Coming Out Under Fire

“A timely and valuable perspective. . . . Coming Out Under Fire, the product of more than 10 years of research, of digging into archives and interviewing scores of veterans, is the story of how—out of necessity—the military coped with this large influx of homosexuals, and how gay men and women coped with the military. . . . Particularly in the context of [the] debate over who has the right to fight and die for his or her country, Coming Out Under Fire is well worth reading.”—Doris Kerns Goodwin, New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinary. . . . What is most fascinating about Bérubé’s book are not the cases of gay oppression but the evidence of official acknowledgment of a gay presence within the military . . . whose numbers were far greater than anyone had imagined at the onset of the war. . . . Coming Out Under Fire succeeds by describing in detail the prejudice and social change of a turbulent era . . . [and adds] important information to the current debate over the military’s battle to keep homosexuals out of the armed services.” —Randy Shilts, San Francisco Chronicle

“A fascinating history . . . that argues that much of contemporary homosexual identity, sense of community, and activism had its origin in the experience of gay men and women in [the armed forces]. At the same time, the book . . . traces the evolution of the U.S. military policy that to this day excludes homosexuals from its ranks. . . . Coming Out Under Fire is a passionate book without ever being a polemical one.”—Los Angeles Times

“A pioneering work . . . original and well-documented. . . . Mr. Bérubé deserves plaudits for making a strong contribution to our knowledge about those who marched to a different drummer.”—Herbert Mitgang, New York Times

“Both a classic in the field and still the definitive work on its subject. Nothing surpasses it.” —Regina Kunzel, author of Criminal Intimacy

“At last, the definitive work on gay heroes and heroines of World War II. Their gallantry was in bold contrast to the cravenness of their detractors. A profoundly moving work.”—Studs Terkel, author of The Good War

“A fascinating, poignant and infuriating document that affords legions of American veterans their first authentic homecoming. Allan Bérubé deserves a medal.”—Armistead Maupin, author of Tales of the City

“This carefully researched and documented book is must reading for members of Congress, military policy makers, veterans, and every American who is interested in how the events of World War II still affect our lives today.”—Representative Patricia Schroeder, former member, House Committee on Armed Services