Links Archive: In Literature
For each subcategory on the Want More? page, only one to two links will be on the active page. All others will take up residence here in their respective categories as they drop. Links are in reverse chronological order, with the newer links at the top of the category.
5 September 2011
"Our Time: Breaking the Silence of DADT" by J.D. Smith, co-founder of OutServe Magazine. This is a collection of stories from active-duty homosexual and bisexual soldiers who have spent more than a decade serving under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In this era of volunteer forces, the majority of individuals enlisted knowing that they’d be required to bury an integral part of their identity. They did it anyway, believing the privilege to serve worth the sacrifice.
Release date is October 13th. Pre-order your hardcopy from Amazon for $15.59.
Release date is October 13th. Pre-order your hardcopy from Amazon for $15.59.
29 August 2011
As promised last week, the story of a Vietnam veteran.
From the Church of the Blind Chihuahua, "A Soldier's Story."
(No, I didn't make that up, follow the link if you really must see for yourself...)
This is what happened to Russ in Vietnam. On R&R in Saigon, he and a beautiful Vietnamese woman fell desperately, and secretly, in love. After the madness was over, they would come to America and make a life for themselves. But for now, they would meet furtively, rarely, briefly. Nobody who knew either of them could know about both, because her brother was Vietcong. Technically, they were each sleeping with the enemy.
And then, at their meeting place, she didn't show.
"That one?" said one of his buddies casually, "They say she was killed by a mine two weeks ago."
The feeling of a kick in the stomach, the taste of acid on the tongue. And he had to hide it, to stay a soldier.
"Here today, gone tomorrow," he shrugged, feeling suddenly like a traitor -- not to his country, but to her memory and to himself. But if he shared his grief with his buddies, they would say it was to his country, and he would be dishonorably discharged, at best. So he fought on, silenced about what was becoming an incurable wound.
Funny. Here he was depending for his life at times on people he couldn't trust. And ready to give his all for those who would turn on him if they only knew.
When he got stateside, he didn't try to replace the love he'd lost. The singles bar scene was all he wanted, and he went for it with abandon. Alcohol and casual sex were his anesthetics for a while. Eventually he gave them up, left the service, and settled down to a wife and a tolerable job. And though he looked good on the outside, he had two constant companions that were slowly killing him. One was depression, and the other was the virus he'd picked up during one of those dates after the war.
The story of Russ (not his real name) is true, mostly. Except that his lover was not the enemy. His lover was an American pilot who got his name put on the big, black wall in Washington for giving "that last full measure of devotion" while flying a combat mission in Vietnam.
So, when I think of the people who oppose liberalizing the US military's position on gay and lesbian soldiers, I think of Russ and how he suffered under that policy. I think about the statistics on homosexuality, and how they imply that, along with that of Russ' lover, the names of as many as a thousand homosexuals may be written on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Those homosexual soldiers fought, slept, ate, showered, and died as heroes alongside heterosexual soldiers. They knew how to handle themselves in all those situations. Their heterosexual buddies did not, forcing them to keep their secret, most of them to the grave.
Now we Americans are concerned about the effect of gay and lesbian soldiers on military morale and discipline. But a thousand names carved in stone say that's not a gay soldier's problem. It's a straight soldier's problem. People are concerned because that is the nature of homophobia — homophobia occurs when straights who have problems with gays try to make gays solve those problems for them — even if it's just by keeping their homosexuality a secret. A thousand names say the concern is based on mythology believed by straights who don't think they know any gay people.
Except for the concern about how the straight soldiers will behave. On the other hand, gay bashing is another form of sexual harassment, an area that the military needs to deal with anyway, as shown by the Tailhook scandal.
So, I think we should move forward on the legalization of gay and lesbian soldiers. Doing so will take courage and self-discipline, and a sense of security in our own sexuality. It will take, as a soldier might put it, "balls."
From the Church of the Blind Chihuahua, "A Soldier's Story."
