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A review by librarianonparade
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Bérubé
4.0
As Allan Berube writes at the close of this book, "the generation of gay men and women who served in World War II grew into adulthood fighting one war for their country and another to protect themselves from their government's escalating mobilization against them." Whilst this book was first published 25 years ago, it is just as relevant and important now as it was then. Things may be improving, but not enough and not fast enough. It is important that the service and sacrifices of these men and women be recognised - gay men and women served their country with honour and distinction during World War II, proved themselves as soldiers, sailors and patriots, and were met in most cases with hostility, persecution, prejudice and injustice.
This is a fascinating and often heart-rending exploration of both the experiences of the men and women themselves, and the differing approaches the military took during the course of the war in handling its 'homosexual problem'. It was during World War II that the concept of the 'homosexual' as an individual, a sexual identity as opposed simply to a sexual act, first took root - and was enough on its own for that individual to be discharged from the service, deemed a 'sexual psychopath'. Homosexuality was deemed incompatible with military service - the old stereotypes of gay men as effeminate, weak, flighty, hysterical, physically incapable doing their part to reinforce this belief.
One did not even need to be caught in the act or to have committed any homosexual acts at all - mere 'tendencies' were enough. Some were lucky enough (or valuable enough to the military in wartime) to be deemed 'reclaimable' and were absorbed back into the military, often after a period of incarceration or hospitalization. Others were dishonourably discharged from the service and faced the loss of all benefits after the war. Others hid their identity and tried to blend in, denying their sexuality to avoid persecution.
It is one of the sad ironies of gay wartime history that at a time when America was fighting a war supposedly for freedom, against racism, intolerance and persecution, it was stripping gay servicemen and women of all rights, interrogating, humiliating and brutalising them, holding them in 'queer stockades', denying their service and sacrifice. The treatment meted out to some of these men and women was truly abhorrent - and whilst the US government has apologised to the Japanese-American community for their treatment during World War II, it is yet to make any such gesture to the many thousands of gay men and women who received treatment equally as appalling, both during World War II and afterwards.
I found this an excellent book, and as I said, an important one. Pick up any book of World War II - how many even mention the service of gay men and women beyond a sentence at most? The contribution gay men and women have made throughout history is too often ignored or sidelined as a niche category of historical studies.
This is a fascinating and often heart-rending exploration of both the experiences of the men and women themselves, and the differing approaches the military took during the course of the war in handling its 'homosexual problem'. It was during World War II that the concept of the 'homosexual' as an individual, a sexual identity as opposed simply to a sexual act, first took root - and was enough on its own for that individual to be discharged from the service, deemed a 'sexual psychopath'. Homosexuality was deemed incompatible with military service - the old stereotypes of gay men as effeminate, weak, flighty, hysterical, physically incapable doing their part to reinforce this belief.
One did not even need to be caught in the act or to have committed any homosexual acts at all - mere 'tendencies' were enough. Some were lucky enough (or valuable enough to the military in wartime) to be deemed 'reclaimable' and were absorbed back into the military, often after a period of incarceration or hospitalization. Others were dishonourably discharged from the service and faced the loss of all benefits after the war. Others hid their identity and tried to blend in, denying their sexuality to avoid persecution.
It is one of the sad ironies of gay wartime history that at a time when America was fighting a war supposedly for freedom, against racism, intolerance and persecution, it was stripping gay servicemen and women of all rights, interrogating, humiliating and brutalising them, holding them in 'queer stockades', denying their service and sacrifice. The treatment meted out to some of these men and women was truly abhorrent - and whilst the US government has apologised to the Japanese-American community for their treatment during World War II, it is yet to make any such gesture to the many thousands of gay men and women who received treatment equally as appalling, both during World War II and afterwards.
I found this an excellent book, and as I said, an important one. Pick up any book of World War II - how many even mention the service of gay men and women beyond a sentence at most? The contribution gay men and women have made throughout history is too often ignored or sidelined as a niche category of historical studies.