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:
- I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
- I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.
- THE ELE GAY ARMY OF ANCIENT GREECETHE SACRED BAND OF THEB FEATED EVEN THE SPARTANSPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·OCT 11, 2020--3SHAREGREEK WARRRS — ARTISTIC IMAGE (IMAGE:ARTSTATN/@ALIAKSANDR TRYZON)THE SACRED BAND WAS AN ELE ARY UN OM THEB PRISG 150 GAY UPL. AT THE BATTLE OF LCTRA 371 BC, THE 300 GAY WARRRS LED THE THEBAN ARMY AGAST THE SPARTAN ARMY. THE THEBANS WON AND SHATTERED THE SPARTAN NTROL OF GREECE.THE GREEK VIEW ON GAY WARRRSA MALE UPLE ENGAGG TERCRAL SEX. DEPICTED ON ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY (IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)THE THEBANS BELIEVED GAY WARRRS FOUGHT BETTER ORR TO IMPRS AND PROTECT THEIR LOVERS. IF A LOVER FELL DURG A BATTLE, HIS PARTNER WOULD FIGHT EVEN HARR TO AVENGE HIS ATH.THREE THOAND YEARS AGO ANCIENT GREECE, BEG GAY OR LBIAN WAS NOT A CRIME. IN FACT, CERTA SUATNS, THE GREEKS EVEN ENURAGED HOMOSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS.YOUNG BOYS EXCHANGED ROMANTIC FAVORS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE PROVID BY THEIR OLR TUTORS. FATHERS WOULD PRAY TO THE GODS FOR THEIR SONS TO BE ATTRACTIVE BEE MEANT A BETTER MENTOR. SUCH RELATNSHIPS LASTED UNTIL THE YOUNG BOYS REACHED ADULTHOOD.SOLDIERS WOULD FORM ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS WH ONE ANOTHER TO BOOST THEIR MORALE.THE GREEK SOCIETY DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROL BOTH GENRS TOOK DURG SEX. AN ACTIVE ROLE, BEG A PERATOR, MEANT MASCULY, ADULTHOOD, AND PRTIGE. A PASSIVE ROLE, BEG PERATED, REPRENTED FEMY, YOUTH, AND SHAME.FOR A RECEIVG PARTNER, ANAL SEX WAS MEANG. INSTEAD, THEY ENGAGED TERCRAL SEX.THE MEMBERS OF THE SACRED BAND OF THEB WERE ROMANTIC PARTNERS. THEY LLED AN OLR PARTNER THE ERAST (‘LOVER’) AND A YOUNGER ONE THE EROMENOS (‘BELOVED’). EACH PAIR EXCHANGED SACRED VOWS AT THE TEMPLE OF IOLS, THE LOVER OF HERACL.FACTS ABOUT THE SACRED BAND OF THEB
- GAY ARMY SOLDIER AFGHANISTAN ON ‘DON’T ASK DON’T TELL’
- TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
- I WAS AN OFFICER IN THE INDIAN ARMY, I'M GAY AND VERY PROUD
- IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.
- WHAT STRAIGHT SOLDIERS DO : MILARY AND GAYS: THE SEXUAL MISNDUCT OF SERVICEMEN STATNED OVERSEAS IS LEGENDARY; SHOULD BE ‘DISHONORABLE.’
I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
* gay army boy *
I was one of few soldiers who joed the service before graduatg high school, but the admistratn at the time, which I believe was homophobic, chose to act as if I never existed bee of my queer hate that I experienced growg up on Long Island was my first enunter wh how others would treat me as a queer soldier. 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.
I THOUGHT I COULD SERVE AS AN OPENLY GAY MAN THE ARMY. THEN CAME THE DEATH THREATS.
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.
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. 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.
THE ELE GAY ARMY OF ANCIENT GREECETHE SACRED BAND OF THEB FEATED EVEN THE SPARTANSPETER PRKAR·FOLLOWPUBLISHED LSONS OM HISTORY·4 M READ·OCT 11, 2020--3SHAREGREEK WARRRS — ARTISTIC IMAGE (IMAGE:ARTSTATN/@ALIAKSANDR TRYZON)THE SACRED BAND WAS AN ELE ARY UN OM THEB PRISG 150 GAY UPL. AT THE BATTLE OF LCTRA 371 BC, THE 300 GAY WARRRS LED THE THEBAN ARMY AGAST THE SPARTAN ARMY. THE THEBANS WON AND SHATTERED THE SPARTAN NTROL OF GREECE.THE GREEK VIEW ON GAY WARRRSA MALE UPLE ENGAGG TERCRAL SEX. DEPICTED ON ANCIENT GREEK POTTERY (IMAGE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)THE THEBANS BELIEVED GAY WARRRS FOUGHT BETTER ORR TO IMPRS AND PROTECT THEIR LOVERS. IF A LOVER FELL DURG A BATTLE, HIS PARTNER WOULD FIGHT EVEN HARR TO AVENGE HIS ATH.THREE THOAND YEARS AGO ANCIENT GREECE, BEG GAY OR LBIAN WAS NOT A CRIME. IN FACT, CERTA SUATNS, THE GREEKS EVEN ENURAGED HOMOSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS.YOUNG BOYS EXCHANGED ROMANTIC FAVORS FOR THE KNOWLEDGE PROVID BY THEIR OLR TUTORS. FATHERS WOULD PRAY TO THE GODS FOR THEIR SONS TO BE ATTRACTIVE BEE MEANT A BETTER MENTOR. SUCH RELATNSHIPS LASTED UNTIL THE YOUNG BOYS REACHED ADULTHOOD.SOLDIERS WOULD FORM ROMANTIC RELATNSHIPS WH ONE ANOTHER TO BOOST THEIR MORALE.THE GREEK SOCIETY DIFFERENTIATED BETWEEN ACTIVE AND PASSIVE ROL BOTH GENRS TOOK DURG SEX. AN ACTIVE ROLE, BEG A PERATOR, MEANT MASCULY, ADULTHOOD, AND PRTIGE. A PASSIVE ROLE, BEG PERATED, REPRENTED FEMY, YOUTH, AND SHAME.FOR A RECEIVG PARTNER, ANAL SEX WAS MEANG. INSTEAD, THEY ENGAGED TERCRAL SEX.THE MEMBERS OF THE SACRED BAND OF THEB WERE ROMANTIC PARTNERS. THEY LLED AN OLR PARTNER THE ERAST (‘LOVER’) AND A YOUNGER ONE THE EROMENOS (‘BELOVED’). EACH PAIR EXCHANGED SACRED VOWS AT THE TEMPLE OF IOLS, THE LOVER OF HERACL.FACTS ABOUT THE SACRED BAND OF THEB
"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. There are young men who voluntarily offer sexual favors to their homosexual clients; others are forced to prostutn agast their own will. The Sacred Band of Theb feated even the SpartansGreek warrrs — artistic image (Image:Artstatn/@Aliaksandr Tryzon)The Sacred Band was an ele ary un om Theb prisg 150 gay upl.
