BY NICOLE HENSLEY NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Sunday, April 12, 2015, 9:40 PM A A A
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* North and South America Rights Only *
PreviousNext* North and South America Rights Only * Irish artist Joe Caslin and a crew installed the mural overnight Sunday on a busy street in Dublin as a message for Ireland’s upcoming marriage equality referendum. Enlarge
An image of two men embracing, plastered on the side of a Dublin building, is the work of an Irish artist one month before Ireland puts marriage equality to a vote.
The touching black and white homage takes up at least four stories in Dublin as a “poignant representation of same sex love in the city,” its artist, Joe Caslin, told the Journal.
Its new presence has couples flocking to the busy street below for selfies.
The country’s marriage equality referendum is the only one of its kind in the world. It asks voters to decide whether same-sex couples can marry.
While the same-sex marriage battle in the U.S. will rely on the Supreme Court’s decision in late June, Ireland’s case will be decided by voters on May 22.
The Irish referendum would add a clause to the country’s constitution that allows marriage to be contracted by two people “without distinction as to their sex.”
Caslin’s work, reportedly inspired by a 1864 painting “The Meeting on the Turret Stairs,” went up overnight Sunday with a crew working in the rain.
He expects additional urban LGBT art to pop up around the country’s capital including a mural paying tribute to a lesbian relationship.
Kyrgyz LGBT center victim of arson attack
Reprinted from GLBT News
By John Mack Freeman
The headquarters of LGBT group Labrys was attacked with explosives in Kyrgyzstan on April 10, 2015. The attack comes amid a climate that is rapidly becoming more hostile towards LGBT people. Kyrgyzstan is considering a “gay propaganda” law similar to the one on the books in Russia. The attacked organization has said they have seen an increase in anti-LGBT violence since the proposal of the law.
Via PinkNews:
The headquarters of LGBT group Labrys was attacked with explosives in Kyrgyzstan on April 10, 2015. The attack comes amid a climate that is rapidly becoming more hostile towards LGBT people. Kyrgyzstan is considering a “gay propaganda” law similar to the one on the books in Russia. The attacked organization has said they have seen an increase in anti-LGBT violence since the proposal of the law.
Via PinkNews:
Senior Policy director Richard Köhler said in a statement: “Space for civil society is shrinking in many states of the former Soviet Union. We watch this trend with growing concern, as authorities deliberately fail to protect minority groups.
“Debating homo- and transphobic laws creates the atmosphere to hunt trans and LGBTIQ people and put their lives at risk.”
Co-chair Alecks Recher says: “We expect the Kyrgyz government to clearly speak out against homo- and transphobic hatred, assert that LGBTIQ people equally belong to Kyrgyz society, and to withdraw the proposed law. The Council of Europe should do everything in its power to budge its democratic partner to ensure safety and human rights for different groups in Kyrgyz society, including LGBTIQ people.”
The Bent Bars Project
Poster Design by A-K Pirata
The Bent Bars Project is a letter-writing project for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, gender-variant, intersex, and queer prisoners in Britain. The project aims to develop stronger connections and build solidarity between LGBTQ communities outside and inside prison walls.
Although many overtly homophobic and transphobic laws have been recently overturned in Britain, the criminal justice system continues to target and criminalize queer, trans and gender non-conforming people. We don’t know exactly how many LGBTQ people are currently behind bars, but we do know queer, trans and gender non-conforming people, particularly those from poor backgrounds and communities of colour, are disproportionately funneled into the prison system as a result of systemic discrimination, inequality and social exclusion. We also know that queer, trans and gender non-conforming people are often subject to increased isolation, harassment, violence and assault when in prison.
Bent Bars aims to work in solidarity with prisoners by sharing resources, providing mutual support and drawing public attention to the struggles of queer and trans people behind bars.
If you have the time, please get involved – the link is here
Get Involved
Meet the 21 heroes changing LGBTI Asia for the better
Pop stars, entrepreneurs, film makers, TV celebrities and a current prisoner
Photo via Facebook.
From India to Japan and everywhere in between, the LGBTI movement in Asia is gathering pace.
So meet 21 of its greatest heroes.
They’ve written books, made films, founded organizations, fought in the courts and taken on the most challenging work.
