Elae Tyler May, History Whout Victims: Gays World War II, Reviews Amerin History, Vol. 19, No. 2 (Jun., 1991), pp. 255-259
Contents:
- GAY MEN UNR THE NAZI REGIME
- THE FOTTEN GAY SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
- NEW WWI MOVIE TO FEATURE A GAY LOVE STORY
- WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE GAY DURG WWII
GAY MEN UNR THE NAZI REGIME
The Nazi regime rried out a mpaign agast male homosexualy and persecuted gay men between 1933 and 1945. * gay soldiers world war 2 *
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.
THE FOTTEN GAY SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR
* gay soldiers world war 2 *
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.”.
NEW WWI MOVIE TO FEATURE A GAY LOVE STORY
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.”. Dpe the threat of persecutn, gay and lbian servicemembers thrived durg World War II.
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.
WHAT IT WAS LIKE TO BE GAY DURG WWII
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.