcg a ban on openly gay service members.

As long as gay soldiers kept their mouths shut, the burn of proof fell on those makg the accatns.

IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS

A uple were more elaborate: tailed scriptns of what might happen to me if I was ught alone, and proclamatns about the wrongns of gays the ary. There are moments when feels wrong to claim my stat as a veteran; as if beg gay ma me ls of a soldier and somehow validated my service.

A GAY SOLDIER'S STORY

Every memory evok an emotn: rage that I had to serve wh a nstant sense of fear of my fellow soldiers; paralyzg sadns for those who endured ab worse than I n know; and, the worst, guilt over the service members — gay or straight or transgenr — who died while servg the ary while my body is still whole. Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water.

"Lbian, gay, and bisexual ary personnel had been servg our untry for s whout receivg equal protectn, while transgenr troops are still prohibed om servg openly.

Star and Strip, the Defense Department’s semi-official newspaper, proudly reported that the Army has promoted s first homosexual officer to general stat.

NEW OVERWATCH LORE CONFIRMS SOLDIER 76 IS GAY, AND CHOSE HIS MISSN OVER HIS RELATNSHIP

The paper add that the ceremony Augt 10, at which Smh was officially promoted, “marks an important tone for gay rights advot, givg the movement s most senr public ary figure. ” Acrdg to the New York Tim, Smh, a 26-year Army veteran, married homosexual activist Tracey Hepner March 2011, after they had dated for ne years. The Tim reported that Hepner is the founr of an anizatn lled Milary Partners and Fai Coaln, which, s webse explas, exists to provi “support, rourc, tn, and advocy for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr ary partners and their fai.

GAY GENERAL HID PRIVATE LIFE OM ARMY FOR YEARS

Stars and Strip poted out that Smh has attempted to downplay her notoriety as the first openly homosexual general the U.

The irony of that ment is that, up until the dismantlg of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) 2011, homosexual behavr had been nsired a vlatn of the valu of Ameri’s fightg force sce the natn’s foundg.

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

But the Defense Department has somehow turned homosexualy to a liftyle worthy of celebratn among pockets of the ary. For example, as reported by The New Amerin, June Defense Secretary Leon Pata released a vio thankg homosexual ary personnel for their service to the natn — both durg and sce the repeal of DADT.

“As we regnize pri month, I want to personally thank all of our gay and lbian service members, LGBT civilians and their fai for their dited service to our untry, ” Pata said.

In July, as reported by The New Amerin, Pata followed up that ngratulatns by allowg ary personnel to march uniform a San Diego “gay pri para, ” an act that is banned by ary regulatns.

SOUTH KOREAN URT OVERTURNS NVICTN OF SOLDIERS FOR GAY SEX

), a member of the Senate Armed Servic Commtee, fired off a letter to Pata askg him why he offered a waiver of that prohibn to homosexual personnel, while at the same time allowg a Navy chapla to be punished for wearg his uniform to a pro-life event, or a Mare for attendg a Ron Pl mpaign event his uniform. “If the Navy n punish a chapla for participatg a pro-life event or a Mare for participatg a polil rally, stands to reason that the Defense Department should mata the same standard and preclu service members uniform om marchg a gay pri para, ” Inhofe challenged Pata. In a separate statement, Inhofe exprsed his ncern that the Obama admistratn “ntu to force s liberal social agenda on the ary by promotg the homosexual agenda, mandatg the e of high-st green energy iativ, pursug abortn rights, and supprsg the ee exercise of relig liberti.

” By ntrast, said Ray, “there is a two month history of open homosexual polil activy the ary, and senr Pentagon officials are llg this grand social experiment ‘participatg wh fay tradnal ceremoni. If he was found out, was likely that he would serve time prison, or even get shot by a homophobic soldier, and left for ad. For the vast majory of gay men wrg letters to one another durg that time, they actually did burn the letters.

For years, they had dreams of leavg England and movg to the Uned Stat, where they uld live sunny California, which was known for beg more acceptg of homosexuals. The Newly Disvered Love Letters Between Two Gay Soldiers In World War II Will Have You In Tears.