Season 3: Episode 2: Perry Watkins

Making Gay History | LGBTQ Oral Histories from the Archive

Making Gay History

Sexuality, Personal Journals, Health & Fitness, History, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 October 2017

⏱️ 22 minutes

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Summary

Sergeant Perry Watkins played by the rules. The U.S military did not. Drafted in 1968, he was thrown out fifteen years later despite his honesty and stellar record of service. He fought back and won. Visit our episode webpage for background information, archival photos, and other resources. For exclusive Making Gay History bonus content, join our ⁠Patreon community⁠. ——— To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I history
0:02.0	Eric here
0:03.0	A few months ago we launched Making Gay History's Patreon channel
0:06.0	a place where we're sharing new video interviews
0:09.0	Never Before Heard Clips from my archive
0:11.0	that didn't make it into the episodes and more.
0:14.0	If you're not a member of our Patreon community yet, I hope you'll join today.
0:18.4	Just $5 a month gets you access to these Making Gay History extras, and you'll support us as we work to bring LGBTQ history to life
0:26.1	through the voices of the people who lived it.
0:28.8	Find out more at Patreon.com slash Making Gay History. or go to making gay history
0:34.0	and click on the link in our home page banner and thank you so much.
0:38.0	I'm Eric Marcus and this is Making Gay History. Perry Watkins was a 19 year old American college student living in Germany and
1:01.5	studying dance when his draft number was called.
1:04.4	It was 1968.
1:06.3	The war in Vietnam was at its peak with more than a half million U.S. troops deployed there.
1:11.4	Young Perry was one of nearly 300,000 people drafted that year. But as an out-gay man, he had every reason to believe that after a quick trip to the Army's induction center in Tacoma, Washington, he'd be back in Europe and dancing again.
1:25.3	But that's not what happened.
1:27.9	During the 15 years Perry served in the army, he became an unlikely warrior in a battle against the military's anti-gay policies.
1:38.0	He was thrown out in the end because he'd been honest from the very start about who he was.
1:43.0	But with a stellar record of service he wasn't about to walk away quietly.
1:47.0	So here's the scene.
1:49.0	It's mid-November 1989 and I'm in Tacoma, Washington sitting in Perry's living room in
	...

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