The Navy Gave a Gay Man a Home—and a ‘Bad Paper’ Discharge

gay navy stories

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

Contents:

THE NAVY GAVE A GAY MAN A HOME—AND A ‘BAD PAPER’ DISCHARGE THAT HNTED HIM FOR DES

The first gay man I met was at the aid statn loted Dong Ha near the DMZ. We were noticed, and maybe regnized as gay, but no one bothered .

The OSI man said he wanted nam and ranks of other homos I knew, and that I was gog to have to subm to more tailed qutng by other agents.

RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN

A shipmate Vietnam, David Monarch, had been arrted for beg gay and removed om the ship. I never learned how and why, but 1960s Ameri, we gay men served to die, acrdg to popular thkg. Was the harassment for beg gay?

All I knew was that I hated beg gay and that I felt like I didn’t serve to live. I was first treated wh strong psychotropic dgs and kept a padd cell to protect the other patients om the “homosexual. ” Later, I was released to the general populatn but kept on dgs wh regular terviews and discsns wh a ary psychologist, all to treat my homosexualy rather than the PTSD I’d suffered bee of the war, which remaed undiagnosed.

TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY

On my Milary Separatn Paper DD214 were three s: #265, unsuabily bee of a character disorr; #256, admissn of beg a homosexual, acceptance of discharge li of board actn and punishment; and a re-enlistment of RE4, unsuable for ary service. For gay and lbian people, the discharge has signatns showg you as a crimal for many s. Surround by killg, we gay men need to protect our mds, and strengthen one another.

It took four years, the help of a young gay psychologist at the VA Hospal and a high-powered legal team, and changed my life.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY

Straight men who have engaged suatnal homosexualy (such as prison or the ary), what's your story?

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY NAVY STORIES

Tell: An Intimate History of Gay Men the Milary | GQ .

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