Staff Perspective: A Brief History of LGB Individuals and the Military (Part 2)
LGB Service members have faced workplace stigma, institutional heterosexism, and discrimination for decades. In spite of exclusionary policies, LGB persons have long served in the U.S. military. Same-sex behaviors have been prohibited in the military setting as far back as the Revolutionary War. In 1942, the first policies explicitly prohibiting gay and lesbian individuals from joining the military were enacted. While in WWI sodomy laws were the basis for exclusion, WWII focused on exclusion on the basis of “sexual proclivities”. In 1953, President Eisenhower issued executive order 10450 prohibiting federal personnel from participating in “subversive” groups, maintaining that “sexual perversion” presents a security risk.
Staff Perspective: LGB History in Psychology and the Military (Part 1)
