Baron von Stben, Washgton’s Gay General and Friend – Mark Carlson-Ghost

Contents:

• THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY
• HOW A GAY PSSIAN WHO SPOKE NO ENGLISH BEME A HERO OF THE AMERIN REVOLUTN
• FRIEDRICH VON STBEN: THE OPENLY GAY WAR HERO WHO WHIPPED THE CONTENTAL ARMY INTO SHAPE
• THE GAY PSSIAN BARON WHO CREATED THE U.S. ARMY
• MEET THE GAY MAN WHO ACTUALLY WON AMERI HER PENNCE
• BARON VON STBEN, WASHGTON’S GAY GENERAL AND FRIEND
• THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY

Gay men have always been part of the Amerin ary.

HOW A GAY PSSIAN WHO SPOKE NO ENGLISH BEME A HERO OF THE AMERIN REVOLUTN

In an era before gay marriage or open pri, ary men fell love, formed passnate iendships and had same-sex enunters.

But the se of one of the ary’s foundg hero, homosexualy was always part of the story.

Historians also thk he was homosexual—and served as an openly gay man the ary at a time when sex between men was punished as a crime. He also downplayed mors that the baron had been dismissed om the Pssian ary for homosexualy.

FRIEDRICH VON STBEN: THE OPENLY GAY WAR HERO WHO WHIPPED THE CONTENTAL ARMY INTO SHAPE

But he was gay, and homosexualy was viewed as a crimal aberratn by many of his peers. ”After the war, von Stben legally adopted both men—a mon practice among gay men an age before same-sex marriage was legal. John Mulligan, who was also gay, served as von Stben’s secretary and is thought to have had a relatnship wh the baron.

Durg von Stben’s lifetime, the ncept of gay marriage, gay pri or g out was unthkable and there was no language or open culture of homosexualy. But historil homosexual relatnships were actually don’t mean beg gay was ndoned: Sodomy was a crime lonial Ameri. We n state why he might be spected of beg gay, but aga, to suggt that he might be out as you know, as blatant has to be he has to be uched properly.

In other words, we don't have enough of a enough of an accurate termology to e or enough of a shared termology for all of as a group to get together, or for strangers to e together ont of a monument and jt hear a term like he's a gay general. I thk both you have, and I, well, sort of a ristance to a very easy label like the "gay general. In other words, von Stben is beg lled the "gay general, " part to to talk about why queer people today should have rights and should be able to serve the army.

THE GAY PSSIAN BARON WHO CREATED THE U.S. ARMY

So that if a reference was ma to the fact that others have referred to him as the "gay general, " other words, that's another way of dog then. And so, you know, sometim, rather than focg on you the more physil aspects of the particular relatnships, whether be hetero or whether be heterosexual or homosexual, the general foc should be stead on how they exprs their affectn towards one another and love for one another.

Not only was von Stben mored to be a homosexual, but he was also said to particularly enjoy the pany of young boys (a mor that has never been substantiated). Baron Von Stben never publicly nied beg a homosexual. Throughout Amerin history, homosexual soldiers have been discrimated agast the ary.

It was enacted by Print Bill Clton 1993, as a way of “liftg” the ban on homosexual service members that was put place after World War II. Friedrich Wilhelm Augt Herich Ferdand von Stben was a Pssian ary officer who was openly gay. Walker and North lived wh him, along wh another Revolutnary War veteran, John Mulligan, who was also thought to be gay.

MEET THE GAY MAN WHO ACTUALLY WON AMERI HER PENNCE

He was also — historians spect — gay. Back Europe, von Stben had dodged accatns about his homosexualy.

”A earlier, the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” allowed gays and lbians to serve openly after centuri of hidg, persecutn and dishonorable, we salute some of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer service members who paved the way for a more clive force. Ralph Earl via Getty ImagWhout this gay ary geni, the Contental army might not have won the Revolutnary War.

BARON VON STBEN, WASHGTON’S GAY GENERAL AND FRIEND

Friedrich von Stben joed the Pssian army as a teen, eventually beg an ai--mp to Frerick the Great, who was also mored to be gay. But In 1763, at 33, Stben was unceremonly discharged “unr a cloud, hound by accatns of havg relatns wh young men, ” acrdg to The Gay and Lbian Review.

Acrdg to Randy Shilts’ “Conduct Unbeg: Gays and Lbians the U. C., and the Stben Para, held each September down New York’s Fifth KamenyFrank Kameny Kennedy / Tribune News Service via Getty ImagOne of the Foundg Fathers of the morn gay rights movement, Frank Kameny enlisted the Army 1943, servg Europe throughout World War II.

After the war, he earned a doctorate at Harvard Universy and tght astronomy at Geetown Universy, In 1957, Kameny had jt started workg for the Army Map Service, wh hop of beg an astront, when he was termated after vtigators unvered evince he was a, then 32, appealed the firg, argug that flatly labelg gay people a secury risk was “no ls od than discrimatn based upon relig or racial grounds. The jtic refed to hear the appeal, but marked the first time the high urt even nsired a civil rights se based on sexual orientatn — and galvanized Kameny to beg a lifelong activist for equaly for gays and years later, 1965, Kameny, Kay Tob and Barbara Gtgs started the Annual Remrs, the first anized picket protts for gay rights Ameri, held at Philalphia’s Inpennce Hall. In the 1970s, Kameny bee the first openly gay ndidate for Congrs and challenged the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn’s diagnosis of homosexualy as a mental disorr, acrdg to a 2015 Department of Labor 2009, the U.

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Wh urage and strength, you fought back, ” said OPM Director John Berry, himself an out gay man, the Washgton Post December 2010, Kameny was ved to the Whe Hoe to wns Print Barack Obama sign the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” to law. ”Fannie Mae Clackum Though ls well known than Kameny, Clackum beme the first service member to succsfully challenge a ary discharge on the grounds of homosexualy. ”While the lg Clackum’s favor turned on due procs, rather than a rejectn of the ban on gays the ary, was the first time the Armed Forc had to answer for attacks on LGBTQ service MilkHarvey Milk outsi his mera shop San Francis 1977.

Bettmann ArchiveThough Harvey Milk is better known for his stnch gay activism, polil reer and tragic assassatn, he enlisted the U. Rather than face a urt-martial over his homosexualy, Milk was prsured to acceptg an “other than honorable” discharge.