Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military

by Randy Shilts

The bestselling author of the definitive history of the AIDS epidemic, And the Band Played On, provides the most thorough analysis yet of the place of gay men and women in the US military

Published during the same year the American military instituted Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and eighteen years before President Barack Obama repealed it, Conduct Unbecoming is a landmark work of social justice and a searing indictment of the military establishment’s historic bigotry toward its gay servicemen and women. Randy Shilts’s eye-opening book describes the bravery, both exceptional and everyday, not only of gay soldiers throughout history, but also of gay men and women serving in our modern military. With each anecdote and investigation, Shilts systematically dismantles the arguments against allowing gays to serve in the military.
 
At once a history of the American military and an account of the gay rights movement, Conduct Unbecoming is a remarkable testament to the progress achieved for gays in the military—and a revealing look at how far we have yet to go.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Politics, Military Fiction, Queer, Gay

1095 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Randy Shilts was a highly acclaimed, pioneering gay American journalist and author. He worked as a reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations.

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent history. I was investigated when I was in the US Army in 1986. A horrid experience. I was honorably discharged in 1987.

[Beth Windle · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this book not necessarily because the topic particularly interests me, but because I read And the Band Played On and fell in love with Shilt's journalistic style. He is one of the many people our society lost because of AIDS and working my way through his three books has brought to my mind again and again that it is a damn shame he wasn't able to continue his work. At the time of his death, he was working on a book about homosexuality in the Catholic church. Which I think would probably have been really interesting, not to mention prescient considering some of the issues regarding priest celibacy that have come about in the past decade or so.

When I started reading Conduct Unbecoming, I wrongly assumed that the whole gays-in-the-military issue was pretty minor as far as how many service people had been affected by the draconian policies of the U.S. military. Shilts disabused me or that notion early on. As many as 2000 people per year were discharged because of homosexuality. This, of course, doesn't count the many more thousands "outed" by the gay purges who took other discharges so they wouldn't have dishonorable on their permanent record.

The stories Shilts tells about the gay purges are some of the most frightening and call to mind not necessarily the McCarthy era, but the Arthur Miller play The Crucible, which of course is an allegory for McCarthyism. But many of the stories are reminiscent of The Crucible because the military seemed to have a habit of bringing in people suspected of being homosexuals and then forcing them or coercing them to reveal the names of other homosexuals in order to avoid or lessen punishment. Basically, it's the method of "if you say this person is X, then we will leave you alone about also being X." I kept thinking of Abigail screaming about seeing other girls in Salem "with the devil" as a way to avoid her own uncomfortable punishment.

I was impressed and enthralled by how Shilts contextualized the lesbian purges as essentially being about gender. As more and more women chose to enter the military, the more men had major problems with serving alongside women. In retaliation, some segments of the military population, because they couldn't evict women from being in the military simply for being women, instead tried and succeeded in evicting quite a lot of women for being lesbians. Some were lesbians, some actually weren't, but one gets the definite impression that it really didn't matter as long as the women were being "separated" (the military's euphemistic term for firing someone).

Some other wow-I-would-never-have-known-this moments:
The Navy has historically been the least accommodating and least understanding about including women and homosexuals. The Navy has carried out the military's gay policies with the most fervor of any branch and they are also the most reluctant to allow women to join and achieve promotion.
The Army and Air Force developed, sort of by fluke, some really forward thinking policies on HIV/AIDS. They decided that no one could be fired because they had HIV or AIDS and that the military would provide them health care. This was in 1987, when it wasn't even until 1992 when civilians were assured they would not be fired for the disease.

There are (were) some incredibly honorable and brave people in the military. Some of the women Shilts writes about, in particular, who were threatened with losing their jobs, children, families, everything, still would not turn on the other lesbians they knew in the military and refused to "name names." Or Copy Berg's father, who also served but came to his son's defense when the army began proceedings to throw Copy out. Copy's father, who was a retired higher-up type guy, lost his own military retirement because of his support for his son. This is the kind of thing that always gets me in stories like this -- even though humans have some major flaws, occasionally we can do some pretty awesome and superhuman things.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Denying a problem is easier than trying to repair it.”

Holy shit this chonker of a book.

This is thoroughly researched, painstakingly told and absolutely brilliant in how Shilts weaves dozens of narrative threads throughout the decades of between the end of WWII and the very beginning of the making of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (this ends on something of a hopeful note, at the start of Clinton's presidency and his campaign promises to repeal the homosexuality ban on the military).

At its core, this is about the gay and lesbian (I had to keep repeating "product of its time" at the exclusion/erasure of bisexual servicemembers and the absolute omission of trans and nonbinary folks) military members who fought to serve their country—and whose country turned its back on them time and time again.

But deeper in this, it is a history of military service, because queer military history is military history, and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the military is intrinsically intertwined with women, Black military members, and other minorities within the military and society at large.

