"Comg Out Unr Fire": The Story of Gay and Lbian Servicemembers | The Natnal WWII Mm | New Orleans

Contents:

• "COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS
• RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN
• IN U.S., BROAD, STEADY SUPPORT FOR OPENLY GAY SERVICE MEMBERS
• THE CAMERA THE CLOSET: GAY SERVICE MEMBERS SPEAK OUT TO ABC NEWS ABOUT DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL
• GAY MOSW · CY GUI
• THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

"COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS

Gay and Lbian soldiers faced extraordary discrimatn durg World War II. Liebman and more than 9, 000 Amerin servicemembers, however, eventually were given a Sectn 8 "blue discharge" for beg homosexual. The 1994 documentary Comg Out Unr Fire giv voice to the experienc of thoands of gay and lbian servicemembers who joed the ary durg World War II, a story that is largely ignored by historians and mms across the untry.

In 1993, the Uned Stat was batg the discrimatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy regardg homosexuals the morn ary. At the time, homosexualy was classified as a mental illns by the medil muny; mental illns was one ndn that disqualified young people om service.

Gay and lbian recs were forced to answer qutns vaguely, or lie about their sexualy, orr to be allowed to serve; otherwise, they would n the risk of beg sent home and brand as “sex perverts.

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

By the middle of the war, the ary sought new ways to target and expel homosexuals.

Instead of chargg dividuals wh sodomy, a urt-martialed offense, the ary began intifyg spected homosexuals as psychopaths. Such a move created an efficient system of discrimatn and prosecutn of homosexual members of the ary.

IN U.S., BROAD, STEADY SUPPORT FOR OPENLY GAY SERVICE MEMBERS

We were gay. Dpe the threat of persecutn, gay and lbian servicemembers thrived durg World War II.

THE CAMERA THE CLOSET: GAY SERVICE MEMBERS SPEAK OUT TO ABC NEWS ABOUT DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL

The new iendships gave gay and lbian GIs refuge om the hostily that surround them and allowed for a distct subculture to velop wh the ary. Servicemembers on every waront enjoyed drag show entertament; an entire gay lexin was veloped om the wrgs of Dorothy Parker; and eventually an unrground queer newspaper emerged.

Soldiers reprented female characters ary plays, and some homosexual soldiers found refuge om rigid genr rol. The irony that the ary selected two homosexuals to reprent the ial image of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was not lost on Abry. Eisenhower signed Executive Orr 10450, which banned homosexuals om feral employment.

Over 5, 000 feral employe lost their jobs over accatns of homosexualy.

GAY MOSW · CY GUI

The feral discrimatory actns drove LGBTQ people further to the shadows of society and embolned law enforcement and policians, who beme more vlent toward gay and lbian cizens.

Patrons of the gay bar fought back and sparked a vlent uprisg that started the gay rights movement the Uned Stat. Gay and lbian veterans of World War II beme some of the first to fight ary discrimatn and blue discharg the years followg the war.

My only hope is that anizatns around the untry m to pturg the voic of gay, lbian, and transgenr veterans and that we fd a place our history to honor their service as well. We sat down wh Sir John Dermot Turg, Alan Turg’s nephew and thor of a new book on Bletchley Park, to discs his uncle’s role pivotal role puter science and his persecutn for beg gay the 1950s.

THE 5 BEST MOSW GAY CLUBS & BARSGAY CLUBS & BARS MOSW

Wartime film star Patsy Kelly's most fiant act was beg an openly gay woman an hospable climate for the LGBTQIA+ muny. Sce 2011, openly gay, lbian and bisexual men and women have been permted to serve the ary.

It wasn’t until 1982 that the ary enacted a policy explicly banng gay men and lbians om their ranks. And the early 1940s, was classified as a mental illns, disqualifyg gay men and lbians om service.

Eighteen years later, Congrs repealed the policy, allowg openly gay, lbian and bisexual people to serve the ary. Sadly, due to a Navy vtigatn to his private life, he was forced to rign bee he was gay. Leonard Matlovich was the first gay man to ever disclose his sexual orientatn while servg the Uned Stat Air Force.

His picture, along wh the massive headle: “I Am a Homosexual, ” vered the September 8, 1975 edn of Time. Translatn: a pole way of sayg gay. Read more about him on the Gay and Lbian Review.