Depicted on Ancient Greek pottery (Image: Wikimedia Commons)The Thebans believed gay warrrs fought better orr to imprs and protect their lovers.
GAY ARMY SOLDIER AFGHANISTAN ON ‘DON’T ASK DON’T TELL’
If a lover fell durg a battle, his partner would fight even harr to avenge his thoand years ago Ancient Greece, beg gay or lbian was not a crime. In fact, certa suatns, the Greeks even enuraged homosexual boys exchanged romantic favors for the knowledge provid by their olr tutors.
Cats stroll across mp at Norwich Universy Northfield, the natn’s olst exclive ary llege and the first exclive ary amy to anize a gay satisfactn week. That society stays ristant, to a level, to open up tegratn of gay soldiers right to the rankgs and the promotn of femal to fight rol.
TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
We’re not exactly sure the amount of gay soldiers, profsnals or “admirers” of the same would be terted straight-up chill’ the serts of Afghanistan (no alhol, for one), but still! The Clton Admistratn implemented Febary of 1994 after fallg short to legalize ary service for lbian, gay, as well as bisexual people. Und spu00e4ttens als emergency room kurz darf e anr Mal e heiu00df Abenter verwickelt wird weiu00df er, dass see Entscheidung fu00fcr die Milary gen die richtige Gay Sensual Tale m explizen Szenen!
Ten years after Yossi and also Jagger, director Eytan Fox is releasg a follow up to his rearch study of a gay romance the Israeli ary. He pend on word of mouth and also social works works, as well as he also spent a lot of time rearchg s and LGBT anizatns and other rourc that served as support groups for gay-intified soldiers. “Background ntu to be wrten and also equal rights march onward wh the nomatn of an openly gay male to offer this nsirably important functn.
I WAS AN OFFICER IN THE INDIAN ARMY, I'M GAY AND VERY PROUD
Alireza Monfared, a 20-year-old who was gay, was prumably elimated by fay members, jt days before he might leave Iran to seek asylum, acrdg to multiple reports. ” I believe the exact term for this hio murr is gay-killg rather than the basic regard to honor-killg, ” Ma Khani, an Iranian LGBTQ as well as women’s rights prottor based Germany, told ABC Informatn.
IN SOUTH KOREA, GAY SOLDIERS CAN SERVE. BUT THEY MIGHT BE PROSECUTED.
Acrdg to Human Rights Watch, almost 15 natns the Middle East and Northern Ai crimalize homosexualy, g punishments that clu prison, lash and also the pal punishment. Iranian legislatn stat that guys over the age of 18 requirement to serve the armed forc before they might leave the untry, however homosexualy is tegorized unr “emotnal ndns, ” which n e an exceptn om solutn.
WHAT STRAIGHT SOLDIERS DO : MILARY AND GAYS: THE SEXUAL MISNDUCT OF SERVICEMEN STATNED OVERSEAS IS LEGENDARY; SHOULD BE ‘DISHONORABLE.’
We are still terrified of the program makg a database of gay and transgenr people and placg them unr prsure whenever they want, ” Shadi Am, an LGBTQ activist based Germany, told ABC News. The ia of receivg an exemptn rd is leavg lots of gay as well as trans Iranians etted they would certaly be brand and also at risk to harassment as well as discrimatn. Mahdi, a 36-year-old Iranian gay male who did not tend to utilize his plete name over secury worri, told ABC News that hearg the rmatn of Monfared’s murr broke his heart.
” Bis the immediate danger that many gay exempts enunter currently, such means of surance verage and the prsure om beyond the natn is not likely to have any fluence on the not logil and also nventnal thori Iran, ” he claimed. As an army tradns clus a whole lot much more mment than a civilian, this affordable for homosexual man to look at if the life-alterg ditn is suable for the youngsters and also biggt nnectns optns (applitns and web pag) provis.
Though gay, girl to lady, as well as bisexual men n supply the armed forc hontly at the time of 2022, disclosg their own sexualy is really a private preference.