It's also a story of the fight for the right to privacy, the right to a fair trial/investigation, feminism, civil rights, the right to a safe work environment and freedom of information.

What's also fascinating is how so much resonated with my military service over twenty years after the publication of this book. I had no idea any of this history existed—I didn't know about the Parris Island lesbian purges, the USS Iowa explosion—although I dealt with many of the after effects as a young queer woman serving in the Marine Corps just before and just after the repeal of DADT.

Much has changed, but so many of the ripple effects remain.

A must-read for military service members, queer and straight alike.

Pairs well with Alan Bérubé's Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two.


Some notes: while Shilts clearly took many pains to gather a solid cross-section of queer military service, the stories skew predominantly white. Additionally, there is heavy bi erasure and a complete omission of trans and nonbinary people. There are also many instances of gay slurs used in direct quotations, and multiple depictions of assault, sexual assault, and anti-gay motivated hate crimes (in addition to some...interesting lines on women and rape).

[Nev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t ever expect to listen to a THIRTY EIGHT hour long nonfiction audiobook about the history of LGBTQ+ discrimination in the US military, but here we are. I picked this up because I enjoyed the other nonfiction book I read from Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic. Similarly, Conduct Unbecoming takes a story with a lot of different people and organizations spanning a long period of time, yet makes it completely understandable and easy to follow.

This book is mainly focused on the period of the Vietnam war through the early 90s. It was first published in 1993, the year that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell came into effect. There is a little bit of history before Vietnam, but I found myself wanting the book to have even more and not be so narrowly focused in the time it was covering. But I suppose the time period makes sense if the reasoning is to compare and contrast gay rights in the military with the growing gay rights movement post-Stonewall in the rest of the country.

There are so many infuriating stories about the military’s bigotry, witch hunts, the horrible ways that the military treated people who were HIV+, the inconsistent ways that gay people were treated when their sexuality became known, and the failings of the court system to end sanctioned discrimination. The book is so compelling because it’s not just sharing historical facts and numbers, but it chronicles personal stories of the people who were impacted by these policies.

I do think that at times the book got a bit repetitive. Some of the personal narratives that were shared seemed like they were all accomplishing the same thing instead of providing new insights or a different angle on the story. Perhaps it was the point to show how widespread the problem was, but it did make the book drag in places. But overall this was a great read and a different way of looking at LGBTQ+ rights from the 60s through the early 90s in the US.

[Kat V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok let’s see if I can tackle this monster. It’s definitely outdated but since this was happening in my lifetime and I think it’s important to learn queer history I’m reading this anyway. Like most books of this length this is incredibly thorough and well-researched but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re really interested in the subject. This is REALLY good and I highly recommend it! If you like this you’ll probably also like The Lavender Scare and Making Gay History. Phew! I did it. 4.5 stars

[Maya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perry Watkins my GOAT 🫡

Leonard Matlovich sorry that happened to you but like you didn't have to be such a bootlicker even post mortem

dykebusters walking around with shirts that had the female-female symbol slashed lowkey goes hard

the aids soldiers not getting any medical help from the military was rlly sad 😢

ummmm yeah tbh idk if I loved this as a history book just because there's not really any narrative attempt to tie anything together. it just felt like a million vignettes, which isnt necessarily bad but gets a little tired after 38 hours.

interesting listen tho! the army SUCKS as expected and it barely even got to don't ask don't tell era

[Anusha Datar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers the history of lesbians and gay people in the United States military. Randy Shilts expertly recounts well-researched and personal stories of discrimination and solidarity, and also uncovers the mainly-untold stories of many US soldiers across history. Shilts's journalistic style is authentic and exhaustive, and even though this book was written in the early nineties it feels like it covers every possible moment of American LGBTQ military history.

I read this book mainly because I really enjoyed Shilts's other two books, which are about LGBTQ history in San Francisco, the city where I currently live. I will admit I found this book a bit less engaging because I don't feel nearly as connected to the military as I do to the city I live in, but I still found myself enjoying this book, even though it is extremely long and I (embarrassingly) must admit it is hard to keep track of all of the names, stories, and events Shilts writes about. That being said, the magnitude of the tragedies some figures endured and the hope that shines through despite that will continue to sit with me for a long time.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was certainly impressed with Shilts’s reportorial and narrative skills when I read his biography of iconic gay political pioneer Harvey Milk a few short years back, but I had little idea just how massively well-researched and near flawlessly penned his history of gays in the military was until I spent several weeks recently devouring every single one of its seven hundred-plus pages. For those who complain about gays serving in the U.S. military, and especially for those who argue gays never really have, they need to be forced to read this and finally admit that the world is not flat, and that the Earth does not revolve around the sun.