Most of all they’ve stood up for their fellow LGBTIs – and often been rewarded only with harassment, persecution and even imprisonment.
But now they are being recognized. They are all nominated for the second Asia LGBT Milestone Awards (ALMAs).
Judging is now under way and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in Bangkok on 14 April with tickets available here.
In addition to these individuals, 11 companies are also nominated for the awards, including Barclays, HSBC, IBM and Langham Hotels. Find out why they have been shortlisted here.
So meet 21 of its greatest heroes.
They’ve written books, made films, founded organizations, fought in the courts and taken on the most challenging work.
Most of all they’ve stood up for their fellow LGBTIs – and often been rewarded only with harassment, persecution and even imprisonment.
But now they are being recognized. They are all nominated for the second Asia LGBT Milestone Awards (ALMAs).
Judging is now under way and the winners will be announced at a ceremony in Bangkok on 14 April with tickets available here.
In addition to these individuals, 11 companies are also nominated for the awards, including Barclays, HSBC, IBM and Langham Hotels. Find out why they have been shortlisted here.
Hero of the Year
Nisha Ayub
Head of transwoman group Justice For Sisters, Malaysia. Together with lawyer Aston Paiva and the three unnamed transgender defendants, she helped to win the landmark Malaysian case that ruled a religious law against cross-dressing was discriminatory towards them.
Pinki Pramanik
A former female Indian track athlete and international gold medal winner, Pinki Pramanik came into national news in India in 2012 when a woman she lived with accused her of rape and of being a male in disguise.
In an ordeal lasting almost two years, the police humiliated Pramanik publicly, took her to a private nursing home without a court order and forcefully conducted a physical examination of her genitals.
She was repeatedly subjected to ‘sex-determination tests’ and her medical reports were shared in public without her consent. She was characterized as a deviant and even a potential murderer by some media.
But she put up a brave fight and became one of the few open voices of intersex people. In 2014, she was finally acquitted of all charges by the Calcutta High Court.
Wei Tingting
Wei Tingting raises the visibility of bisexuals in China, fights for social justice, including LGBTI issues and for feminism. She was arrested by police in March this year to prevent her activism and remains in detention.
Role Model of the Year
Amanda Lee Koe
The youngest ever winner of the Singapore Literature Prize for fiction at 27, for her short story collection – Ministry of Moral Panic.
Her work engages unapologetically with questions of gender and sexual identity. Her writing’s popularity across the generations and the discussion it generates paves the ground for new understanding of LGBTI individuals by mainstream society.
The Ministry of Moral Panic is considered to have revitalized literary prose fiction scene in Singapore.
Julian and Weeny
A Vietnamese lesbian couple of 10 years, more formally known as Tang Ai Linh and Pham Thi Thanh Phuong. Their highly publicized wedding ceremony delighted and inspired LGBTI people in the region.
Vincent Huang
The leader of Disabled Queer, the first disabled LGBTI group in Taiwan and a member of Hand Job Taiwan, a group to provide sex for disabled.
As a disabled LGBTI himself, he has been involved in the movement for years and established Disabled Queer to raise issues about emotional, sexual and social needs.
Icon of the Year
Aamir Khan
An Indian TV personality who advocated for LGBTI rights through his popular TV program Satyamevjayate in October 2014.
Geena Rocero
A Filipino transgender model and founder of Gender Proud. The last year has seen Rocero’s tireless efforts in educating everyone about the plight of the transgendered communities from a TedX lecture to going around the Philippines speaking about the everyday life and struggles of the trans community.
Jolin Tsai
In the pop star’s latest album Play, she pushed two music videos supporting the LGBTI community – one about lesbian couple and same-sex marriage, another promoting gender diversity.
As the Queen of Pop in Taiwan, her public support for same-sex marriage has had a huge positive influence on society.
Visual Inspiration of the Year
Fan Popo
His film, Mama Rainbow, about six mothers and their gay sons had made a big impact in China as well as scoring well at international film festivals. He also fights against the censorship.
Nguyen Thi Tham
Filmmaker behind the movie The Last Journey of Madam Phung who spent many months living with trans people in South Vietnam.
Unusually for a film of its kind, it sold out in cinemas and drew a lot of attention to trans issues in the country.