(No, I didn't make that up, follow the link if you really must see for yourself...)
This is what happened to Russ in Vietnam. On R&R in Saigon, he and a beautiful Vietnamese woman fell desperately, and secretly, in love. After the madness was over, they would come to America and make a life for themselves. But for now, they would meet furtively, rarely, briefly. Nobody who knew either of them could know about both, because her brother was Vietcong. Technically, they were each sleeping with the enemy.
And then, at their meeting place, she didn't show.
"That one?" said one of his buddies casually, "They say she was killed by a mine two weeks ago."
The feeling of a kick in the stomach, the taste of acid on the tongue. And he had to hide it, to stay a soldier.
"Here today, gone tomorrow," he shrugged, feeling suddenly like a traitor -- not to his country, but to her memory and to himself. But if he shared his grief with his buddies, they would say it was to his country, and he would be dishonorably discharged, at best. So he fought on, silenced about what was becoming an incurable wound.
Funny. Here he was depending for his life at times on people he couldn't trust. And ready to give his all for those who would turn on him if they only knew.
When he got stateside, he didn't try to replace the love he'd lost. The singles bar scene was all he wanted, and he went for it with abandon. Alcohol and casual sex were his anesthetics for a while. Eventually he gave them up, left the service, and settled down to a wife and a tolerable job. And though he looked good on the outside, he had two constant companions that were slowly killing him. One was depression, and the other was the virus he'd picked up during one of those dates after the war.
The story of Russ (not his real name) is true, mostly. Except that his lover was not the enemy. His lover was an American pilot who got his name put on the big, black wall in Washington for giving "that last full measure of devotion" while flying a combat mission in Vietnam.
So, when I think of the people who oppose liberalizing the US military's position on gay and lesbian soldiers, I think of Russ and how he suffered under that policy. I think about the statistics on homosexuality, and how they imply that, along with that of Russ' lover, the names of as many as a thousand homosexuals may be written on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Those homosexual soldiers fought, slept, ate, showered, and died as heroes alongside heterosexual soldiers. They knew how to handle themselves in all those situations. Their heterosexual buddies did not, forcing them to keep their secret, most of them to the grave.
Now we Americans are concerned about the effect of gay and lesbian soldiers on military morale and discipline. But a thousand names carved in stone say that's not a gay soldier's problem. It's a straight soldier's problem. People are concerned because that is the nature of homophobia — homophobia occurs when straights who have problems with gays try to make gays solve those problems for them — even if it's just by keeping their homosexuality a secret. A thousand names say the concern is based on mythology believed by straights who don't think they know any gay people.
Except for the concern about how the straight soldiers will behave. On the other hand, gay bashing is another form of sexual harassment, an area that the military needs to deal with anyway, as shown by the Tailhook scandal.
So, I think we should move forward on the legalization of gay and lesbian soldiers. Doing so will take courage and self-discipline, and a sense of security in our own sexuality. It will take, as a soldier might put it, "balls."
22 August 2011
Accounts of gay servicemembers--whether biographical or autobiographical--are still difficult to come by. So in lieu of an actual book recommendation, I’d like to share a pair of stories I stumbled across in the course of my search. This week will be one of a British soldier who served on the Pacific front during WWII. Next week, the other – the story of a US soldier who served during the Vietnam era.
Private Dudley Cave: A Gay Soldier’s Story. WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at http://bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.
The following content was contributed by Peter Tatchell in June of 2004 to the BBC’s WW2 Story Archive.
Over five million men served in the British armed forces during World War 2. Of these, it's likely that at least 250,000 were gay or bisexual (based on projections from the 1990-91 National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles which found that six per cent of men report having had homosexual experiences).
A friend of mine, Dudley Cave, who died a few years back, was one of these many gay soldiers.
Conscripted in 1941, aged 20 he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a driver.
Before his death, he told me his story, with a mixture of pride and sorrow. I retell it here, in remembrance of a good friend.
