San Francisco , CA – The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Historical Society has announced the opening of “Out Ranks,” the nation’s first historical exhibit on the experiences of gays in the military. The one-year exhibition opens in June as Congress begins planning hearings on the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” military policy in the fall. “Out Ranks” is a premier exhibit of the GLBT Historical Society, one of the world’s largest institutions for of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender historical materials.

“Out Ranks” tracks changes in military policy and conveys the stories of GLBT veterans and peace activists from WWII to Iraq . Almost 70 years of history is told through hundreds of letters, photographs, medals, uniforms, and video footage. The opening reception on Thursday, June 14th is free and open to the public from 6pm-8pm in the GLBT Historical Society’s main gallery at 657 Mission Street , 3rd Floor.

“The GLBT Historical Society is our community’s Smithsonian,” said Paul Boneberg, Executive Director. “Our exhibits highlight the vital role of preserving and promoting GLBT history to inform meaningful public debate on pressing current events.”

The “Out Ranks” exhibit follows two related timelines, running from 1941 to the present. One timeline tracks American military conflicts from WWII to Iraq , focusing on the roles of GLBT personnel. The other timeline charts the evolution of the ban on openly gay service personnel. The two timelines meet in the center of the exhibit in the present time as GLBT service personnel fight their rights even as they defend our country in both the military and peace movements.

Visitors to the exhibit are encouraged to walk between the timelines to explore when policies on gays in the military change and why, when and why discharges of GLBT servicemembers rise and fall, how social and political issues (such as AIDS, marriage, homophobia, and privacy) affect the military debate and how military service has affected the gay rights movement over time.

“Enforced silence has led to collective amnesia about the patriotic service and courageous sacrifices of gay and lesbian troops,” said Dr. Steve Estes, guest curator of “Out Ranks.” “This exhibit tells the stories of some of our military’s most exceptional servicemembers during the most pivotal times in our country’s history.”

Exhibit highlights pulled from the GLBT Historical Society’s world-renowned archives include Leonard Matlovich’s footlocker from his tour in Vietnam, Matlovich was a Vietnam vet who fought the US military in 1975 for the right to serve as an openly gay man; the Air Medal citation, letter from President Truman, and photo of Robert Ricks, a WWII B-24 bomber navigator whose plane was shot down in August 1943 and who spent the rest of the war behind German lines, including three months in Dachau; the Bronze Star Citation and photo of Robert Fleisher who helped liberate Dachau; and a photo of military police guarding the entrance of the Black Cat, a popular gay bar in San Francisco during WWII, in an attempt to keep military personnel out.

An estimated 650,000 gays served in the Armed Forces during WWII, despite the official ban on gay military service. “We were not about to be deprived the privilege of serving our country in a time of great national emergency by virtue of some stupid regulation about being gay,” said Charles Rowland, one of the gay draftees featured in the exhibit.

World War II offered an unprecedented opportunity for women to serve non-combat roles in the military, where thousands of lesbians found sisterhood. Pat Bond, who found herself coming out in the 1940’s joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) on her first day recalled her first day, “I came with my suitcase, staggering down the mess hall and I heard a voice from one of the barracks say, ‘Good God, Elizabeth, look! Here comes another one!’” Another WAC servicemember, Helen Harder, dreamed of flying and signed up with her girlfriend.

“Out Ranks” is made possible in part by a grant from the California Council for the Humanities, as part of the California Stories initiative.

OUTRANKS: Individual Profiles

Visitors will be engaged by the moving stories of gay and lesbian veterans including:

Charlottee Coleman, who worked in a factory as a “Rosie the Riveter” and served as a Coast Guard (SPAR) in Washington , DC during WWII. After the war, she was fired from her job after an IRS investigation into her sexuality

Maurine DeLeo, an Air Force nurse during the Korean War who survived the homosexual purges of the Red Scare.

Tedosio Samora, Military Intelligence (Army) in Vietnam and who returned to the United States to become a peace activist.

Greg Mooneyham, a fighter pilot and US Air Force Academy alumnus who flew more than forty combat missions in the Gulf War.

Vince Patton, a Coast Guard Master Chief who served on President Clinton’s commission to study gays in the military as a straight supporter of gays in the military.

Robert Stout, Army sergeant in Kosovo and the Middle East, who survived an ambush during the Iraq War and received a Purple Heart before publicly coming out as a gay man.

OUT RANKS: Curator Biography

Steve Estes, the curator of Out Ranks, earned a PhD in history from the University of North Carolina in 2001. Dr. Estes has been a member of the faculty at Sonoma State University since 2002. As an associate professor in the history department, he teaches courses that focus on modern American history and civil rights.

Since 2002, Dr. Estes has been a volunteer interviewer for the Library of Congress Veterans History Project, interviewing more than 50 GLBT veterans. These interviews were the inspiration for the Out Ranks exhibit and also the basis for Dr. Estes’s book entitled Ask & Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out.

The GLBT Historical Society’s mission is to increase public understanding, appreciation, and affirmation of the history and culture of GLBT individuals and communities. Filmmakers, academics, journalists and students regularly use the Historical Society’s archives to craft truthful and inspiring representations of GLBT people and their history. The GLBT Historical Society can be reached at 415.777.5455 or www.glbthistory.org.