Shilts starts out his narrative detailing the lives of Major General Stueben and Stephen Decatur, both of whom served in the U.S. Army during the American Revolution and in the Union during the Civil War, respectively. And both of whom were gay. Needless to say, rumors of their sexuality surfaced and effectively cut them off from the honor and respect that they deservedly earned for their patriotic efforts. All of which sets the stage for the remainder of his book, as Shilts recounts dozens of other patriotic gays and lesbians who willingly and honorably served their country, only to be gossiped about, harassed, and outright rejected for often imagined gross indecencies. He also reveals the systemic hypocrisy of the powers-that-be (i.e “Do as I say, not as I do”), as they hide behind and perpetuate the pseudoscience and false assumptions regarding homosexuality and its supposed detriment to unit cohesion and their twisted, hypocritical sense of morality.

If you’ve ever wondered if the supposed justification that unit cohesion is endangered by gays serving in the military, consider Shilts summative observation:

"In conflict after conflict – from World War II to Desert Storm – the paradox has persisted: during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and a generation after Vietnam, when the United States went to war again in 1991. The gay exclusion policies were enacted ostensibly to ensure good order and discipline in the military. At no time is order and discipline more essential than in combat. History also demonstrates that at no time are the regulations banning homosexuality more routinely sidestepped."

In short, more gays serve in the military (tens of thousands, for all you who have no idea just how many do) during war time than in peacetime. So all arguments supporting a ban against gays in the military is yet again without any reasonably justification.

Further proof of the ridiculously assumption and failure to ensure due process in the military is found in the double-standard applied to anyone suspected of being homosexual (real or perceived):

"…normal rules of justice did not apply; that homosexuals had no rights, only punishments; that no expense was too great to deter the enforcement of the ban on homosexuals; that merely “associating with a known homosexual” could be grounds for punishment; that it was the natural order of things that homosexuals just disappeared."

Sadly, the recent reporting of the continuing rate of gay teen suicides – which has been around since way before even I was a teenager two decades ago – has shown that this sentiment is still alive and well, not just in the U.S. military, but also in our society at large. Thankfully, there is an equally as strong backlash against targeting gays and lesbians that is finally standing up to this destructive form of bullying, scape-goating, fear-mongering, and outright hatred. (Nazi Germany would have welcomed the efforts of Clint McCance and his ilk.)

And if you’re still in doubt about gays serving in the military, but you are conservative/fiscally-minded, consider the billions of dollars that have been spent (tabulated by the Government Accountability Office) over the entire course of the gay exclusion policy since the early part of the twentieth-century up until the publication of Shilts’s book, all of which was spent to investigate real and/or perceived homosexuals. I cannot think of a more pathetic and useless waste of tax-payer dollars. Think of all the infrastructure investments and services that could have been provided instead.

Facts are facts, and Shilts provides them in minute detail, and they are all backed up by nearly forty pages of footnoted references. History cannot be denied, no matter how much the bigoted homophobes close their eyes, eyes, and mouths to the truth. History is not, and never has been, on their side. Here’s hoping that this current lame-duck Congress can delegate Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell to the dustbin of history before the Republican majority, with their select Tea Party colleagues, vote to waste more Government time and money defending a pointless and unconstitutional policy.

[John Ferreira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I read this nearly 30 years after the publication, it is still relevant to the world today. Even after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (and its repeal), and the ban on LGBTQ+ serving in the armed forces, the same neuroses, paranoia, and dogma that was constant from the 1950's to the 1990's is still evident today. Also, so many "policies" that the government and the military held dear to them has not gone away. There is still, despite of evidence to the contrary, the deeply thought theory that everyone thinks like them. The fragility of masculinity still plays out daily.

I hope anyone interested in LGBTQ+ rights reads this book. Learning from history helps to move ahead any cause or concern much faster. Been there-done that, is an expression that saves a lot of time. Rather than reinvent the wheel every year, ten years, or twenty years.

[Alexandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This concludes my read of Randy Shilts' books, and I'm so sad I won't have another of his works to read. I'll have to stick to re-reading this, And the Band Played On, and The Mayor of Castro Street.

Like Shilts' other work, this is long, extensive, and doesn't back down from a challenge. It is detailed, unapologetic, sensitive, and bursting with facts. Give nits 600+ pages, I could go on and on, but I am going to copy/paste some of what I wrote for The Mayor of Castro Street, because it is equally applicable here.

"Reading this was, from beginning to end, like watching an archer release an arrow from a bow. I fixated on it, mesmerized, watching it spiral, gain momentum, and travel, until it pierced a bullseye at the pivotal moment (the assassination) and then vibrated violently and tensely with the after affect of its landing...this is the latest in a long line of historical media I've consumed lately that focuses on the late 1970s, and what has been eye opening to me is how devastating conservative backlash is to true progress. The sheer revolution of women's rights, gay rights, civil rights, etc. in the late 70s was so inspiring, and yet the crushing defeats handed down by the subsequent election of "take back the country" mongrels like Reagan reflects exactly what has happened in the past four years re: Trump following Obama. It is haunting and harrowing to know that history repeats itself in such a way.