Having risked his life during WW2, and nearly died in a Japanese POW camp, Cave was angry that once the war was over Britain's gay soldiers were persecuted and jailed by the military authorities.
"They used us when it suited them, and then victimised us when the country was no longer in danger. I am glad I served but I am angry that military homophobia was allowed to wreck so many lives for over 50 years after we gave our all for a freedom that gay people were denied", said Cave.
During WW2, and until 1999, there was an official ban on lesbians and gays serving in the armed forces. Indeed, homosexuality was grounds for dismissal from the forces and for harsh imprisonment.
But Private Cave never faced any questions or warnings concerning homosexuality when being interviewed by recruitment officers and completing his enlistment forms.
"People were put in the army regardless of whether they were gay or not", according to Cave's recollections. "It didn't seem to bother the military authorities. There was none of the later homophobic uproar about gays undermining military discipline and effectiveness. With Britain seriously threatened by the Nazis, the forces weren't fussy about who they accepted".
Cave's experience was typical of the sudden relaxed attitude towards lesbians and gays in the services. Faced with the danger of German invasion and the need to maximise combat strength, military chiefs unofficially waived their objections to homosexuals in uniform. Even soldiers caught having gay sex rarely suffered severe punishment. A few got off with a reprimand and warning from their commanding officer. Some were hastily transferred to a new unit. Others were assigned to hard labour for a few weeks to 'knock the queerness out of them' and turn them into 'real men'.
Cave recalls that neither the top brass nor fellow soldiers showed any concern about gay enlistees.
"There were none of the anti-gay witch-hunts we had after WW2", he told me. "Homosexual soldiers were more or less accepted".
"The visible gays were mostly drag performers in concert teams. Regarded with considerable affection, their camp humour helped lift the men's spirits".
Contrary to the later fears of the generals, during WW2 there was no evidence that homosexual soldiers undermined unit cohesion:
"All the gays and straights worked together as a team. We had to because our lives might have depended on it", said Cave.
Cave noted there was never any disciplinary action taken against gay men in his unit:
"One was renowned for [providing sexual favours] in the mangrove swamps. He was well liked. Even supposedly straight men made use of his services. You could say he did a lot to maintain the unit's morale. When a zealous sergeant attempted to charge him with being out of barracks after lights out, the commanding officer, who knew exactly what went on in the mangrove swamps, dismissed the charges. He had the wisdom to know that it was all harmless fun and a useful relief from the stress of war".
Despite the gossip that he was a "nancy boy", Cave insisted that the worst homophobia he ever faced was being chided for "holding a broom like a woman".
So, apart from a bit of sweeping, what did Cave do during the war?
Instead of being sent to fight the Nazis, as he had expected, Private Cave was posted to the Far East and the war against Japan.
During the fall of Singapore in 1942, he was captured by the Japanese. Sent north in a prisoner-of-war labour detachment, his unit was assigned to back-breaking work on the construction of the Thai-Burma railway, about ten miles beyond the bridge on the River Kwai.
Three-quarters of Cave's comrades in 'H' force perished. Luckily, after a bad bout of malaria, he was sent back to Singapore and remained in Changi Prison until the end of the war.
Close to death from malnutrition, Private Cave was liberated after the Japanese surrender and repatriated to Britain in October 1945. He returned to a society where discrimination against gay people remained rife.
Indeed, Cave was dismissed from his job as manager of the Majestic Cinema in Wembley, London, in 1954 after it was discovered he was gay.
"They asked me to resign", protested Cave indignantly. "I refused, so they sacked me."
Like many other gay soldiers, Private Cave had put his life on the line in the defence of democracy. Yet the democratic nation he had helped to defend refused to respect his human rights as a gay man.
It was 22 years after 1945 that the first glimmer of freedom was granted to gay people with the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1967.
But as an added insult to those lesbians and gay men who risked their lives defending freedom against German and Japanese fascism, this decriminalisation excluded members of the military.
