COMING OUT UNDER FIRE: The History of...

COMING OUT UNDER FIRE: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two by Allan Berube (Plume: $10.95, illustrated). This ground-breaking social history chronicles the shifts in attitude and official policy toward gay men and lesbians in the armed forces at a key period in history. (During the most intense phases of the war, Berube estimates that between 650,000 and 1.6 million servicemen were homosexual.) Ironically, the increasing harassment of gay men and lesbians in the armed services, including the use of the notorious, undesirable “blue” discharges, helped to build a sense of community among its victims. That sense of community, coupled with the knowledge that they had risked their lives for their country, led veterans and other homosexuals to begin demanding their civil rights. Berube’s meticulously documented study offers fascinating background reading for anyone interested in the history of the gay liberation, civil rights and feminist movements in America.