Sridhar Rangayan
A filmmaker, writer, activist and festival director who has consistently given a voice to LGBTI issues in India through his work.
His award winning films The Pink Mirror, Yours Emotionally, 68 Pages, Project Bolo and Purple Skies present hard-hitting social issues with warmth, compassion and humor.
He is also the director of Flashpoint Human Rights Film Festival and Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, South Asia’s biggest LGBTI film festival.
Community Leader of the Year
Abby Lee and Betty Grisoni
A married couple who do everything together as a team.
The pair are founders and coordinators of the only lesbian social network in Hong Kong: Les Peches. They have been involved in almost every LGBTI event and cause in Hong Kong in the last decade.
In 2014 the pair were among the founders of Double Happiness – an organization to fight for same-sex marriage in Hong Kong. As a result of their pressure, the French Consulate in Hong Kong agreed in the summer of 2014 to marry same-sex French citizens.
They are regularly called upon to represent lesbian views and to be interviewed in all types of media and are two of the best-known lesbian faces in Hong Kong.
Candy Darim Yun
A leader in transgender rights in Korea for many years, she fought for legal protection for trans people and raised the profile of issues that were even more overlooked that sexual orientation discrimination.
She is now the coordinator of the Transgender Patchwork Project which builds awareness, publishes media guidelines, interviews trans people and documents it all online.
William Shen
The founder of Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association and a board member of Taiwan LGBT Pride who has been working for LGBTI rights since the 1990s.
His work in the last year has raised the profile of older LGBTI people and helped lift the ban on HIV-positive immigrants coming in to the country as well as improving access to treatment for HIV.
Entrepreneur of the Year
Geng Le
Geng Le has come far in his journey to bring the gay-dating app he founded, Danlan and Blued, to success. He has overcome challenges from the authorities and fought social stigma. It is now the biggest app of its kind in the region.
Koyuki Higashi & Hiroko Masuhara
An openly lesbian couple who run the Trois Couleurs company. In addition, Kokyuki Higashi is a visible lesbian activist in Japan and appeared in an ad for shampoo for Unilever.
The pair hit the headlines when they married in Disneyland in 2012.
Sungjun Park
The CEO of Ivancity, the biggest online gay community in Korea.
He is also a big financial supporter of LGBTI cultural activities who has ensured many queer films are made and who held the Red Party fundraiser to fight AIDS.
The ALMA awards are the brainchild of the team behind Singapore’s online gay magazine ELEMENT.
Find out how you can attend here. Read the list of corporate nominees here.
Gay Star News is a media partner of the awards.
BBC Archive on Gay Rights
It is amazing how when you start surfing the net you end up so far from where you started off, it makes you wonder if you have been spending your time wisely?
I was sent a link to Irish Centre for the Histories of Labour & Class, purely because it is known that I like reading history, and that I like researching. So I get to the link, and start browsing, and then decide to find out if there was any ‘gay’ material on the site. The search gave me a link to the BBC Archive on Gay Rights, which has 30 podcasts on a range of historically significant points in history for Gay Rights; the BBC says:
In 1967, homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales. Since then, terms like ‘clause 28’, ‘the age of consent’ and ‘civil partnerships’ have become part of the political language in the fight for gay rights.
In this collection, we chart the story so far for gay and lesbian equality in the UK. Many of the programmes reflect the language common at the time when they were first broadcast and illustrate the changing attitudes towards homosexuality in the last 50 years.
Burlesque Bottoms
Here’s Your First Look At ‘Broadway Bares: Top Bottoms Of Burlesque’ (NSFW)
Posted: Updated:
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) officials released these sizzling images and behind-the-scenes video ahead of “Broadway Bares: Top Bottoms of Burlesque,” which hits Manhattan’s Hammerstein Ballroom on June 21 and features “a cast of colorful characters for every desire and fantasy.”
Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots”) returns to the director’s chair in honor of the 25th anniversary of the annual Broadway Bares event. In 24 years, the show has raised more than $12.6 million for BC/EFA, and starred more than 200 of the Great White Way’s most able-bodied performers, with themes ranging from 2012’s sexy storybook “Happy Endings” to the risqué rock-and-roll of “Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!” in 2014.
