Fighting Proud: A Gay History of the World Wars
More Interviews
•
27m
At the end of World War Two the British public wanted to get back to ‘normal’. The gay men who had served their King and country found themselves subjected to a vigorous enforcement of the draconian law that would put them into prison if they were found guilty of indecency. But servicemen living in close proximity were made aware that men who chose to have sexual relationships with other men were not suffering from sexual perversion or a deadly disease, nor were they cowards or the stereotypical limp-wristed effeminates. ‘Fighting Proud’, a new book by Stephen Bourne, is about equality: being equally brave, scared, decisive, uniformed, wounded, and equally dead. War is the great leveler in which we are tested, tried and traumatised. No one ever emerges from war quite the same, whether it is battleground, air raid or that telegram with its irrevocable news. Fighting proud is heart-thumping and rousing; loving proud should be the same. In this episode, Stephen Bourne discusses the role of gay servicemen in the world wars, as well as the challenges of publishing gay history.
Up Next in More Interviews
-
Reassessing King George III: With And...
Was King George really mad? Could the American Revolution have been avoided? Does the play Hamilton get George III right? To find out Dan Snow spoke to historian Andrew Roberts, biographer of Churchill, Napoleon and now George III.
George III ruled through an extraordinary period of revolutiona...
-
The Crusades with Dan Jones
The two Dans are back. And this time, they're talking all things crusades. Dan Jones provides his namesake host a thrilling background to the series of holy wars that have come to define Medieval Europe.
If you love Dan Jones, then join him at our book club. He is the History Hit Book Club's aut...
-
Unpacking the Myths of King Arthur wi...
King Arthur. Merlin. The Knights of the Round Table and the Sword in the Stone. We think we know these stories but they've changed a lot since they were first told...
In this episode of History Hit's After Dark podcast, Maddy and Anthony are joined by Dr. Eleanor Janega, host of the Gone Mediev...
