We Can't Even March Straight by Edmund Hall (published this July)
We Can’t Even March Straight, first published in 1995, is Edmund Hall’s ground-breaking account of the brutal treatment of gay and lesbian personnel in the Armed Forces when homosexuality was illegal in the Services. It exposed a secretive and systematic regime of discrimination and interrogation leading to dismissal with disgrace, stripped of medals, pension and service record that devastated lives, careers and reputations, in the name of “good order and military discipline”.
This 30th anniversary edition reflects on the subsequent five year campaign to lift the ban on gays serving their country, overturned in 2000. Drawing on first-hand testimonies and Edmund’s own dismissal from the Royal Navy, it charts the British military’s progress from shame and persecution to a celebration of pride and diversity.
With LGBT+ rights once again under threat in parts of the world, We Can’t Even March Straight remains as urgent, courageous and relevant today as it was thirty years ago; a testament to those who suffered – lest we forget.
“I would never serve in a unit where a known homosexual is serving and I like many others would quite happily smash their faces in if I found any in my unit.” Army Corporal, aged 29, 1996.
“If a homosexual was on board he will have an accident waiting for him when no one is looking.” Naval seaman, aged 23, 1996
“The prospect of accepting homosexuals into our ranks is the last straw.” RAF Squadron Leader, 1996.
ISBN: 978-1-917837-10-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-917837-11-8 (epub)
We Can’t Even March Straight, first published in 1995, is Edmund Hall’s ground-breaking account of the brutal treatment of gay and lesbian personnel in the Armed Forces when homosexuality was illegal in the Services. It exposed a secretive and systematic regime of discrimination and interrogation leading to dismissal with disgrace, stripped of medals, pension and service record that devastated lives, careers and reputations, in the name of “good order and military discipline”.
This 30th anniversary edition reflects on the subsequent five year campaign to lift the ban on gays serving their country, overturned in 2000. Drawing on first-hand testimonies and Edmund’s own dismissal from the Royal Navy, it charts the British military’s progress from shame and persecution to a celebration of pride and diversity.
With LGBT+ rights once again under threat in parts of the world, We Can’t Even March Straight remains as urgent, courageous and relevant today as it was thirty years ago; a testament to those who suffered – lest we forget.
“I would never serve in a unit where a known homosexual is serving and I like many others would quite happily smash their faces in if I found any in my unit.” Army Corporal, aged 29, 1996.
“If a homosexual was on board he will have an accident waiting for him when no one is looking.” Naval seaman, aged 23, 1996
“The prospect of accepting homosexuals into our ranks is the last straw.” RAF Squadron Leader, 1996.
ISBN: 978-1-917837-10-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-917837-11-8 (epub)
We Can’t Even March Straight, first published in 1995, is Edmund Hall’s ground-breaking account of the brutal treatment of gay and lesbian personnel in the Armed Forces when homosexuality was illegal in the Services. It exposed a secretive and systematic regime of discrimination and interrogation leading to dismissal with disgrace, stripped of medals, pension and service record that devastated lives, careers and reputations, in the name of “good order and military discipline”.
This 30th anniversary edition reflects on the subsequent five year campaign to lift the ban on gays serving their country, overturned in 2000. Drawing on first-hand testimonies and Edmund’s own dismissal from the Royal Navy, it charts the British military’s progress from shame and persecution to a celebration of pride and diversity.
With LGBT+ rights once again under threat in parts of the world, We Can’t Even March Straight remains as urgent, courageous and relevant today as it was thirty years ago; a testament to those who suffered – lest we forget.
“I would never serve in a unit where a known homosexual is serving and I like many others would quite happily smash their faces in if I found any in my unit.” Army Corporal, aged 29, 1996.
“If a homosexual was on board he will have an accident waiting for him when no one is looking.” Naval seaman, aged 23, 1996
“The prospect of accepting homosexuals into our ranks is the last straw.” RAF Squadron Leader, 1996.
ISBN: 978-1-917837-10-1 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-917837-11-8 (epub)