Navy's first openly gay SEAL builds his life anew - Los Angel Tim

Contents:

• ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS
• THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY
• ERIC FANNG, FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY, CONFIRMED BY U.S. SENATE
• FIRST OPENLY GAY US MILARY LEAR APPOTED
• SENATE PANEL NFIRMS 1ST OPENLY GAY ARY SERVICE LEAR
• PRINT NOMAT FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY
• THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY U.S. HISTORY
• NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW
• HISTORY’S GREATT GAY GENERAL

ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

Tammy Smh, the ary’s hight-rankg openly gay officer, me out 2012, she has tried beg an example of livg thentilly while also beg a bean of visibily to other Soldiers and their fai. It terrified her to e out as gay such a public way, but she felt a rponsibily to do , she said.

As difficult as was for her, g out publicly as gay “may not have been as easy for someone who was at a lower rank, ” Smh said an terview last week.

THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY

“When I me durg the 80s, thgs were different for women and gay people, and now 2021, the societal l are different aga.

“People mt fd fort and ph back some of that ternalized homophobia, and build a b on the journey between hont and thentic.

In an era before gay marriage or open pri, ary men fell love, formed passnate iendships and had same-sex enunters. 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. ”After the war, von Stben legally adopted both men—a mon practice among gay men an age before same-sex marriage was legal.

ERIC FANNG, FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY, CONFIRMED BY U.S. SENATE

John Mulligan, who was also gay, served as von Stben’s secretary and is thought to have had a relatnship wh the baron. 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.

Ary service — a tone not lost on gay rights groups, g five years after the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell, " which had prohibed gay and lbian service members om beg open about their Fanng at the 30th Space Symposium Corporate Partnership dner Colorado Sprgs, Colorado, May Wood / U. Related: Obama to Nomate Eric Fanng for Army, Would Be 1st Openly Gay Service ChiefFanng prevly served as the Army secretary's prcipal adviser on management and operatn. "Related: First Openly Gay Army Secretary Nomee Stalled by Sgle SenatorFanng's path to the post began roughly eight months ago, but was stymied when Roberts held up nfirmatn.

FIRST OPENLY GAY US MILARY LEAR APPOTED

Many of our LGBTQ service members have given their liv for , like one of the first gay ary hero, Litenant Colonel John Lrens, who served durg the Amerin Revolutn. 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.

SENATE PANEL NFIRMS 1ST OPENLY GAY ARY SERVICE LEAR

The false allegatns stemmed om public dislike of his prumed homosexualy, a dangero and irrponsible nflatn that is not all too unmon morn tim.

PRINT NOMAT FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY

He was forced to live as a gay man secrecy, preventg him om gettg the proper regnn for his achievements and succs.

Turng’s prosecutn for beg gay will live famy after all of the valiant efforts he ma to save hundreds of liv. Not only that, but she is also a gay rights activist and me out as beg a lbian for the first time durg a secury clearance terview.

The US ary has s first openly gay civilian lear after Eric Fanng was appoted as Army Senate unanimoly nfirmed Mr Fanng, 47, eight months after Print Barack Obama nomated him. Senator Pat Roberts had been objectg to the nfirmatn, exprsg ncern that the Obama admistratn might try to transfer prisoners om the tentn centre to his home state of Fanng's approval marks another tone for the gay rights movement, five years after the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell", which banned openly gay and lbian US service members.

THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY U.S. HISTORY

Charl Crail/ArmyIn addn to his long rume, Fanng would also mark a tone if he do bee the Army secretary, as the first openly gay secretary of a ary, a statement, ngratulated Fanng, llg him "an excellent choice. ”A earlier, the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” allowed gays and lbians to serve openly after centuri of hidg, persecutn and dishonorable, we salute some of the lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer service members who paved the way for a more clive force.

Ralph Earl via Getty ImagWhout this gay ary geni, the Contental army might not have won the Revolutnary War.

NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW

Friedrich von Stben joed the Pssian army as a teen, eventually beg an ai--mp to Frerick the Great, who was also mored to be gay.

But In 1763, at 33, Stben was unceremonly discharged “unr a cloud, hound by accatns of havg relatns wh young men, ” acrdg to The Gay and Lbian Review. C., and the Stben Para, held each September down New York’s Fifth KamenyFrank Kameny Kennedy / Tribune News Service via Getty ImagOne of the Foundg Fathers of the morn gay rights movement, Frank Kameny enlisted the Army 1943, servg Europe throughout World War II. After the war, he earned a doctorate at Harvard Universy and tght astronomy at Geetown Universy, In 1957, Kameny had jt started workg for the Army Map Service, wh hop of beg an astront, when he was termated after vtigators unvered evince he was a, then 32, appealed the firg, argug that flatly labelg gay people a secury risk was “no ls od than discrimatn based upon relig or racial grounds.

The jtic refed to hear the appeal, but marked the first time the high urt even nsired a civil rights se based on sexual orientatn — and galvanized Kameny to beg a lifelong activist for equaly for gays and years later, 1965, Kameny, Kay Tob and Barbara Gtgs started the Annual Remrs, the first anized picket protts for gay rights Ameri, held at Philalphia’s Inpennce Hall. In the 1970s, Kameny bee the first openly gay ndidate for Congrs and challenged the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn’s diagnosis of homosexualy as a mental disorr, acrdg to a 2015 Department of Labor 2009, the U. Wh urage and strength, you fought back, ” said OPM Director John Berry, himself an out gay man, the Washgton Post December 2010, Kameny was ved to the Whe Hoe to wns Print Barack Obama sign the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” to law.

HISTORY’S GREATT GAY GENERAL

”Fannie Mae Clackum Though ls well known than Kameny, Clackum beme the first service member to succsfully challenge a ary discharge on the grounds of homosexualy.

”While the lg Clackum’s favor turned on due procs, rather than a rejectn of the ban on gays the ary, was the first time the Armed Forc had to answer for attacks on LGBTQ service MilkHarvey Milk outsi his mera shop San Francis 1977. Bettmann ArchiveThough Harvey Milk is better known for his stnch gay activism, polil reer and tragic assassatn, he enlisted the U. Rather than face a urt-martial over his homosexualy, Milk was prsured to acceptg an “other than honorable” discharge.

That ugly dismissal cut Milk loose to pursue other terts — he tght high school on Long Island, worked at an surance firm and Wall Street brokerage New York Cy and ultimately opened a mera shop on Castro Street San Francis, where his activist reer began was one of the first openly gay elected officials the U. But that omissn is what ma the Senate’s cisn to nfirm Fanng as the 22nd Army secretary this week such a historic moment: Fanng is now the first openly gay lear of a U. Ary service, and the hight-rankg openly gay Pentagon official the untry’s Senate nfirmed Fanng by unanimo voice vote on Tuday, eight months after Print Obama nomated him to replace John McHugh, who held the posn for six years.