Not until almost half a century after the end of the Second World War did lesbian and gay service personnel cease to be court-martialled and jailed for consensual sex.
It was not until 1999 that homosexual men and women were finally allowed to serve in the armed forces.
Private Dudley Cave nearly lost his life to help safeguard a democracy that continued to treat him and his fellow homosexuals as second class citizens. Sadly, he died shortly before the military ban was lifted.
He never saw the day when gay and lesbian military personnel finally, at long last, secured their share of the freedom that he and millions of other soldiers - gay and straight - fought to secure.
Private Dudley Cave: A Gay Soldier’s Story. WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at http://bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar.
The following content was contributed by Peter Tatchell in June of 2004 to the BBC’s WW2 Story Archive.
Over five million men served in the British armed forces during World War 2. Of these, it's likely that at least 250,000 were gay or bisexual (based on projections from the 1990-91 National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles which found that six per cent of men report having had homosexual experiences).
A friend of mine, Dudley Cave, who died a few years back, was one of these many gay soldiers.
Conscripted in 1941, aged 20 he joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a driver.
Before his death, he told me his story, with a mixture of pride and sorrow. I retell it here, in remembrance of a good friend.
Having risked his life during WW2, and nearly died in a Japanese POW camp, Cave was angry that once the war was over Britain's gay soldiers were persecuted and jailed by the military authorities.
"They used us when it suited them, and then victimised us when the country was no longer in danger. I am glad I served but I am angry that military homophobia was allowed to wreck so many lives for over 50 years after we gave our all for a freedom that gay people were denied", said Cave.
During WW2, and until 1999, there was an official ban on lesbians and gays serving in the armed forces. Indeed, homosexuality was grounds for dismissal from the forces and for harsh imprisonment.
But Private Cave never faced any questions or warnings concerning homosexuality when being interviewed by recruitment officers and completing his enlistment forms.
"People were put in the army regardless of whether they were gay or not", according to Cave's recollections. "It didn't seem to bother the military authorities. There was none of the later homophobic uproar about gays undermining military discipline and effectiveness. With Britain seriously threatened by the Nazis, the forces weren't fussy about who they accepted".
Cave's experience was typical of the sudden relaxed attitude towards lesbians and gays in the services. Faced with the danger of German invasion and the need to maximise combat strength, military chiefs unofficially waived their objections to homosexuals in uniform. Even soldiers caught having gay sex rarely suffered severe punishment. A few got off with a reprimand and warning from their commanding officer. Some were hastily transferred to a new unit. Others were assigned to hard labour for a few weeks to 'knock the queerness out of them' and turn them into 'real men'.
Cave recalls that neither the top brass nor fellow soldiers showed any concern about gay enlistees.
"There were none of the anti-gay witch-hunts we had after WW2", he told me. "Homosexual soldiers were more or less accepted".
"The visible gays were mostly drag performers in concert teams. Regarded with considerable affection, their camp humour helped lift the men's spirits".
Contrary to the later fears of the generals, during WW2 there was no evidence that homosexual soldiers undermined unit cohesion:
"All the gays and straights worked together as a team. We had to because our lives might have depended on it", said Cave.
Cave noted there was never any disciplinary action taken against gay men in his unit:
"One was renowned for [providing sexual favours] in the mangrove swamps. He was well liked. Even supposedly straight men made use of his services. You could say he did a lot to maintain the unit's morale. When a zealous sergeant attempted to charge him with being out of barracks after lights out, the commanding officer, who knew exactly what went on in the mangrove swamps, dismissed the charges. He had the wisdom to know that it was all harmless fun and a useful relief from the stress of war".
Despite the gossip that he was a "nancy boy", Cave insisted that the worst homophobia he ever faced was being chided for "holding a broom like a woman".
So, apart from a bit of sweeping, what did Cave do during the war?