“A lot of things can happen in 25 years, but who would’ve thought that seven guys dancing on a bar could grow into an annual event that has raised so much to help people living with HIV and AIDS,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Broadway Bares has done that. And this year we’re going full out, maybe even with a top hat and our version of tails, ’cause if baby, you’re a bottom, you’re the top.”
Check out some teaser photos below, and read more about “Broadway Bares: Top Bottoms of Burlesque” here.
Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (“Kinky Boots”) returns to the director’s chair in honor of the 25th anniversary of the annual Broadway Bares event. In 24 years, the show has raised more than $12.6 million for BC/EFA, and starred more than 200 of the Great White Way’s most able-bodied performers, with themes ranging from 2012’s sexy storybook “Happy Endings” to the risqué rock-and-roll of “Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!” in 2014.
“A lot of things can happen in 25 years, but who would’ve thought that seven guys dancing on a bar could grow into an annual event that has raised so much to help people living with HIV and AIDS,” Mitchell said in a statement. “Broadway Bares has done that. And this year we’re going full out, maybe even with a top hat and our version of tails, ’cause if baby, you’re a bottom, you’re the top.”
Check out some teaser photos below, and read more about “Broadway Bares: Top Bottoms of Burlesque” here.
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The Casting Director
Andrew EcclesCasey Lee Ross -
The Choreographer
Andrew EcclesAlec Varcas with Betsy Struxness, Adriene Couvillion, Skye Mattox, Elizabeth Dugas, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Holly Ann Butler and Greer Gisy. -
The Dance Captains
Andrew EcclesJoshua Buscher-West and Ryan Worsing -
The Director
Andrew EcclesErik Altemus -
The Female Ingenues
Andrew EcclesShiloh Goodin, Shina Ann Morris and Naomi Kakuk -
The Male Ingenue
Andrew EcclesSteven Wenslawski -
The Stagehands
Andrew EcclesColby Q. Lindeman, Alfie Parker Jr. and Evan Siegel
Chad Allen
Actor once outed by tabloid publicly bids farewell to acting career after 30-plus years
Chad Allen was regular on TV’s Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman and went on to play many gay roles
When Chad Allen was in the middle of a six-year run playing Jane Seymour’s son on the TV series Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman, he was cruelly outed when photos of him kissing a guy were sold to a tabloid in 1996.
But instead of going away, Allen spent nearly two more decades working on television, in movies and on the stage as an openly gay actor.
This week, Allen publicly said goodbye to that part of his life – on his terms.
Allen, 40, posted a YouTube video commemorating the end of his fansite and said he has been studying the past two years to be a clinical psychologist.
‘It’s been an incredible journey … working on the incredible shows that I’ve been able to work on over the years,’ he said in the video. ‘I’m incredibly grateful and always will be.’
His most recent acting credit was the 2011 film Fright Flick and a 2010 episode of Dexter.
‘My life has taken me on a very different trajectory and after 30-plus years as an actor. I made a decision a couple of years ago to let go of that side of my life go and I’ve been focusing on my education.’
A child star who had a recurring roles on St. Elsewhere, Webster, My Two Dads and Our House, Allen’s biggest success was on Dr. Quinn in the role of Matthew Cooper.
After the end of Dr. Quinn in 1998, Allen went on to become a high-profile LGBTI activist.
He also took on several gay roles on stage in The Little Dog Laughed, in the feature films Save Me and Hollywood, je t’aime, and on television on General Hospital: Night Shift and in a series of TV movies as private eye Donald Strachey.
Last fall, Allen raised more than $13,000 for people living with HiV/AIDS by running a marathon in Australia.
‘That work won’t end,’ he says of his HIV-AIDS fundraising. ‘I promise you.’
Further reading:
But instead of going away, Allen spent nearly two more decades working on television, in movies and on the stage as an openly gay actor.
This week, Allen publicly said goodbye to that part of his life – on his terms.
Allen, 40, posted a YouTube video commemorating the end of his fansite and said he has been studying the past two years to be a clinical psychologist.
‘It’s been an incredible journey … working on the incredible shows that I’ve been able to work on over the years,’ he said in the video. ‘I’m incredibly grateful and always will be.’
His most recent acting credit was the 2011 film Fright Flick and a 2010 episode of Dexter.
