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Gay Vets Meet

By VVAW

A group of Gay members of the VVAW recently met together at the National Gay conference in Madison, Wisconsin. The meeting was called in order to discuss the problems of gays both in the military and the veterans' anti-war movement.

In a statement, the group said: "Gay veterans served side by side with our brothers, but had to endure a special form of psychological oppression. A prime example is basic training, where 'fag baiting' is used to brainwash GI's into a state of mind in which committing an atrocity is proof of manliness. As Gay Vietnam Veterans we see the military as based not only on racism, but on sexism and anti-gay paranoia as well. The oppression that a Gay solider experiences leads him to skag just as surely as his realization of the injustice of the war."

The ad-hoc Gay caucus is planning an investigation of military anti-gay attitudes and persecution to be held in conjunction with national Gay Pride Week in Washington D.C., in June, 1972. They seek the aid of all veterans in obtaining testimony and information for the hearings.

The Gay veteran's problem can be summed up by one vet's statement: "I got a medal for killing two men and dishonorable discharge for a loving one."

If you have testimony or questions, contact Vince Muscari:
VVAW, 25 W. 26th Street, NYC, 10010