Instead of being sent to fight the Nazis, as he had expected, Private Cave was posted to the Far East and the war against Japan.
During the fall of Singapore in 1942, he was captured by the Japanese. Sent north in a prisoner-of-war labour detachment, his unit was assigned to back-breaking work on the construction of the Thai-Burma railway, about ten miles beyond the bridge on the River Kwai.
Three-quarters of Cave's comrades in 'H' force perished. Luckily, after a bad bout of malaria, he was sent back to Singapore and remained in Changi Prison until the end of the war.
Close to death from malnutrition, Private Cave was liberated after the Japanese surrender and repatriated to Britain in October 1945. He returned to a society where discrimination against gay people remained rife.
Indeed, Cave was dismissed from his job as manager of the Majestic Cinema in Wembley, London, in 1954 after it was discovered he was gay.
"They asked me to resign", protested Cave indignantly. "I refused, so they sacked me."
Like many other gay soldiers, Private Cave had put his life on the line in the defence of democracy. Yet the democratic nation he had helped to defend refused to respect his human rights as a gay man.
It was 22 years after 1945 that the first glimmer of freedom was granted to gay people with the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in 1967.
But as an added insult to those lesbians and gay men who risked their lives defending freedom against German and Japanese fascism, this decriminalisation excluded members of the military.
Not until almost half a century after the end of the Second World War did lesbian and gay service personnel cease to be court-martialled and jailed for consensual sex.
It was not until 1999 that homosexual men and women were finally allowed to serve in the armed forces.
Private Dudley Cave nearly lost his life to help safeguard a democracy that continued to treat him and his fellow homosexuals as second class citizens. Sadly, he died shortly before the military ban was lifted.
He never saw the day when gay and lesbian military personnel finally, at long last, secured their share of the freedom that he and millions of other soldiers - gay and straight - fought to secure.
15 August 2011
"Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the US Military" by Randy Shilts. This book includes interviews with more than one thousand gay service members. It makes a poignant investigation into the presence and treatment of homosexuals in the military.
Available through second-hand retailers on Amazon.com.
Available through second-hand retailers on Amazon.com.
8 August 2011
"Matlovich: The Good Soldier" by Mike Hippler. Originally published in 1989, this one is sadly now out of print and only available through resellers -- or maybe your local library?
The blurb, from the Amazon profile page:
In 1975, Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich told his superiors that he was a homosexual, thus becoming the first person to challenge the military's antigay policies and the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. His case (won on narrow grounds) put him into the spotlight as gay spokesperson and hero, yet his conservative Goldwater politics made him a controversial figure and kept him estranged from the movement's leadership. Still, he remained active in the movement. Matlovich died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1988. This biography reads like an extended article in a Sunday newspaper magazine supplement, yet Matlovich's unique place in gay history will require most public libraries to purchase it. Pictures and index not seen.
- James E. Cook, Dayton & Montgomery Cty. P.L., Ohio
The blurb, from the Amazon profile page:
In 1975, Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich told his superiors that he was a homosexual, thus becoming the first person to challenge the military's antigay policies and the first openly gay person to appear on the cover of Time magazine. His case (won on narrow grounds) put him into the spotlight as gay spokesperson and hero, yet his conservative Goldwater politics made him a controversial figure and kept him estranged from the movement's leadership. Still, he remained active in the movement. Matlovich died of AIDS-related illnesses in 1988. This biography reads like an extended article in a Sunday newspaper magazine supplement, yet Matlovich's unique place in gay history will require most public libraries to purchase it. Pictures and index not seen.