‘My life has taken me on a very different trajectory and after 30-plus years as an actor. I made a decision a couple of years ago to let go of that side of my life go and I’ve been focusing on my education.’
A child star who had a recurring roles on St. Elsewhere, Webster, My Two Dads and Our House, Allen’s biggest success was on Dr. Quinn in the role of Matthew Cooper.
After the end of Dr. Quinn in 1998, Allen went on to become a high-profile LGBTI activist.
He also took on several gay roles on stage in The Little Dog Laughed, in the feature films Save Me and Hollywood, je t’aime, and on television on General Hospital: Night Shift and in a series of TV movies as private eye Donald Strachey.
Last fall, Allen raised more than $13,000 for people living with HiV/AIDS by running a marathon in Australia.
‘That work won’t end,’ he says of his HIV-AIDS fundraising. ‘I promise you.’
Further reading:
Watch these five people make a powerful point about family
This heart-warming video proves family is family, whether you’re gay or straight
Photo: YouTube
What do you think of when you hear the word ‘family’?
Perhaps it’s your parents laughing and squabbling on a car journey, or maybe it’s the kids you’re planning in the future.
Five willing volunteers, Ricardo, Jan, Connor, Yvonne and Danielle, were asked to explain what ‘family’ means to them, revealing the beautifully individual ways their parents have shaped their lives, and what this means for their future relationships.
After sharing their dreams for their weddings and children, it came as a shock to many viewers that – spoiler alert – all five video stars are gay.
By exploring their everyday experiences of family life, the video hopes to prove to critics of same-sex marriage and adoption that a loving family, in whatever form it takes, is something to be celebrated – and, surprisingly enough, has little to do with a person’s sexual orientation.
‘I think a happy family is the kind of family that creates individuals, that are independent as well,’ explained Yvonne.
‘Kids that can be strong and can be very energetic, very out there, but they know they can have that place they can always go back to.’
Many viewers appear to have been shocked by the plot twist at the end of the video.
One commenter, Megan Tomlinson, posted: ‘So glad I liked this video before I knew the ending, made me feel extra happy.’
‘Bit of a shock at the end. Excellent video,’ said another, Conor O’Flaherty.
The video, produced by Irish YouTube channel Facts, comes ahead of the country’s referendum on same-sex marriage, taking place on 22 May.
Watch the video here:
Authorities try to shut down Russia’s only support group for LGBTI youths
Authorities try to shut down Russia’s only support group for LGBTI youths because of ‘gay propaganda’
Founder Lena Klimova said she would take proceedings to the European Court of Justice should the project be banned
Russian LGBTI youth support group Children-404 is facing the danger of being shut down for breaching the country’s ‘anti-gay propaganda’ laws.
Demands from the country’s media authority Roskomnadzor and the Kremlin-loyal youth organization Young Guard forced the General Prosecutor’s office into action, according to Russian newspaper Vedomosti and German news website queer.de.
A court will have to decide whether the group’s online presence, giving LGBTI teens and children a community to talk about their experiences, violates they country’s law; the court date is set for 6 April.
Roskomnadzor announced it had received more than 150 complaints from citizens; the authority’s investigation showed a ‘potential breach of the law’ by ‘advertising non-traditional sexual relationships among minors’.
If the court’s decision matches the General Prosecutor’s claim and Children-404 is banned on 6 April the media authority also intends to ‘meet community needs’ by publishing a single list of banned information.
‘We have passed a law banning the promotion of homosexuality among children, we must abide by it,’ Pavel Astakhov, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, said earlier this week.
‘If a site does not comply with the law, it is closed.’
Lena Klimova, founder of Children-404, said she feared the proposed shut-down was only a matter of time but she would not give up: ‘Even the powerful media authority will not destroy this Facebook group that easily.’
Klimova said if need be she would be ready to carry proceedings to the European Court of Justice should the Russian authorities close the project
Demands from the country’s media authority Roskomnadzor and the Kremlin-loyal youth organization Young Guard forced the General Prosecutor’s office into action, according to Russian newspaper Vedomosti and German news website queer.de.
A court will have to decide whether the group’s online presence, giving LGBTI teens and children a community to talk about their experiences, violates they country’s law; the court date is set for 6 April.
