Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers: Dialogues With Gay Young Men in the U.S. Military (Haworth Gay and Lesbian Studies) (Haworth Gay and Lesbian Studies)

Among all the literature published on gays in the military, Steven Zeeland's first book remains one of a kind. Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers is a raw, unsanitized personal record of conversations the author had with young soldiers and airmen stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. Zeeland's intimate involvement with these men enabled him to document in honest, visceral terms the day-to-day reality of gay military men's lives and how they work, play, and, in many instances, how the military actually helped them come out. Ironically, despite the military's antigay policies, these men found that military service placed them in environments where they had to come to terms with their erotic feelings for other men, and sent them overseas to places where they found greater freedom to explore their sexuality than they could have back home. While a few of Zeeland's buddies were targeted for discharge, most portray an atmosphere of sexually tense tolerance and reveal a surprising degree of openness with straight co-workers and roommates. The 16 fascinating interviews in Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers challenge popular assumptions and stereotypes about gay men in the military and provide significant information on: gay military sexual networks male sexual fluidity in barracks life strategies for survival as a gay or bisexual male in the U.S. military German-American relations attitudes toward the gay ban The casual, conversational structure of Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers makes it a richly entertaining read. No other book provides such a warm and intimate portrait of the lives of young gay soldiers and airmen. Visit Steven Zeeland at his home page: http://www.stevenzeeland.com

Among all the literature published on gays in the military, Steven Zeeland’s first book remains one of a kind. Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers is a raw, unsanitized personal record of conversations the author had with young soldiers and airmen stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. Zeeland’s intimate involvement with these men enabled him to document in honest, visceral terms the day-to-day reality of gay military men’s lives and how they work, play, and, in many instances, how the military actually helped them come out.

Ironically, despite the military’s antigay policies, these men found that military service placed them in environments where they had to come to terms with their erotic feelings for other men, and sent them overseas to places where they found greater freedom to explore their sexuality than they could have back home. While a few of Zeeland’s buddies were targeted for discharge, most portray an atmosphere of sexually tense tolerance and reveal a surprising degree of openness with straight co-workers and roommates.

The 16 fascinating interviews in Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers challenge popular assumptions and stereotypes about gay men in the military and provide significant information on:

• gay military sexual networks
  
• male sexual fluidity in barracks life
  
• strategies for survival as a gay or bisexual male in the U.S. military
  
• German-American relations
  
• attitudes toward the gay ban

  The casual, conversational structure of Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers makes it a richly entertaining read. No other book provides such a warm and intimate portrait of the lives of young gay soldiers and airmen.

  Visit Steven Zeeland at his home page: http://www.stevenzeeland.com

Booknews

Reveals the survival strategies of 16 gay and bisexual GIs as they related them in the 1990s in Frankfort, Germany. These are people who severely intend not to become test cases, but just want to pursue their careers and live their lives. Paper edition (1-56023-032-0), $14.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Gay servicemen are obliged by bitter necessity to keep their sexual orientations a closely guarded secret. But now, 16 soldiers and airmen, all in their 20s, reveal stories of their sex lives in the armed forces. Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers is a voyeuristic glimpse into the secret lives of gay GIs, touching on many of their concerns In an era of increased public awareness that gay men and lesbians serve in the US military, knowledge remains scant of what their sex and social lives are really like. This title challenges assumptions and stereotypes of gay (and straight) men in the military from conversations with several very different men serving in the military.