- James E. Cook, Dayton & Montgomery Cty. P.L., Ohio
1 August 2011
Originally published online in October of 2009, Attitudes of Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans Toward Gay and Lesbian Service Members is a 419-page in-depth report authored by Bonnie Moradi and Laura Miller. Brace yourself for the abstract:
U.S. policy banning openly gay and lesbian personnel from serving in its military rests on the belief that heterosexual discomfort with lesbian and gay service members in an integrated environment would degrade unit cohesion and readiness. To inform this policy, data from a 2006 survey of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are analyzed in this study. Views of these war veterans are consistent with prior surveys of military personnel showing declining support for the policy: from about 75 percent in 1993 to 40 percent in this survey. Among the demographic and military experience variables analyzed, comfort level with lesbian and gay people was the strongest correlate of attitudes toward the ban. War veterans indicated that the strongest argument against the ban is that sexual orientation is unrelated to job performance and that the strongest argument in favor of the ban is a projected negative impact on unit cohesion. However, analyses of these war veterans’ ratings of unit cohesion and readiness revealed that knowing a gay or lesbian unit member is not uniquely associated with cohesion or readiness; instead, the quality of leaders, the quality of equipment, and the quality of training are the critical factors associated with unit cohesion and readiness.
U.S. policy banning openly gay and lesbian personnel from serving in its military rests on the belief that heterosexual discomfort with lesbian and gay service members in an integrated environment would degrade unit cohesion and readiness. To inform this policy, data from a 2006 survey of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are analyzed in this study. Views of these war veterans are consistent with prior surveys of military personnel showing declining support for the policy: from about 75 percent in 1993 to 40 percent in this survey. Among the demographic and military experience variables analyzed, comfort level with lesbian and gay people was the strongest correlate of attitudes toward the ban. War veterans indicated that the strongest argument against the ban is that sexual orientation is unrelated to job performance and that the strongest argument in favor of the ban is a projected negative impact on unit cohesion. However, analyses of these war veterans’ ratings of unit cohesion and readiness revealed that knowing a gay or lesbian unit member is not uniquely associated with cohesion or readiness; instead, the quality of leaders, the quality of equipment, and the quality of training are the critical factors associated with unit cohesion and readiness.
25 July 2011
The first Marine discharged under DADT: Justin Crockett Elzie tells his story in “Playing By The Rules.” Available from Rebel Satori Press, for $16.95. The blurb:The military has lots of rules and they are all expected to be followed. United States Marine Corps Sergeant Justin Elzie, wanting to make a difference, followed a rule of integrity and came out publicly on ABC Evening World News in January 1993. He became the first Marine discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and later reinstated, becoming the first Marine to challenge Don't Ask, Don't Tell with a Federal Court Case and went on to serve four years openly gay.
Justin Elzie takes you on a journey of self-discovery from his early years growing up on a farm in Wyoming to joining the Marine Corps and finding an underground gay subculture within the military. He was described by his superiors as an exemplary Marine with two meritorious promotions, being named Marine of the Year and having served as an American Embassy Guard. After coming out he was recommended for promotion and served as a Platoon Sergeant in charge of Marines on a ship and in the field. He testified at the Senate Hearings opposite General Schwarzkopf, participated in the MTV show Free Your Mind and was photographed by Richard Avedon for the New Yorker. His story appeared on ABC, CNN, NPR and in the New York Times. Playing By The Rules is one man’s struggle for acceptance by his parents, the Marines and the realization that when you play by the rules there are some things that can't be taken away from you.
Also available in Kindle format from Amazon.com for $9.95.
Justin Elzie takes you on a journey of self-discovery from his early years growing up on a farm in Wyoming to joining the Marine Corps and finding an underground gay subculture within the military. He was described by his superiors as an exemplary Marine with two meritorious promotions, being named Marine of the Year and having served as an American Embassy Guard. After coming out he was recommended for promotion and served as a Platoon Sergeant in charge of Marines on a ship and in the field. He testified at the Senate Hearings opposite General Schwarzkopf, participated in the MTV show Free Your Mind and was photographed by Richard Avedon for the New Yorker. His story appeared on ABC, CNN, NPR and in the New York Times. Playing By The Rules is one man’s struggle for acceptance by his parents, the Marines and the realization that when you play by the rules there are some things that can't be taken away from you.
