Gays in the military

Were gays allowed in the military during WW2 or did they even care? j/w.

 

There were gay folk in the military of all nations over thousands of years and still are to this day. I defy anyone to say other wise.

I knew many in my service time, and it didnt bother me and I was a cop.

Deriliction of duty what...

 

true enough, Urgh. But I think in WW2 things were a bit different. I can't give any sources but I am pretty sure that gays were not allowed due to having to wrong consitution or something. That is not to say they didn't serve...They just kept their mouths shut and took cold showers, I guess. But I am sure that 'known homosexuals' were removed from service. Wasn't homosexuality a 'crime' back then?

[ 25. May 2003, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Stevin Oudshoorn ]

 

Stevin that is no different from recent years.

Not allowed when I was in either, but they served all the same.

I dont know how it is today, know of the old USA dont tell rule, and think its pretty similar in UK forces today.

I attended many ranks both men and women under close arrest for the crime to and from meals and charges etc.

Didnt stop em from joining up of own violition though, had a steady stream of cases thru my service time.

Most people got to know who was who, and although I can understand that Infantry barrack room blocks make for the wrong place to come out...ended in violence in most cases I came across, most lived life uneventfully and served as others..

Hypocritical I know, but I could be escorting a prisoner to junior ranks mess for meals, then same night getting post rations for stag duty from same chef whom I knew to be gay.

Or getting my pills from a RAMC doctor next day that was also gay and known to be so...

Depends if there was an R in the month as to wether any one did anything or if there was a complaint, or indeed in my later years, investigation of background on Postitive vetting grounds when it had to be taken into consideration...Always found it very hypocrytical at times both on forces and my own views.

One of the guys who sent the torpedo off to the Argentine cruiser Belgrano was sorry is gay, and didnt stop him doing what needed to be done.

We wont even mention old Lawrence of the Desert fame..

And no Im not gay.

Like females I do...just the wife I have problems with...

 

But to get back to Jons question, I think we have to say that yes they did serve, and like cross secton of all populations many would have volunteered as others did as well as conscripted.

If known....then like Stevin says...was a crime in most armed forces in ww2....just as I say right up to 2000 in UK forces when apparantly defence secretary removed ban on gays in HM forces as long as the sexuality was not practised during service time.....thats clever, lots of bromide in the tea then...

But for a little light heartedness on the subject...and I thought Royal Marines were tough guys...

http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=561752002

 

Hmmmmm......sounds very much the same as Stefan's story a while back....

 

Yep Stevin the article is a year old, so may have been posted before...

As far as I know the marines vacated Afghanistan last year.

 

I don't believe the Germans did, not to sure on other countries. But I'm pretty certain the Germans were seeking to eradiacte or known homosexuals.

 

Greetings Zealot, Agree, would not have been welcome in German forces, but thats the point in ww2, as up to present day.

But I bet they were there even in German forces...

No gay folk are about to declare to German recruiting sgt that they were gay under those conditions were they?

Think we have to seperate the issue here...As Stevin says...were not allowed..crime....but that didnt mean they were not there. And also did not mean that as a gay person they did not want to fight for their country as any other folk did.

 

urgh, I meant Stefan's Bar Raiding story of a week or so ago...never mind, though...

 

Sorry, remember that now...but theres an interesting poing..Do re-enactor groups allow gays to serve...errr....I think I should run away from this thread now...

 

Who re-enacts Shaving Private Ryan then?



No.9

 

Known homo-sexuality must be, no.. IS certainly a detriment to the cohesiveness of any Western fighting force- especially an American one! There were undoubtably queers in the ranks during WW2 but they certainly had the sense to stay in the closet. DSMV III labeled homo-sexuality as an identity DISORDER! Ashamed the world has become so bas-akwards that it was stricken from DSMV IV.

 

Great, here we go...

 

I don't often express so much dogmaticism over a subject but I couldn't refrain on this one!

 

Lol...

"Queers" not being in the military... probably same as "Nips" being worse than germans...

 

Nationality is by no means in the same category with sexual preference! I'm no racial bigot but I do believe that anyone who prefers the company of their same sex in an intimate relationship is definantly NOT playing with a full deck!!!

 

Shouldnt think so Doc, the basic question Jon asked was were there gays in ww2 military, think the answer is quite simply yes. Views on gays in military is a differnt matter entirely and was not the question he asked.

 

No, cos there were gays in the military, and are gays in the military, Thats a fact, Germans and Japanese being, one worse than the other is subjective.

Ones a fact the other is our own opinion.

 

Saw a document a year ago on homosexuals and Germany and ww2. Of course in Germany they put you in the camp if you were known to be one.

This one fellow had survived the camp and survived the war as well. At one point all men were needed and he was sent to the city to work.But because almost all the men were fighting and only women and old men and some kids were left in the cities he had to join the army...so that he could see men.

Kinda tragedic...for normal men a fantasy even if wartime to be in a city full of women and you´re the only man...