Roskomnadzor announced it had received more than 150 complaints from citizens; the authority’s investigation showed a ‘potential breach of the law’ by ‘advertising non-traditional sexual relationships among minors’.
If the court’s decision matches the General Prosecutor’s claim and Children-404 is banned on 6 April the media authority also intends to ‘meet community needs’ by publishing a single list of banned information.
‘We have passed a law banning the promotion of homosexuality among children, we must abide by it,’ Pavel Astakhov, the Commissioner for Children’s Rights, said earlier this week.
‘If a site does not comply with the law, it is closed.’
Lena Klimova, founder of Children-404, said she feared the proposed shut-down was only a matter of time but she would not give up: ‘Even the powerful media authority will not destroy this Facebook group that easily.’
Klimova said if need be she would be ready to carry proceedings to the European Court of Justice should the Russian authorities close the project
Gays in the Military
Edirotial:
Since 12 January 2000 The MOD’s policy is to allow homosexual men, lesbians and transgender personnel to serve openly, and discrimination on a sexual orientation basis is forbidden. It is also forbidden for someone to pressure LGBT people to come out. All personnel are subject to the same rules against sexual harassment, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
In the Republic of Ireland, an obvious close neighbour of the United Kingdom, which had carried some of its interpretation of law over from the time that the United Kingdom ruled there, there has been no preclusion since 1993 when male homosexuality was decriminalised in the Republic of Ireland. Since 1993 there has been significant change to make sure that there was no discrimination in terms of public policy. At the same time as an equal age of consent was introduced for heterosexual and homosexual persons, the Irish Defence Forces announced that they would be treating heterosexual and homosexual members equally. Relationships between senior and junior ranks would continue to be forbidden, as is common in most militaries. There would also be no harassment of gay officers and no questioning of members about their sexuality.
Obviously, the argument that LGBT personnel should not have had to hide their sexuality and therefore impact on their work could be made, and indeed during the Second World War, when morale and efficiency were most crucial, as Britain faced the threat of Nazi invasion, vast numbers of gay people were allowed to serve in combat units, some quite openly. There is sufficient evidence to prove that Britain operated different standards when it was caught short of recruits during history.
We all make judgements in hindsight, and history shows that often rules and laws are made which are nonsensical; this would seem to have one of those times!
Further reading:
- The Road to Equality – a chronology of key dates for the Armed Forces
- Gay Britons Serve in Military With Little Fuss, as Predicted Discord Does Not Occur
- Peter Thatchell: When the Army Welcomed Gays
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Serving with PRIDE: From a 92-year-old WWII veteran to soldiers in Afghanistan – the men and women who fought wars AND prejudice
- Photo essay book, Gays in the Military, released by New York photographer Vincent Cianni
- Individual stories tell the history of homosexuals in the military
- Many were discharged because of their sexuality and suffer ongoing psychological damage
- Rape, assault and bullying remain prevalent
- Being gay was considered a criminal offense in the U.S. military until 1993
A New York-based documentary photographer has spent three years traveling the U.S. photographing and interviewing gay veterans and servicemen to share their stories of suppression, sadness and silence in a moving photo essay.
Vincent Cianni, 63, said he embarked on the project, Gays in the Military, to better understand why homosexuals would enlist in the military to begin with; voluntarily signing up for a system that did, and in many ways still does, oppress them.
‘It seems I spent most of my life uninterested in knowing about the military because I supported peace, the fight to end violence and injustice, and the sanctity of life,’ the photographer told Vice.
‘I couldn’t understand why anyone would join the military, much less why gay people would join the military, an organization that shunned them.’
Pieced together, Cianni’s photos show commonalities between the subjects despite their different journeys, from a 92-year-old WW2 veteran to young soldiers who recently returned from Afghanistan.
Many were discharged because of their sexuality, others were raped, assaulted and bullied, causing ongoing psychological damage.
A major turning point for gay people in the military came in 2011 with the overturning of Dont Ask Don’t Tell (DADT), a discouraging policy signed by Bill Clinton in 1993 that continued a ban on gay soldiers enlisting, but stopped investigations and ‘witch hunts’ into whether soldiers were gay.
The bill was designed to protect the soldiers by keeping their sexuality a secret, however it forced them into the closet and further internalized their struggles.