Also available in Kindle format from Amazon.com for $9.95.
18 July 2011
“Major Conflict” by Jeffrey McGowan. An authentic account of a closeted gay officer during Desert Storm. Though his forte isn’t writing, McGowan does a masterful job of penning his experiences for the reader as though confiding in a trusted friend. From the blurb: A book that will move hearts and open minds, Jeffrey McGowan’s memoir is the first personal account of a gay man’s silent struggle in the don’t-ask-don’t-tell military, from a cadet who rose to the rank of major, left as a decorated Persian Gulf hero, and whose same-sex marriage was the first on the East Coast. Available in digital format from Random House, for $12.99.
11 July 2011
"Barrack Buddies & Soldier Lovers: Dialogues with Gay Young Men in the US Military" by Steven Zeeland. From the Amazon blurb: A raw, unsanitized personal record of conversations the author had with young soldiers and airmen stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. Zeeland’s intimate involvement with these men enabled him to document in honest, visceral terms the day-to-day reality of gay military men’s lives and how they work, play, and, in many instances, how the military actually helped them come out.
Despite the military’s longstanding and recently revoked antigay policies, these men found that military service placed them in environments where they had to come to terms with their erotic feelings for other men, and sent them overseas to places where they found greater freedom to explore their sexuality than they could have back home. While a few of Zeeland’s buddies were targeted for discharge, most portray an atmosphere of sexually tense tolerance and reveal a surprising degree of openness with straight co-workers and roommates. This collection of interviews challenges popular assumptions and stereotypes about gay men in the military.
Check out Zeeland's website, he has some interesting blog entries, and some adorable soldiers too. Like this one.
Despite the military’s longstanding and recently revoked antigay policies, these men found that military service placed them in environments where they had to come to terms with their erotic feelings for other men, and sent them overseas to places where they found greater freedom to explore their sexuality than they could have back home. While a few of Zeeland’s buddies were targeted for discharge, most portray an atmosphere of sexually tense tolerance and reveal a surprising degree of openness with straight co-workers and roommates. This collection of interviews challenges popular assumptions and stereotypes about gay men in the military.
Check out Zeeland's website, he has some interesting blog entries, and some adorable soldiers too. Like this one.
4 July 2011
“The Last Deployment” by Bronson Lemer. A combat veteran’s memoirs, subtitled ‘how a gay, hammer-swinging twentysomething survived a year in Iraq.’ At 236 pages, this one might need a full weekend to get through, especially given the nature of its content. Just released at the beginning of June, it costs $15.82 for a paperback, and isn’t yet available in electronic format. Maybe look for it at your local library?
The blurb:
After serving five and a half years as a carpenter in a North Dakota Guard engineer unit, Bronson Lemer was ready to leave the military behind in 2003. As he describes in The Last Deployment, he was instead sent on a year-long tour of duty to Iraq—just six months shy of completing his commitment to the army. He learns that his father’s lifelong example of silent strength has taught him much about being a man, and these lessons help him survive in a devastating war zone, as well as conceal his sexuality, as he is required to do by the U.S. military.
This is a provocative and moving tale of one soldier’s struggle to reconcile military brotherhood with self-acceptance. Lemer brilliantly captures the bizarre nuances of a soldier’s daily life: growing a mustache to disguise his fear, wearing pantyhose to battle sand fleas and exchanging barbs with Iraqis while driving through Baghdad. Most strikingly, he describes the reality faced by the gay servicemen and servicewomen who have had to hide their true identities while serving a country that basically disowns them. Often funny, sometimes anguished, The Last Deployment paints a deeply personal portrait of war in the twenty-first century.
The blurb:
After serving five and a half years as a carpenter in a North Dakota Guard engineer unit, Bronson Lemer was ready to leave the military behind in 2003. As he describes in The Last Deployment, he was instead sent on a year-long tour of duty to Iraq—just six months shy of completing his commitment to the army. He learns that his father’s lifelong example of silent strength has taught him much about being a man, and these lessons help him survive in a devastating war zone, as well as conceal his sexuality, as he is required to do by the U.S. military.
