Sailors and Sexual Identity: Crossing the Line Between Straight and Gay in the U.S. Navy

Yes, I say "odd." Zeeland suggests that open (or legal) homosexuality in the Navy (and armed forces generally) might result in a more constrained atmosphere of homoeroticism in the military. After all, this is a book more concerned with sexual identity than with the narrower issue of "Don't ask, don't tell" (the policy being debated in the background of these interviews). Every guy should read this book. Sexual identity is way more complex and interesting than we are raised to think. These sailors and marines share many insights with Zeeland, who shares them with his readers in an entertaining and literate way. Yes, this is a beautiful book.

Zeeland's book is an honest account of the sexual frustrations and sexual activities that have always been a part of shipboard life. Many men are attracted to the overt masculinity of life in uniform in a largely all-male environment. "Sailors" is a gut-level view of the men who proudly serve their country, but also have natural sexual needs that they must address. This is the most honest book on the subject to come out as yet. Zeeland is also a good writer, and he knows how to make his subject immediate and alive. I was impressed.

Reading this book sent me back to my Navy days. Don't let anyone tell you that the things described here in 90's San Diego were in any way isolated or atypical of what went on throughout the fleet. If anything, way back then (!) in the 70's, it was even more prevalent, down to and including the "crossing the line" activities (I'll have that delicious mental picture of more than a thousand naked men on the flight deck getting hosed off for the rest of my life!).

The book was fun for me because not only was it fairly sexually explicit but Zeeland asked a number of good questions and got good answers. One of the things he concentrated on was sexual identity but his interviewees promptly knocked that one on the head because in their experiences in the Navy most men were sexually available to other men, whether married, straight, gay or just attractive. There were a number of observations about the true homosexual nature of the military where men are men and confined to each other's company. One officer sppoke about the homosexual nature of command where you love your men and care for them. I found one observation of an interviewee particularly telling: " For the most part, the generals seem to be having a far bigger problem with sexuality than anyone. And I wonder sometimes if that isn't because - if the military, when they lift the ban [on gay servicemen], will fundamentally change, and a lot of straight men who need to play around with the guys all the time and fulfill that side of their needs aren't going to be able to as freely. And some of the rituals which go on in the military, which are very homoerotic, and almost homosexual, aren't going to be able to be done. If you have all the gay people out being gay, the things that are more homosexual are going to be labelled as homosexual. And I think that it will greatly change. In fact a lot of the free-sex environment, or the fantasies, and the occaisions for a quic whatever in the military will fundamentally change. Some of the things they claim are time-honoured traditions are just amazing in how far they cross the lines of what would be proper." This connects with my own views on the recent history of the queer communities. I think that we did it the wrong way round, sometimes, because by coming out as 'gay' or 'lesbian' or whatever, we just locked ourselves into being gay or lesbian or whatever, AND we locked the hets into being hets. It was sort of like naming names and drawing lines and everyone had to choose their team and stick with it. I am on the side of the angels and think that we all have immense capacities for love and sex in all its forms and sometimes the words do get in the way and create things that don't exist. If I had a chance to do it all again, I would just rip apart the words and the divisions and make it safe for everyone to be who they wish to be at any particular moment, and none of this choosing sides crap.

The engaging stories told by Zeeland's sailors accurately depict our lives in the Navy. I bought the book after reading the great excerpts on Zeeland's website. I wasn't disappointed. These sailor interviews are very revealing and remind me of similar sailor "networks" I've been a part of. (The San Diego stuff brought back a lot of fun memories, too!) Zeeland's book makes me glad I crossed over that line - - in a number of ways.