“Now that you ask me, yes. Homosexuals killed just like heterosexuals. However, when we had a young German in front of our rifle, we thought that if it weren’t for this conflict, we could be in bed together.
If I had to kill someone I liked, it hurt. I felt it as a loss.
Heterosexuals didn’t think about this.”
“Ted, I don’t think the Germans thought the same way. I’ve thought about whether those who were ordered to kill the Jews thought that these beautiful teenagers could be their lovers under different circumstances.”
“Don’t think this thought did not torment me. After all, if you had been born in Poland, you would be dead. I would have lost the love of my life. How many stupid Nazis could have learned from a relationship with a Jew?”
“My generation is indebted to yours. Young people like me see you as closeted cowards, unable to fight for your rights. But not me. I believe your generation saved all our lives. When I hear them criticize you because you’re conservative, I tell them that if they didn’t fight for their country and save us from Hitler, they should shut up.”
As Washington grew after the war, the first bars for homosexuals began to emerge. There was the Chicken Hut, a restaurant with a discreet second floor, Nob Hill, The Jewel Box, The Hideaway, Barracks Row, Phase One, Keith’s bathrooms, and the YMCA. After Stonewall, Jo-Anna and Club Madame would open.