This is a provocative and moving tale of one soldier’s struggle to reconcile military brotherhood with self-acceptance. Lemer brilliantly captures the bizarre nuances of a soldier’s daily life: growing a mustache to disguise his fear, wearing pantyhose to battle sand fleas and exchanging barbs with Iraqis while driving through Baghdad. Most strikingly, he describes the reality faced by the gay servicemen and servicewomen who have had to hide their true identities while serving a country that basically disowns them. Often funny, sometimes anguished, The Last Deployment paints a deeply personal portrait of war in the twenty-first century.
27 June 2011
Coming to a base near you: OutServe magazine. The first edition released only as online content, it is the publication of a group that is a self-described “underground network of roughly 2,900 GLBT military personnel.” JD Smith, one of the group’s co-directors, is an active duty officer in the US Air Force. From the article: Visibility is key. We are not about highlighting our differences, but demonstrating how LGBT troops are proud soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coasties, and Marines just like everyone else.
The University of New Hampshire Press has published a very intriguing historical assessment penned by Brian Joseph Martin, titled “Napoleonic Friendship: Military Fraternity, Intimacy & Sexuality in 19th Century France.” And for those of you who love your gay soldierporn with historical accuracy, this one is most certainly for you! From the blurb: He argues that the French Revolution’s emphasis on military fraternity evolved into an unprecedented sense of camaraderie among soldiers in the armies of Napoleon. For many soldiers, the hardships of combat led to intimate friendships. For some, the homosociality of military life inspired mutual affection, lifelong commitment, and homoerotic desire. If you want a glimpse of the table of contents, Google has some electronic images of the text.
The University of New Hampshire Press has published a very intriguing historical assessment penned by Brian Joseph Martin, titled “Napoleonic Friendship: Military Fraternity, Intimacy & Sexuality in 19th Century France.” And for those of you who love your gay soldierporn with historical accuracy, this one is most certainly for you! From the blurb: He argues that the French Revolution’s emphasis on military fraternity evolved into an unprecedented sense of camaraderie among soldiers in the armies of Napoleon. For many soldiers, the hardships of combat led to intimate friendships. For some, the homosociality of military life inspired mutual affection, lifelong commitment, and homoerotic desire. If you want a glimpse of the table of contents, Google has some electronic images of the text.
20 June 2011
In "Welcome to the Suck: Narrating the American Soldier's Experience in Iraq," author Stacey Peebles addresses the nuance of gay versus homosexual. And what it comes down to, really, is that soldiers are more relaxed in their self expression, more comfortable with one another. Reyes is the battalion's best martial artist and one of the strongest Marines, and is also, in Wright's words, "the gayest" [...] a highly evolved tough guy in touch with a well developed feminine side. Sounds like a definite nonfiction must-read, doesn't it?
"See a Little Light", autobiography/memoirs by Bob Mould, includes some interesting comments about the all-consuming nature of one's love for 'soldierporn'. From the New York Times article: Mr. Mould had several long-term relationships, but once those end, his libido begins to roar the way his guitar did. He writes about his fondness for gay military porn and sleeps with “someone from every branch of the military.” He has so many one-night stands that he learns to “keep a Costco family pack of toothbrushes on hand” because he is, he says, a “thoughtful whore.”
"See a Little Light", autobiography/memoirs by Bob Mould, includes some interesting comments about the all-consuming nature of one's love for 'soldierporn'. From the New York Times article: Mr. Mould had several long-term relationships, but once those end, his libido begins to roar the way his guitar did. He writes about his fondness for gay military porn and sleeps with “someone from every branch of the military.” He has so many one-night stands that he learns to “keep a Costco family pack of toothbrushes on hand” because he is, he says, a “thoughtful whore.”
