Personal Narrative Film, Video Manuscript/Mixed Material Photo, Print, Drawing Franklin E. Kameny Collection

Veterans History Project Service Summary:
- War or Conflict: World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 58th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, 9th Army
- Location of Service: Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Polk, Louisiana; Tidworth Barracks, England; Normandy, France; Roermond, Netherlands; Germany; Czechoslovakia
- Highest Rank: Private First Class
After serving with the 58th Armored Infantry Battalion in the European Theater during World War II, Private First Class Franklin E. Kameny returned home to pursue a doctorate in astronomy. Though no longer part of the military, he chose to serve his country through civil service, and was hired by the Army Map Service—and subsequently fired for being gay. Not only did he fight his own landmark legal battle, but also he became a de facto paralegal, helping civil servants challenge discriminatory rulings, and sitting on the DC draft board in order to protect the rights of gay draftees. The founder of the Mattachine Society of Washington, he is considered one of the founding fathers of the gay rights movement. In addition to his Veterans History Project collection, the Library of Congress holds his vast collection of papers: http://rs5.loc.gov/service/mss/eadxmlmss/eadpdfmss/2009/ms009068.pdf.
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PlayBeing asked at the time of his enlistment if he had homosexual tendencies; answering that he did not. 00:03:36.0 - 00:05:31.0
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PlayStationed in England; seeing buzz bombs rain down over London; transfer to France; stationed in Normandy. 00:14:39.0 - 00:16:26.0
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PlayHeading into the Ruhr Pocket; seeing full-fledged, nonstop combat; sheltering in the basement of a local house. 00:24:07.0 - 00:26:36.0
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PlayTransfer home; discharge; went back to college and majored in physics; entered PhD program in astronomy at Harvard. 00:37:19.0 - 00:39:12.0
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PlayKnowing that gay servicemembers could be thrown out; Army seemed to be finite part of his life; finished graduate work; entered the Army Map service; civil service had same policies as military. 00:39:57.0 - 00:42:32.0
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PlayFounding the Mattachine Society of Washington; becoming a paralegal; becoming an authority figure on security clearances for gay people; fighting cases of dishonorable discharges; becoming a member of the DC draft board. 00:42:45.0 - 00:48:50.0
About this Item
Title
- Franklin E. Kameny Collection
Names
- American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)
- Ballard, Lara
- Kameny, Franklin E.
- Westbrook, Joel
State of Birth
- NY
Home State
- DC
Headings
- - Kameny, Franklin E.
- - World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal Narratives
- - United States. Army.
Repository
- Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Gender
- Male
Status
- Veteran
Service History
-
World War, 1939-1945
- Branch of Service: Army
- Unit of Service: 58th Armored Infantry Battalion, 8th Armored Division, 9th Army
- Location of Service: Fort Benning, Georgia; Camp Polk, Louisiana; Tidworth Barracks, England; Normandy, France; Roermond, Netherlands; Germany; Czechoslovakia
- Highest Rank: Private First Class
- Dates of Service: 1943-1946
- Entrance into Service: Enlisted
- Military Status: Veteran
Materials
- Video: MiniDV [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 01/08/2003)
- Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 02/2003)
- Photograph: Photocopy of Photographic Print [9 items] -- Photograph (collected unknown)
Collection Number
- AFC/2001/001/5208
Cite as
- Franklin E. Kameny Collection (AFC/2001/001/5208), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Online Format
- image
- online text
- video
Additional Metadata Formats
Part of
Wars & Conflicts
Service Branch
Location of Service
- Camp Polk, Louisiana
- Czechoslovakia
- Fort Benning, Georgia
- Germany
- Normandy, France
- Roermond, Netherlands
- Tidworth Barracks, England