Before it was the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day was a day of remembrance.
It wasn’t about mattress sales or backyard barbecues or going to the beach.
It was meant to honor our military personnel who never made it home.
And hidden inside that history are countless LGBTQ service members whose sacrifices have largely been erased from public memory and record.
For generations, queer Americans served this country while being told they were unfit to serve. They fought in wars, flew missions, worked as medics and intelligence officers, and died defending freedoms they themselves could not fully enjoy.
Many lost careers, benefits, and entire futures simply for being gay.
Some were dishonorably discharged. Others were forced to hide who they were for decades just to survive military life. Even after death, many remained invisible. Their partners could not openly grieve them. Their stories disappeared into silence.
And yet they served anyway.
That matters.
Because LGBTQ Americans have always been here. In every branch. Every conflict. Every generation. We were at Normandy, in Vietnam, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan. Part of the American story has always included queer people, even when politicians and pundits have pretended otherwise.
So this Memorial Day, enjoy the long weekend. Enjoy your friends and family. But maybe also take a moment to remember the people who paid for those freedoms, including the LGBTQ veterans and service members who were too often denied dignity by the very country they defended.
And if you are one of those veterans yourself, thank you.
You and your service deserve to be remembered too.
Thank you for being a friend!
Clint 🌈✌️
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thru 05-31-26
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
05-25 = Anette Trettebergstuen (1981- ) = Norwegian politician 🌈
05-25 = Anne Heche (1969-2022) = American actor 🌈
05-25 = Ian McKellen (1939- ) = English actor 🌈
05-25 = Robert Ross (1869-1918) = Canadian journalist and art critic 🌈
MAN CRUSH OF THE DAY
“I learned that coming out was crucial to self-esteem.”
Ian Mckellen“I’m not quite as cool as I would like to be, really.”
Ian Mckellen
👍🫂 and I'll drink to that🍺Cheers DougT🏴🇬🇧
In some ways, so many sad stories about people and events being diminished because of "homosexuality". Does giving one's life for one's country mean any less because it was a gay life? Many, I am affraid would say, "Yes!" P.S. Loved "Vicious". Something so special about those old "Queen days!" Fondly, Michael