A review by mitobites
Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Bérubé

5.0

I have been hunting down this book ever since I saw some out of context quotes posted online, and it was well worth the wait! This book details the troubles gay men and lesbians faced enlisting in the armed forces, while in training and combat, and after the war was over and they had to return to "normal society," AND the unique spaces for joy that gay and lesbian GIs carved out for themselves. Especially now, queer history is incredibly important, and it was really insightful to realize that current anti-trans bigotry mirrors 1950s post-war homophobia to a shocking degree, and it was nothing short of beautiful to realize how our current activism and spaces and sense of fun all have their roots in something that came long before. A must-read if you're at all interested in queer history, and we all should be.