Only 15 years ago, Chief Master Sgt. Jeremiah Grisham never imaged he’d be where he is today: the top enlisted lear for the 521st Air Mobily Operatns Wg at Ramste. As far as he knows, he’s the only openly gay mand chief the Air Force.
Contents:
- I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
- THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY
- OPENLY GAY AIR FORCE MAND CHIEF AT RAMSTE LENDS VOICE OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR PRI MONTH
I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
But as a gay man, I have been fightg my whole life to enjoy the very privileg I am entled to as both a beholr and protector of them. 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.
Gay men have always been part of the Amerin ary.
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.
THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY
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.
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.
OPENLY GAY AIR FORCE MAND CHIEF AT RAMSTE LENDS VOICE OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE FOR PRI MONTH
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. Grisham hop his experience of servg the Air Force for more than 20 years as a gay airman n reassure and spire other LGBTQ ary personnel.