America Owes Its Independence To A Gay Prussian Soldier

Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben AKA "The Baron"
On the day we celebrate our independence, we can look to a Gay Prussian Soldier, who transformed the American militia into a well trained army, capable of defeating the greatest army at the time.  



Historian Nicholas Ferroni reflects, "I think it is quite comical and downright ironic that Americans, politicians and military personnel are so adamantly against allowing gays and lesbians to openly serve in the military, considering the powerful, well-trained and feared military that America has developed would not have existed if it was not for the brilliance of a homosexual soldier from Prussia. In fact, not only would we not have a worldwide military dominance as we do, but we might not even have an America if not for the gay soldier who aided Washington during the country's most crucial time." 

Ferroni is referring to Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, better known as "the Baron" (he actually wasn't even a real Baron) by George Washington and America, who had "affections to members of his own sex" and was even identified as a "sodomite." Despite his well-known same-sex attractions, Steuben was recommended to Washington by Ben Franklin, and, upon arriving in America, single-handedly turned a militia, consisting mostly of farmers, into a well-trained, disciplined and professional army that was able to stand musket-to-musket combat with the British. 

Ferroni asserts, "There is not a historian alive who would disagree that without the commitment and service of a brilliant gay soldier from Prussia, the war, America and our military may have turned out very differently."



You can see a slide show of the more Gay American History at Huffington Post.

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