Queer History & World War II

The Holocaust Paragraph 175: Provision of German Criminal Code outlawing homosexual acts between Men. In 1935, the Nazis broadened the law and thousands of gay men died in concentration camps. Between 5 and 15,000 gay men were sent to concentration camps, where they were forced to wear the pink triangle. Most sent to the camps died there. In 1945, gay prisoners were not freed from the concentration camps. Rather, they were made to serve out their sentence under Paragraph 175. Amended various times, including in 1969 when the government changed the law to stipulate that the age of consent was 21, Paragraph 175 was repealed in Documentary:

Hayes Code, 1930 Passed in 1930, this set of restrictions outlawed any reference to ‘sexual perversion’ in movies. Starting in July, 1934 all films were required to have a certificate stating that they adhered to the standards of the code before being released. For almost two full decades, until individual film directors challenged the code in the mid-1950s, there could be no mention of homosexuality. The Celluloid Closet, a documentary, details the history of homosexuality in films (

World War II Coming Out Under Fire, by Allan Berube Blue Discharge: Defined neither as “honorable” or “dishonorable,” but “undesirable” Removed homosexual members from the ranks of the military It was applied disproportionately to African Americans 9,000 blue discharges issued to homosexuals during WWII After the war, queer people who received the blue discharge experienced discrimination in hiring and were refused the benefits of the G.I. Bill WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service: Women, many of them lesbians, in the Navy WACs (Women’s Army Core): Women, many of them lesbians, in the army.

What is Queer Labor History? Kinds of work performed by queer people Discrimination faced at work. Resistance to Discrimination. Distinction between what it means to be working-class and queer and what it means to be middle- or upper- class and queer. Involvement in the labor movement, relationship between workers.

Lesbians & Factory Work Female Factory Workers During WWII “Rosie the Riveter” Song: Rosie the Riveter

Queer Labor History Allan Bérubé Self-Taught Community Historian. Scholar-Activist. 1960s conscientious objector and anti-war activist. Wrote THE book on gay people and World War II. Wrote about the relationship between sexuality, class, and race. He died in December When he died, he was in the middle of writing a book about the “radical, intterracial, and queer-friendly Marine Cooks and Stewards Union” from the 1930s-1950s. San Francisco Lesbian and Gay History Project Allan Berube

“No Race-Baiting, Red-Baiting, or Queer-Baiting!” Marine Cooks and Stewards Union Anti-Communist Demonstrators Protest Against the Union The union fought against racism

Marine Cooks and Stewards Union Formed by white men in San Francisco in 1901 to “protect” their jobs from “inferior and alien races,” by which they meant Japanese and Chinese seaman. The union was transformed in the 1930s into a radical, integrated union. It represented a variety of people who worked at sea, including service staff on passenger liners (janitors, bellhops, cooks, waiters, hairdressers, etc.) Accused of being communist, and kicked out of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO – parent union) in Mocked by its enemies as “A third red, a third black, and a third queer!” – destroyed by mid-1950s because of red-baiting and homophobia.