Gay and Lbian soldiers faced extraordary discrimatn durg World War II. Most found new muni of people and thrived spe the opprsn. Disver the film Comg Out Unr Fire that shar their story.
Contents:
- PRIMARY SOURCE SET: GAY MEN THE ARY
- "COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS
- IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS
- GAY MEN UNR THE NAZI REGIME
PRIMARY SOURCE SET: GAY MEN THE ARY
* gay soldiers during ww2 *
Gay men have a long history of servg the Uned Stat ary. This primary source set provis sights to the experienc of gay servicemen spanng several generatns and nflicts. Topics clu blue discharg; servg durg the Send World War; gay life and relatnships durg the Vietnam era; and servg unr Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Gay Vets 1978 Pri Para (at 2:40). Allan Bebe on WWII gay servicepeople. Gays and the Milary article, 1982.
Gay and Lbian soldiers faced extraordary discrimatn durg World War II.
"COMG OUT UNR FIRE": THE STORY OF GAY AND LBIAN SERVICEMEMBERS
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. 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. We were gay.
IN WWII, TWO GAY SOLDIERS’ FORBIDN ROMANCE LIV ON IN THEIR LOVE LETTERS
Dpe the threat of persecutn, gay and lbian servicemembers thrived durg World War II.
GAY MEN UNR THE NAZI REGIME
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.