The credible stori of the gay men who fought for the Brish durg the two world wars has been revealed a new book - on the 50th anniversary of the crimalisatn of homosexualy.
Contents:
- A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER
- TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
- BT GAY ROMANCE TIM OF WAR
- LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS
A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER
As "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to an end, we sent Chris Heath to terview dozens of gay servicemen om the past and prent to fd out what life was really like as Ameri's ary stggled wh s last great inty crisis * gay war stories *
Larry Sanrs wr about servg the army, where he uld have been arrted for beg gay durg a very unpopular war. The day Larry Sanrs registered for the draft, one qutn buried the middle of a long qutnnaire smacked him the face: “Do you intify as a homosexual or ever had sexual feelgs for persons of the same sex?
At the time Sanrs registered for the draft 1967, no one was clear about what happened to someone who admted beg gay. When I registered for the draft jt a few years later, I was told not to say I was gay, bee they would make you prove . How do someone not datg anyone “prove” they’re gay?
He didn’t really intify as homosexual.
TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
And as a gay soldier, he didn’t particularly relate to those who served wh him.
And what about beg a gay soldier an army that forba ? The are the voic explag what has been like to be a gay man1 the Amerin ary over the prev seventy or so years, om World War II veterans their late eighti to young servicemen on active duty.
BT GAY ROMANCE TIM OF WAR
Life Today as a Gay ServicemanHow we got here: In 1992, many people thought that the discrimatn was nearly over. "I remember beg the Castro, " says John Forrett (army rerve, 1987–99), "and watchg the TV at a bar wh some iends, watchg Al Gore and Bill Clton swearg that if they beme the tag team for Ameri they were gog to get rid of the harassment of gays and lbians servg the ary. " Gay people were allowed the ary but only as long as they didn’t reveal their sexualy; to facilate this, all members of the ary were also prohibed om quirg about anyone’s possible orientatn.
LETTERS REVEAL THE STORI OF GAY SOLDIERS WORLD WARS
Gay people were only acceptable, effect, to the gree to which they uld succsfully masquera as nongay. Seventeen years which gay servicemen have existed a paradoxil kd of herworld. Servicemen were advised that until then the policy would still apply, and that they uld potentially face s sanctns if they intify themselv publicly as gay.
’ "Air Force #1: "Two of my iends were disvered, both officers—’s a long and arduo procs for an officer to get kicked out for beg gay.
"Air Force #2 (senr airman, three years): "No one at my job would ever, ever spect that I was gay at all. And you’re good at your job—a gay person wouldn’t be good at his job, so obvly you’re not gay.