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Out In The Army: My Life As A Gay Soldier

Out in the Army follows the extraordinary career journey of James Wharton, one of the first ‘out’ soldiers in the armed forces as he becomes a man, joins the Army and learns to deal with his sexuality in a sometimes hostile environment prior to coming to terms with it and, in turn, helping the army itself come to terms with homosexuality. Wharton’s experiences in the army form the bedrock to this astonishing tale, from serving in Southern Iraq and with Prince Harry in Canada, to being hospitalized in a homophobic beating, to helping at the 7/7 bombings and serving at the Royal Wedding. His story is told right up until the point where he leaves the army in 2013 after a ten year commitment. The Army is certainly a different place now to when James signed up and there’s no question that he’s helped change opinions and make life easier for gay service people in the future. James was the first openly gay person to appear on the front cover of Soldier magazine, the British Army’s official publication. By being one of the first highly visible ‘out’ soldier James has helped the armed services to begin to address its institutionalized homophobia.

  • Format
  • hardcover
  • Pages
  • 304
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781849545402
  • Genres
  • biography, lgbt, gay, autobiography, war, memoir, adult
  • Release date
  • 2013