Podcast Script-Legal studies
The LGBTQ community has historically been subject to hostility and legal prosecution. An analysis of the history of LGBTQ related legislature indicates that minority group has experience discrimination in all areas of life including the military service. The laws that have been put in place over the years made it difficult for the service men to freely practice their right to sexual freedom. Major steps towards the achievement of the rights of the LGBTQ community have only been achieved recently which further highlights the need for increased advocacy to ensure equal rights are established.
World War I is also commonly known as the Great War and it began in 1914 right after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Australia assassination took place. His murder was the sources of the war which lasted for four years. The results of the war had a huge impact on the entire world most especially because it was not expected. The killing of Sarajevo was turned into a pretext war. Some historians argue that it is the Germans that wanted the war and they actually got what they wanted. One of the major causes of the war is war crimes together with genocides. During the outbreak of the war, there was an existing body that was in charge of formulating the rules for the warfare. The collapse of the central powers also gave German the opportunity to move divisions from the Eastern to the western.
For various reasons, the war resulted in a military, mental, monetary and social breakdown. The century of the war was majorly dominated by poverty and insecurity. The war also gave rise to the numerous phenomena of lasting interest to historians together with literature scholars. The war indeed left a great mark on all fields of the society along with human activities and the impacts of the war are still felt up to today.
WWI was able to achieve one of the most persistent legacies which is sparking the gay rights movement that has led to the development of the contemporary gay rights movement. Homosexual soldiers returned home with the conviction that their government owed them full citizenship which included the acknowledgement of their rights. The experiences of the soldiers forced them to advocate for changes in laws and they garnered. WWI onset the activism for the LGBTQ rights where the soldiers who returned home supported that homosexual persons deserve to have their rights respected and upheld. They therefore demanded the repeal for the sodomy law and the opening of government jobs to homosexual who were know publicly. The ideas they pushed for were radical for the era and they would also remain out of reach for many decades later. The ghastly and horrible human toll of the WWI was critical in inspiring the assertiveness and characterized gay rights movement globally in the 20th century.
The Second World War involves a conflict that involved every part of the world from the year 1939 to the year 1945. In many aspects, the war was just a simply a continuation of some of the unresolved disputes during the Great War. The war is marked as one of the bloodiest wars because of the numerous deaths that took place during the war. The world war II significantly resulted in the extension of the soviet union`s authority to the states of eastern Europe which enhanced a communist movement to attain power in China.
The 20th century was characterised by organized activism that was aimed at securing the rights of the LGBTQ community. Article 93 of the war of the United States stated that any individual who committed assault with intent for sodomy was subject to punishment in accordance with the decision of the court martial. The law was then modified outlawing the acts of sodomy. These laws clearly influenced decisions and led to the first prohibition of homosexuality in the armed forces. The US military formerly excluded members of the community from the service. However, in 1933, the US congress enacted a new law and policy that allowed the members of the LGBTQ community to serve in the military as long as they did not reveal their sexual orientation. During the war homosexual soldiers were largely discriminated while most also found new communities where they thrived in. Gay soldiers were often given a ‘blue discharge.’ The experiences of the minority group are often neglected by the media and historians alike. After WWII, activists in the United States formed organizations that would be activists for the rights of the gay men and lesbians. The organizations have spent decades fighting against the federal government ant-LGBTQ employment opportunities.
Despite the discrimination, prohibitions and harsh laws prohibiting homosexuals from serving in the army, they continued to work in the WWII and beyond. However, discharges for homosexuality increase during the Vietnam War when recruitment was at its peak and the enforcement had clearly reduced. Therefore, the recruitment plans no longer prohibited homosexuals but they had to operate on the Do not Tell basis which meant they could serve as long as they could hide. This created a lot controversies and a national debate that lead to the question of religion, social norms and their influence on the decision. Various states removed the ban on homosexuality but others declined stating that it was a taboo. For instance, in the case of Bowers v. Hardwick, where the Supreme Court upheld sodomy laws of the state of Georgia.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic which began in the 1980s largely affected the LGBTQ community. The community therefore played a critical role in shaping advocacy campaigns which enhanced research and access to new treatments. New fears were in place but the laws already ensured that HIV positive individuals were kept out of the force and complains being provided were only a facade that was based on homophobia. The logic of the military denial of homosexuality was based on a double standard which stated that soldiers could play lovers without the acknowledgement of the feelings. Therefore, the department of defence adopted more peculiar regulations which states that heterosexual men were allowed to engage in homosexual intimacy as long as they stated that the incidence was a lapse. Therefore, the major issue of the regulators was the identity and not the actions and therefore, soldiers who identified as gay were discharged from the force.
The success of the LGBTQ advocacy has only been success less than a decade ago. It is only in 2010 that the courts banned the law on openly homosexual unconstitutional and in the year following the state the laws changed and the restrictions on the service by the gay and lesbian persons ended. The community has come a long way and they still have a long way to go. However, with the support of activism from all areas, the LGBTQ community can be able to ensure discrimination is avoided and they can be seen as competent individuals within the military forces.
Edit a script for a podcast on the evolution of LGBTQ+ rights and the way in which LGBTQ+ individuals have been seen and treated in the United States Armed Forces over history.
