War and Soldierhood

Excerpts from: A History of Homosexuality in Europe
_Florence Tamagne

WWI

"The English army enacted severe sanctions against sexual relations between men: two years of prison for any act; ten years in the case of sodomy. In spite of that, homosexual activity still went on in the ranks: during the war, 22 officers and 270 soldiers were tried for homosexuality." (p. 27)

"By bringing men closer together in situations of extreme danger, the war was a fertile ground for the development of homosexual friendships; and thus it served to relieve homosexuality of some of the tension and drama surrounding it. Warrior aesthetics is based largely on homoeroticism; by focusing on the male body, by accentuating virile characteristics..." (p. 28)

"If the war allowed a blooming of hitherto discreet and timorous homosexuality, it also served as an eye-opener for men who, in normal times, would have looked on such relationships with contempt. Most people still thought of the homosexual as an effeminate and affected man. The friendships created in the trenches were built on a different logic, that of male societies welded together by a code of honor and shared experiences. Most of the homosexual friendships on the front were established between young officers and their men."
(p. 29)