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

Contents:

• 07 | MYTHS OF WAR: GAY SERVICEMEN VIETNAM
• A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER
• TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
• FOR GAY UPL HOPG FOR A ARY BURIAL, THE FIGHT FOR LOVE DON’T END WH ATH

07 | MYTHS OF WAR: GAY SERVICEMEN VIETNAM

( Tim Page/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Imag)Anyone uld be discharged om the Atralian armed forc for gay sexual behavur Vietnam. And sce nobody wanted to fight the Vietnam War – and gay men were exced natnal service — there mt have been no gay people on Atralian ary bas Vietnam, right? 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. And as a gay soldier, he didn’t particularly relate to those who served wh him.

A GAY SOLDIER’S STORY OF VIETNAM AND AFTER

And what about beg a gay soldier an army that forba ?

Before "don't ask, don't tell" was officially repealed for gay, lbian, and bisexual ary personnel 2011, a photo of a male Mare drag uld have land him hot water. "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. "As a gay man, I n relate to what is still the opprsive stigma of homosexualy.

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. Life Today as a Gay ServicemanHow we got here: In 1992, many people thought that the discrimatn was nearly over.

TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY

"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.

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.

FOR GAY UPL HOPG FOR A ARY BURIAL, THE FIGHT FOR LOVE DON’T END WH ATH

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.