Zone1 Drag Shows in the U.S. military during WWII

[Confederate Soldier]

There was also a distinct lack of women in combat areas too...

 

[Moonglow]

There was also a distinct lack of women in combat areas too...

Did women fight on the frontlines in ww2?


Women were not permitted to participate in armed conflict but their duties often brought them close to the front lines. One way that women participated in dangerous work was through their work in the Army and Navy medical corps.Sep 6, 2022

Women in the Military - WWII: Overview​

How many women died in combat in WWII?


543

During World War II, approximately 350,000 U.S. women served with the armed forces. As many as 543 died in war-related incidents, including 16 nurses who were killed from enemy fire - even though U.S. political and military leaders had decided not to use women in combat because they feared public opinion.

American women in World War II - Wikipedia​

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › American_women_in_W...


Search for: How many women died in combat in WWII?

 

[Moonglow]

Drag queens perform and create a part they portray just like doing shows in the military. What I want to know is what is you alls obsession with drag queens, have you not been exposed to this part of society before now?

 

[Moonglow]

So hurry up and get out of your closet and post some pics of yourself in drag, so we can all laugh and/or puke. You've been hinting you want to all through the thread, freak. Or do you need to have children present to get you excited?

I see you have some realm of a fantasy role-playing fetish, alas this is a Zone 1 thread.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Those shows were a far cry from today's drag shows. Anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty knows that.

It is precisely an “intellectually honest” discussion I’m seeking here — difficult when critical remarks are mostly so short and not related at all to the article. Those who do read the article will see that it says nothing about the different ways people may experience “today’s drag shows” in civilian life, nor does it talk about “grooming.” It is an historical article discussing drag shows in its past military context.

There is a lot of history of non-heterosexual military soldiering in the West going back at least to Ancient Greece, and in the U.S. at least to the Civil War. I’m sure, hidden or not, it went on widely during the American Revolution and the French & Indian Wars too. Greek culture was also replete with gay themes and even “pedaphilia” or “man/boy” love. It is evident in Homer’s Iliad and in parts of Plato’s / Socrate’s dialogues.

As for “grooming” young lovers and pedophilia, that also existed and still exists in many cultures. Of course for us today it is strictly forbidden … under one age or another, depending on the state you live in. Of course over time our very definition and many of society’s cultural attitudes toward sex and children have changed dramatically. Romeo’s fictional young love object Juliet was supposed to be … all of 13 year’s old.

My own sexual attitudes were always rather traditional. I never enjoyed “drag” culture, even in uptight movies where prominent comedians in the 1950s were in drag for the laughs. I’ve had gay friends who dragged me to working-class drag shows and clubs — which I found somewhat repulsive. Today I’d rather fight to win free braces and dental care for children than fight to get them “educated” about transgenders.

At least one commenter here, DukeU, seems to think that the GI drag shows of WWII “groomed” those young soldiers to be tolerant of “perversions,” and some of them went on to be parents willing to groom their own children.

I don’t see things that way at all. Gays were in the closet far too long. They want to be out and proud … and that’s fine with me. I try to understand history, and recognize times do change. I sure don’t fear gays, transvestites or transgenders. I do fear for some of them. Faddish use of multiple non-gendered “pronouns” isn’t a real threat to our culture. To me it’s mostly just laughable. But I’m perfectly happy calling a woman “Ms.” if she prefers that.

P.S.

Talking about history, sexuality, “age of consent” laws and hysteria …

Long, long ago, when I was still a 16 or 17 year-old “virgin,” I was nearly seduced by a lovely precocious 14 year old girl. A scary and terrible experience!

 

[HeyNorm]

I found this unusual article on the history of GI DRAG SHOWS entertaining the troops during WWII … which some MAGA types — and Liberals too — should find interesting.

The author is gay, an historian, an elementary school teacher, and a prominent educator involved in Louisiana state controversies over curriculum, “CRT,” etc.

Read it and see how our nation managed to come together when sorely tested in the past. It shows how our military managed to use and even encourage “drag shows” to entertain culturally diverse — and still racially segregated — soldiers.

It was a time when gays (in an out of the military) were almost entirely still “in the closet.” At that time our nation as a whole was more culturally “conservative” yet was led by a far more united and “progressive” political leadership than in our more hysterically divided present.

GIs as Dolls: Uncovering the Hidden Histories of Drag Entertainment During Wartime | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans

Did they dress like fat ugly hookers?

 

[Dogmaphobe]

Did they dress like fat ugly hookers?

And simulate sex on stage?

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Did they dress like fat ugly hookers?

Why not read the article and find out for yourself?

 

[fncceo]

Try millions of years...

I doubt transgenderism has been around for millions of years ... first of all, animal skins tend to be fairly unisex (with exceptions).

 

[HeyNorm]

Why not read the article and find out for yourself?

No thanks. I prefer women in woman’s clothing (or not).

 

[fncceo]

Perhaps transvestism has been around longer than I suspect?

