"Always Free"
The Importance of History
I’m a big history buff. I’m also a believer in the old adage, "If you don’t know history, you’re doomed to repeat it."
This week, I’d like to make a few recommendations for folks who are interested in reading a little GLBT history. Of course, a number of my recommendations revolve around military service.
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Berube
A very thorough historical work, Berube explores the lives of the men and women who served, and also the policy evolution regarding homosexuality and military service. There are a number of photographs and Berube documents his sources well.
Among others, Berube highlights the work of a number of psychiatrists that supported allowing homosexuals to serve as far back as 1945:
In 1945 Lewis Loeser, Clements Fry, and Edna Rostow all recommended that homosexuals not be treated as a class, but be accepted and integrated into the military, assigned to duty based on individual skills and talents, and discharged only if their homosexuality prevented them from doing their jobs.
Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military by Randy Shilts
Conduct Unbecoming is often considered the definitive work regarding gays in the military. I think it is even better when coupled with Coming Out Under Fire. Shilts picks up where Berube left off in World War II and finishes just before Don’t ask, Don’t tell was created. The writing style is also different. Shilts was a journalist and Berube was an historian and this comes shining through. Shilts, like Berube, thoroughly documents his sources.
An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck
I enjoy learning about the diversity within the LGBT community. This book is an autobiography of one man’s life. Gad Beck was born in Germany before the Second World War. Being Jewish, he would be hunted by the Nazis, being gay he would be hunted by the Nazis, but despite two strikes against him, he joined the Underground and fought back against the fascists.
"Either you’re a Jew or you’re gay!" That gave me a real start, and I said cautiously, trying to keep my composure, "I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean, Herr Dreyer." He got up and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out five receipts I had written that were signed by a Frau Kristella, one of the illegals I was helping.
I didn’t figure out the connection until later. One of Kristella’s two sons had escaped to Switzerland, and through Nathan, arranged for us to help her. The other son was living in the underground with her. The son who had escaped had been Dreyer’s lover, and now Dreyer was helping the mother and the remaining son as best he could.
The Other Side of Silence: Men’s Lives and Gay Identities: A Twentieth Century History by John Loughery
At less than five hundred pages, this book covers a lot of material without overwhelming the reader. Sorry, ladies, there is not much material on lesbians in this book. Even if it doesn’t specifically talk about lesbians, there is still much to be appreciated here for both men and women. Loughery touches on the military issue, but also discusses the landmark Kinsey studies on sexuality, the birth of the Metropolitan Community Church, depictions of homosexuality in film and literature and more. He also includes African-Americans, especially the Harlem Renaissance.
A Queer Reader: 2500 Years of Male Homosexuality, Edited by Patrick Higgins
This last one is full of little nuggets of homosexuality from throughout history. From the Greeks and Romans to Oscar Wilde and beyond, Higgins includes oblique references to the "love that dare not speak its name" to more "straight-" forward depictions of homosexuality. My apologies again, ladies, not much lesbian inclusion in this one. But male or female, this book demonstrates that gays have been around since forever. And since we aren’t going anywhere, maybe it’s about time . . . . .
Pepe N. Johnson is the founder of IntegrityInService.org. A native of Clarksburg, he served in the US Army from 2000 until 2003 when he was discharged under Don’t ask, Don’t tell. He can be reached at pepe@integrityinservice.org.
The Importance of History
I’m a big history buff. I’m also a believer in the old adage, "If you don’t know history, you’re doomed to repeat it."
This week, I’d like to make a few recommendations for folks who are interested in reading a little GLBT history. Of course, a number of my recommendations revolve around military service.
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Berube
A very thorough historical work, Berube explores the lives of the men and women who served, and also the policy evolution regarding homosexuality and military service. There are a number of photographs and Berube documents his sources well.
Among others, Berube highlights the work of a number of psychiatrists that supported allowing homosexuals to serve as far back as 1945:
In 1945 Lewis Loeser, Clements Fry, and Edna Rostow all recommended that homosexuals not be treated as a class, but be accepted and integrated into the military, assigned to duty based on individual skills and talents, and discharged only if their homosexuality prevented them from doing their jobs.
Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military by Randy Shilts
Conduct Unbecoming is often considered the definitive work regarding gays in the military. I think it is even better when coupled with Coming Out Under Fire. Shilts picks up where Berube left off in World War II and finishes just before Don’t ask, Don’t tell was created. The writing style is also different. Shilts was a journalist and Berube was an historian and this comes shining through. Shilts, like Berube, thoroughly documents his sources.
An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin by Gad Beck
I enjoy learning about the diversity within the LGBT community. This book is an autobiography of one man’s life. Gad Beck was born in Germany before the Second World War. Being Jewish, he would be hunted by the Nazis, being gay he would be hunted by the Nazis, but despite two strikes against him, he joined the Underground and fought back against the fascists.
"Either you’re a Jew or you’re gay!" That gave me a real start, and I said cautiously, trying to keep my composure, "I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you mean, Herr Dreyer." He got up and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out five receipts I had written that were signed by a Frau Kristella, one of the illegals I was helping.
I didn’t figure out the connection until later. One of Kristella’s two sons had escaped to Switzerland, and through Nathan, arranged for us to help her. The other son was living in the underground with her. The son who had escaped had been Dreyer’s lover, and now Dreyer was helping the mother and the remaining son as best he could.
The Other Side of Silence: Men’s Lives and Gay Identities: A Twentieth Century History by John Loughery
At less than five hundred pages, this book covers a lot of material without overwhelming the reader. Sorry, ladies, there is not much material on lesbians in this book. Even if it doesn’t specifically talk about lesbians, there is still much to be appreciated here for both men and women. Loughery touches on the military issue, but also discusses the landmark Kinsey studies on sexuality, the birth of the Metropolitan Community Church, depictions of homosexuality in film and literature and more. He also includes African-Americans, especially the Harlem Renaissance.
A Queer Reader: 2500 Years of Male Homosexuality, Edited by Patrick Higgins
This last one is full of little nuggets of homosexuality from throughout history. From the Greeks and Romans to Oscar Wilde and beyond, Higgins includes oblique references to the "love that dare not speak its name" to more "straight-" forward depictions of homosexuality. My apologies again, ladies, not much lesbian inclusion in this one. But male or female, this book demonstrates that gays have been around since forever. And since we aren’t going anywhere, maybe it’s about time . . . . .
Pepe N. Johnson is the founder of IntegrityInService.org. A native of Clarksburg, he served in the US Army from 2000 until 2003 when he was discharged under Don’t ask, Don’t tell. He can be reached at pepe@integrityinservice.org.