Exploring Frank Kameny's legacy as the father of the US gay rights movement
gcn.iefight for a country that would later fail him. Harrowing images of bombs and carnage at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii compelled Kameny to enlist in the United States military, to put his body on the line and suspend his life for the possibility of a brighter future.After serving on the front lines in Europe, Kameny returned to the US and received his PhD as a World War II veteran.
He taught at Georgetown University for a year before being recruited by the Army Map Service to create astronomical maps used to guide missiles.
This was in 1957 when the Americans were in a dead heat with Russia for the space race.He could have taken his talents to the moon.
However, when supervisors at the Army Map Service got wind of his sexuality through a previous arrest, Kameny refused to answer their questions.He was fired and subsequently barred from having a federal job again.