 

[Dogmaphobe]

I doubt transgenderism has been around for millions of years ... first of all, animal skins tend to be fairly unisex (with exceptions).

View attachment 762883

That guy is really hot!

 

[Moonglow]

I doubt transgenderism has been around for millions of years ... first of all, animal skins tend to be fairly unisex (with exceptions).

View attachment 762883

At least in the 1960's.

 

[DudleySmith]

I see you have some realm of a fantasy role-playing fetish, alas this is a Zone 1 thread.

All my posts are Zone 1; being Zone 1 doesn't exclude obvious facts.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

This is not an OP about transgender surgery or “detransitioning,” but about drag shows in the military … and some related history. There are many other threads to deal with those modern issues.

This is Zone 1. Let’s try to keep our comments more on topic here, please.

 

[HeyNorm]

It is precisely an “intellectually honest” discussion I’m seeking here — difficult when critical remarks are mostly so short and not related at all to the article. Those who do read the article will see that it says nothing about the different ways people may experience “today’s drag shows” in civilian life, nor does it talk about “grooming.” It is an historical article discussing drag shows in its past military context.

There is a lot of history of non-heterosexual military soldiering in the West going back at least to Ancient Greece, and in the U.S. at least to the Civil War. I’m sure, hidden or not, it went on widely during the American Revolution and the French & Indian Wars too. Greek culture was also replete with gay themes and even “pedaphilia” or “man/boy” love. It is evident in Homer’s Iliad and in parts of Plato’s / Socrate’s dialogues.

As for “grooming” young lovers and pedophilia, that also existed and still exists in many cultures. Of course for us today it is strictly forbidden … under one age or another, depending on the state you live in. Of course over time our very definition and many of society’s cultural attitudes toward sex and children have changed dramatically. Romeo’s fictional young love object Juliet was supposed to be … all of 13 year’s old.

My own sexual attitudes were always rather traditional. I never enjoyed “drag” culture, even in uptight movies where prominent comedians in the 1950s were in drag for the laughs. I’ve had gay friends who dragged me to working-class drag shows and clubs — which I found somewhat repulsive. Today I’d rather fight to win free braces and dental care for children than fight to get them “educated” about transgenders.

At least one commenter here, DukeU, seems to think that the GI drag shows of WWII “groomed” those young soldiers to be tolerant of “perversions,” and some of them went on to be parents willing to groom their own children.

I don’t see things that way at all. Gays were in the closet far too long. They want to be out and proud … and that’s fine with me. I try to understand history, and recognize times do change. I sure don’t fear gays, transvestites or transgenders. I do fear for some of them. Faddish use of multiple non-gendered “pronouns” isn’t a real threat to our culture. To me it’s mostly just laughable. But I’m perfectly happy calling a woman “Ms.” if she prefers that.

P.S.

Talking about history, sexuality, “age of consent” laws and hysteria …

Long, long ago, when I was still a 16 or 17 year-old “virgin,” I was nearly seduced by a lovely precocious 14 year old girl. A scary and terrible experience!

I read the article, written by an author who works for an organization called “serving with pride”.

 

[DukeU]

At least one commenter here, DukeU, seems to think that the GI drag shows of WWII “groomed” those young soldiers to be tolerant of “perversions,” and some of them went on to be parents willing to groom their own children.

I just call it like I see it. And what I see are today's children turning out to be part of the alphabet soup gang, when during WWll days or even 10 years ago this wasn't an issue. Children are learning it from somewhere and the most logical answer is their parents. Society plays a huge part as well.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

I read the article, written by an author who works for an organization called “serving with pride”.

Yes, he is also evidently in an association for Medal of Honor winners.

Do you think gay men cannot fight bravely for their country?

Or that watching entertainment shows during WWII — with men dressed as women — somehow prevented male soldiers from fighting well?

 

[HeyNorm]

Yes, he is also evidently in an association for Medal of Honor winners.

Do you think gay men cannot fight bravely for their country?

Or that watching entertainment shows during WWII — with men dressed as women — somehow prevented male soldiers from fighting well?

Your making implications not backed up by my comment.

But thanks for trying.

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Your making implications not backed up by my comment.
But thanks for trying.

I want to emphasize that “drag performance,” like being gay or wearing women’s clothes — however you or I may personally feel about all that — have very long and varied histories … in many contexts and cultures, including military ones.

I don’t think one can argue very rationally that by itself such “freedom” (perhaps born of necessity in some cases) or such sex-bending “performance” art … necessarily leads to whatever social degeneration, moral degeneration, or whatnot you are afraid of. It certainly didn’t, in the military context of WWII, lead in any way to an inability to do hard and dangerous soldiering. Quite the contrary it seems.

To me at least, any suggestion that military-sanctioned WWII entertainment — highlighting drag performances — had a negative “slippery slope” effect on our culture today … is preposterous.

Perhaps you were being a bit hysterical, or maybe just not clear — and I am misinterpreting what seemed to be indicated by your own words …