Gay and in the military: Zachary Werth (left), says he was discharged from the Army National Guard in 2010 because of his sexuality, while his boyfriend, Dustin Hiersekorn (right) left the Marine Corps due to medical reasons. They are one of the couples who appear in Gays in the Military, a stunning photo essay by Vincent Cianni documenting the stories of homosexual soldiers
Veteran: Paul Goercke, of San Francisco, is a World War II veteran who served in Okinawa, Hawaii and Saipan, said there was ‘no evidence of gay life’ when he enlisted with the Merchant Marines when he was 18
‘The person I was dating was older than me and had been in the Navy quite a bit longer. She grew up under the old regime where there were active witch hunts to catch gay people in the act to get them out. I learned that culture and I was terrified the whole time I was in,’ says Heather Davies (left), of Round Rock, Texas. She was a lieutenant in the US Navy from 1989 to 1998
Togetherness: Matt McCary (right) was arrested in 2000 after being singled out by a fellow airman. He was discharged from the US Air Force within five days. David Cochenic (left) received Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. The two were photographed in Orange Park, Florida
‘I was eighteen when I joined the United States Marine Corps in 1989. Because it was pre-Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the questions were asked about sexual orientation. I already knew I was gay, but I was consciously trying to suppress it,’ says Eric Alva, of San Antonio, Texas. He was the first US military casualty in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004
‘I wanted to think about kissing her, but I tried very desperately to force it out of my mind. I became obsessive about running and dieting; the more I exhausted my body, the less energy I would have to think about that,’ reveals Debra Fowler, of Lowell, Massachusetts. She was a Korean linguist in the US Army from 1986 to 1988
‘I’m like everybody else. I have a job. I have a career. I want the same things: a home, family, everything else. I’m not any different.’ Don Bramer, of Washington, DC, a Lieutenant O-3 in the US Navy, says. He has served since 2002 and is still serving
Before DADT, which was enacted in 1993, homosexual behavior was considered a criminal offense within the military.
‘In many cases, the people I interviewed and photographed had no recourse to their discharge,’ Cianni said.
‘At times, their entire record of serving in the military was expunged as if it never happened.
‘Participating in the project served to regain their dignity and their history of serving.
‘During the interviews they revisited difficult experiences, sometimes experiences they had forgotten about.
‘It was an emotional catharsis for many of them.’
Gays in the Military was published by Daylight Books in May 2014.
It is archived at the David M. Rubestein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Duke University and is available as an exhibition and multi-media installation.
‘I was three years old the first time I had a sexual experience with my grandmother. That continued until I was 17 years old. When I was eight years old, my stepdad and step-granddad started sexually abusing me, and in rather horrible ways. I’m PTSD from Vietnam. I also have cancer from Agent Orange exposure. I’ve been HIV positive since 1987, full-blown AIDS since 1994, and I have Hepatitis C since 1989. Dying is not my responsibility; it’s part of nature. I recognize not all battles can be won,’ says Bert Bares, of Houston, Texas. He served three tours of duty in Vietnam – receiving numerous commendations including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star
‘I left the Navy to be with someone. It would not have worked out well. I would have been faced with periodic deployments given my specialty, and (my partner) didn’t like the deployments, so I decided to leave. It’s difficult to hide a gay relationship. When you’re single, the fifth senior officer on the ship, and always being the one who shows up alone at formal functions, it’s difficult to maintain a charade. I grew accustomed to the fear of what would happen if I were caught. But I also knew that if something did happen, I would not ever admit that I was gay,’ Larry Baxley says. The Washington, D.C.,-native resigned from the Navy in 2005
‘As far as actually getting into a real gay relationship, that didn’t come until the military. In the Officer Basic Course there was an attraction between me and another woman but it never became a whole lot; the circumstances were not right. When I was at Fort McClellan was really when I started acting on my sexuality. When I left McClellan, I went to Fort Ritchie and had a relationship with the company commander. I was the executive officer. We had a relationship only until she was reassigned,’ says Nancy Russell, of San Antonio, Texas. She is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the US Army
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3034869/Gay-military-92-year-old-WWII-veteran-returning-Afghanistan-soldiers-men-women-fight-wars-prejudice.html#ixzz3X4nVGsmN
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