Stereotypes: Homosexuals In The Military

It was a shimmering, brisk day when around 10 o'clock, the doorbell rang. As my mother open the door, the crisp air hit me as I glanced over and saw a petite African American male talking to my mother. I tried to overhear their conversation but I couldn't. My mother’s face expression made me come to a dark, bleak conclusion. I was urged to find out what that guy said so I rushed off towards my mother as I spotted the guy walking down the porch. My mother explained that the young teen was looking for an apartment to rent because his parents put him out because he was gay. “Gay? What is that?” I asked my mother.

I felt like that word left an impression of confidential and mystery as a youth but as I grew older, I started understanding the

The military began to make efforts to exclude gays and lesbians from service. This continued throughout the 1930s. Around World War II, everything changed. Many people were migrating, family structure and gender roles were altering. Like many other Americans, gays and lesbians flocked to the military. Some simply wanted to serve their country in its time of need. Some lesbians saw the military life as a way to meet people of “their own”. They wanted to meet people who had the same sexuality as themselves. Some joined the military not realizing they were gay or lesbian until they were exposed to others of their kind. Whatever their individual reasons were, many gays and lesbians rushed to enlist after Pearl Harbor because of the changes. Medical professionals were "trained" to spot homosexuals based on physical characteristics, behavior, and vocabulary. The interview screening process that each man and woman entering the military had to go through took all of three minutes, which ended up with, "Did you ever have any homosexual experiences?” Homosexual was spotted by interviewers. The interviewers mostly looked out for signs that would throw off their

The lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders soldiers can be at ease about their sexuality while serving in the military. They can serve the nation and be honest about who we are without worrying about losing the careers they love. In spite of this, World War II and the ensuing anti-gay backlash had a profound impact on gay and lesbian life in America. Rural gay men and lesbians were able to leave their small towns and experience a gay and lesbian culture they never knew existed. Military life enabled many men and women to accept themselves as gay and lesbian and to devote their post-war lives to working for their rights. If our nation is at war should not matter what race, sexual preference, or gender an individual is. Many gays have straight soldiers lives. Those straight soldiers are very grateful to have that homosexual have their back in battle. What is better than having the person you love behind you giving you support? At the end of the day soldiers, all take off the same uniform, bleed the same color and serve the same