Monday, October 15, 2012

When Sailors Kiss (NSFW)


Sundays are my homework days. I head to my favorite coffee shop, spread out my books and attempt to write my latest class required essay. For my modern history class I’m writing a paper on homosexual soldiers during World War II. Sunday I started researching my topic. 

As I sat amongst my fellow students, we crowed near the coveted available power outlets to plug in the sea of laptops. I soon blocked out my surroundings and searched through a massive amount of online research databases. After finding an amazing article about wartime homosexuality, I dove into the topic. Soon I heard, “Guuuurl! What you reading?!” It was the front desk gay from my gym. He smiled, and asked again. I quickly explained my research into the military’s screening of inductees during the 1940’s and society’s viewpoints during wartime.  I received a slow nod as he wished me fun with that.

Anonymous photographer, Untitled
image of two uniformed sailors kissing* 
Ten minutes passed before I moved from one column to the other side of the page. That is when I noticed the photo the author was referencing…

Well… I guess I found my visual aide for my class presentation. I will apologize for not blurring the naughty bits, but being unable to find this photo anywhere on the web, I did not want to alter it. I find it incredibility important to preserve it in its original state. I find it romantic and valuable in the topic that is so easily forgotten. That during military service, soldiers fall in love.
















*I claim no rights or ownership to this photo. Original photo found: Lee, E. "When Sailors Kiss: Picturing Homosexuality In Post-World War II America." Journal Of American Culture 32.4 (2009): 318-331. and The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Bloomington, IN, KI-DC: 44270.

5 comments:

  1. Naughty bits? Are you speaking of the perspective of postwar morality? Because from a modern point of view there's nothing particularly hello...

    Just scrolled down further. Nevermind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It would be interesting to know even a close guesstimate on how many soldiers fell in love, and how many acted on that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hmm... there is a bit more than a kiss going on down below methinks. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you didn't already discover this, the original of this image is owned by the Kinsey Institute in Indiana. It was a part of an exhibition awhile back. A crop of the image was used in the late 80s by the art group Gran Fury as part of an ACT-UP campaign.

    ____
    http://irreverentpsychologist.blogspot.com/2013/05/memorial-day-surprise-vintage-sailor.html

    ReplyDelete

Do not forget to add nicetoseestevieb.blogspot.com to your favorites tab.