Ask & Tell - by Steve Estes (Paperback)

About the Book

Ask and Tell: Gay and Lesbian Veterans Speak Out

Book Synopsis

Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the directive of President Clinton's 1993 military policy regarding gay and lesbian soldiers. This official silence continued a collective amnesia about the patriotic service and courageous sacrifices of homosexual troops. Ask and Tell recovers these lost voices, offering a rich chronicle of the history of gay and lesbian service in the U.S. military from World War II to the Iraq War.

Drawing on more than 50 interviews with gay and lesbian veterans, Steve Estes charts the evolution of policy toward homosexuals in the military over the past 65 years, uncovering the ways that silence about sexuality and military service has affected the identities of gay veterans. These veteran voices--harrowing, heroic, and on the record--reveal the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans, men and women who simply did their duty and served their country in the face of homophobia, prejudice, and enemy fire. Far from undermining national security, unit cohesion, or troop morale, Estes demonstrates, these veterans strengthened the U.S. military in times of war and peace. He also examines challenges to the ban on homosexual service, placing them in the context of the wider movement for gay rights and gay liberation. Ask and Tell is an important compilation of unheard voices, offering Americans a new understanding of the value of all the men and women who serve and protect them.

The official silence mandated by the 1993 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy continued a collective amnesia about the patriotic service and courageous sacrifices of homosexual troops. Ask and Tell recovers these lost voices, offering a rich chronicle of the history of gay and lesbian service in the U.S. military from World War II to the Iraq War.
Drawing on more than 50 interviews with gay and lesbian veterans, Steve Estes charts the evolution of policy toward homosexuals in the military over the past 65 years, uncovering the ways that silence about sexuality and military service has affected the identities of gay veterans. These veteran voices--harrowing, heroic, and on the record--reveal the extraordinary stories of ordinary Americans, men and women who simply did their duty and served their country in the face of homophobia, prejudice, and enemy fire.

Review Quotes

"An indispensable document."
-- "Women: A Cultural Review"

""Ask and Tell" offers the most comprehensive stories to date and provides a forum for veterans to discuss the legacy of the military's infamous 'don't ask, don't tell' policy."
--"Publishers Weekly"

"[A] compelling book."
-- "Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare"

"These oral histories are eloquent, poignant, harrowing, inspiring, and more."
--John D'Emilio, coauthor of "Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America"

"This essential oral history collection tells the stories we were never meant to hear and ultimately calls for an end to one of America's bastions of homophobia."
-- "Curve"

"This is a remarkable oral history collection."
--Leisa D. Meyer, The College of William and Mary

"This is an outstanding book that will be of great interest and pleasure to a wide range of readers."
-- Aaron Belkin, University of California, Santa Barbara

"[A] compelling book."
- "Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare"