"They Used Us When It Suited Them"
"Coming Out Under Fire": The Story of Gay and Lesbian Servicemembers Gay and Lesbian soldiers faced extraordinary discrimination during World War II. Most found new communities of people and thrived despite the oppression. Discover the film Coming Out Under Fire that shares their story. Anti-sodomy laws and regulations had been around since the Revolutionary War, leading in some cases to dishonorable discharge, courts-martial, or imprisonment for military men found having sex with other men. However, until , no specific proviso barred homosexuals from serving in the military. 
Homosexual Men During The Second World War
In Love, Sex and War: Changing Values –45, published in , John Costello says that the military experience of gays and lesbians in the Second World War “chipped away some of the old taboos”. Yorick Smaal receives funding from the Australian Research Council for his current project on boys, sex and crime. In our sexual histories series, authors explore changing sexual mores from antiquity to today.
Belles in battle
Still, hundreds of thousands of gay, lesbian, and bisexual men and women served in the armed forces during World War II. The massive manpower needs during the war created an ambiguous place for gay men and lesbians in military service. And gay men and women, like most groups of Americans, wanted to serve their country. With humour and vibrancy, it shows what gay recruits in the armed forces have endured. Two words seem to define the history of gay people in the US military: service and secrecy. A secret history of gay people in the US military
In total, between World War II and , when the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law was repealed, at least , more soldiers were removed for homosexuality. During WWII and beyond, blue ticket discharges carried powerful stigma—and serious negative consequences. In May , Lemuel S. 
From Handcuffs to Rainbows
Our histories tell us armies make men, but in World War II, conflicted provided a rare and surprisingly open space for men to experiment with their femininity and sexuality. Frank Kameny saw combat in Europe during the war, only to return home to face discrimination from the very country he served. The history of drag performances can be traced back to the late s.
Primary Source Set
The new profession of military psychiatrists, therefore, played an integral role in the planning of military policy and the draft at the beginning of World War II. Designing guides to discover homosexuals that tried to enlist or were drafted, psychiatrists wrote lists of stereotyped signs that characterized gay men to help examiners, including an effeminate stance or a certain nervousness. . “Gee!! I Wish I Were A Man”
Gay men have a long history of serving in the United States military. This primary source set provides insights into the experiences of gay servicemen spanning several generations and conflicts. Topics include blue discharges; serving during the Second World War; gay life and relationships during the Vietnam era; and serving under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. . 
When the Military Expelled Soldiers With 'Blue Discharges'
Paradoxically, World War II was a boon to the LGBTQ community. Estes, quoting Allan Bérubé, writes that despite oppressive policies that criminalized homosexuality, “the massive mobilization for World War II relaxed the social constraints of peacetime that kept many gay men and women unaware of themselves and each other.”. .