Chuck Schoen, right, and life-long friend Jack Bickell pictured in a photo from the 1940s. In 1942, Schoen enlisted in the U. S. Navy, where he met his partner of 48 years, Jack Harris.
Scheon was discharged from the Navy after 19 years of service and eventually formed groups fighting for the rights of gay and lesbian veterans. Photo courtesy the Chuck Schoen Collection at the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.
For almost 70 years, Uncle Sam was emphatic — We don’t want gays and lesbians in the U.S. military.
Despite serving their country with honor, gays and lesbians were routinely kicked out of the armed services because the federal government said homosexuality was “incompatible with military service.”