Shilts is an outstanding journalist, and I would not have trusted my education on this topic to anyone but him. The sheer attention to detail he gives when ensuring he tells the whole story is something that seems to be missing more and more lately -- and Shilts is always able to tell the whole story without also making both sides equal. He is fully aware that "sharing both sides" is not the same as "giving equal credence to both sides" -- a feat that was showcased brilliantly in "And the Band Played On" and is no less incredible here.

In his notes, he states: "I can only answer that I tried to tell the truth and, if not be objective, at least be fair; history is not served when reporters prize trepidation and propriety over the robust journalistic duty to tell the whole story."

I just cannot stress how thorough Shilts is. Yes, this book is long; but it is covering gays in the military beginning with Baron Von Stueben! Yes, it occasionally repeats itself - but while narratively it can get annoying, emotionally it is relevant; it underscores how history repeats itself, and it was useful to see the same story unfold over and over and feel the injustice and frustration.

Sadly, this book only covered early U.S. history up until 1993, as Shilts dictated the last bit of it from his sick bed (Shilts died of complications from AIDS in 1994). This book concludes on the advent of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy I grew up knowing but did not know the history of, and reading it in 2023 - thirty years post publication - is humbling, and provocative. What would Shilts have to say if he could have picked up the thread? Followed the unfolding of the new millennium, the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the pivot from gays in the military to a more nuanced argument inclusion of trans folks in the military.

The patriots Shilts follows throughout his story deserve our unending respect, as do all of those who never disclosed their sexuality - perhaps the most difficult thing to read within these pages is the valor with which these men and women fought for both their country and their rights; how a country could ever so viciously jettison soldiers who have raised their hand and stepped forward to right is beyond me. From the OSI witch hunts to the sinister way the military overlooked the issue when they needed personnel (the chapters "the Convenience of the Government" are particularly elucidating), this book covers the gamut of the issue, unafraid of presenting contradicting views and looking at things from a macro and a micro level.

Once again, I can't recommend Shilts' work enough, especially something this uncomprehensive. It's clear by the end that any "conduct unbecoming" in question was undertaken by the U.S. government and the military apparatus, not these servicemembers.

[Sallie Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Conduct Unbecoming is a powerful piece of non-fiction. Published in 1994, it chronicles the history of gay servicemen and women in the United States military. It is largely a series of short stories about service members and the atrocities, cruelty and hypocrisy they experienced in their lives because they were gay and chose to enlist. At over 800 pages there were many more sad stories than I had hoped there would be. I am not sure what the status is of serving in the armed forces in the US is right now, but I sure hope it’s a better system than it was up until the early 90’s. This book also covers, to a degree, the advent of AIDS and how AIDS victims were treated in the military. The author himself succumbed to AIDS the same year this book was published.

[Jason Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me happy, it made me sad, it made me angry. Can you imagine someone locking you in a dark closet until you rat out every homosexual you know in your branch of the military? Or bring court marshaled and dishonorably discharged only to have the military ask you to come back when they need you? To say I was shocked would be an understatement. While it made me angry, there were several moments of pure joy. A fantastic, deep dive into the struggles of our brave men and women, many of whom were refused the honor of serving their country simply because they were gay.

[Rebecca Crunden]

⤑ research tag: in an effort to organise my shelves, I’m going to be labelling the books I’m using for study purposes as I tend to dip in and out of these.

[Lani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exhausting and disheartening read. I appreciate that Shilts wanted to tell all of these stories, but honestly they got repetitive at a certain point. That's not to say that I didn't learn a lot from the book - and I was left alternately outraged and heartsick as I read. But the impact of some of the more poignant moments were lessened by repetitive accounts of purge after purge on a base and a boat and another base and another boat. While I got the point - that the mechanics were largely the same for decades and that only the changing reactions of those being targeted made the difference - it felt like that point could have been made in a more succinct way. Then again, part of the aim of this book seems to be to hit people over the head with the numbers - given the timing of its release - I can respect that.

I've been military-adjacent most of my life, and lived a good chunk of my adulthood in the DC area. I cried at the first Pride parade in DC after DADT had been repealed and active duty military in uniform could walk safely. My first husband was technically out of bounds at the clubs where we met because they were gay bars. And I've known plenty of LGB folks who have served under DADT. So the stark reality of what I sort of knew in my gut, but was ultimately mostly before my time, was awful. But the government's disgusting treatment of women, the unwillingness to change, the idea of witch hunts or the fear of security clearance interviews - those weren't surprising in the least as I've seen plenty of them 20+ years after this book was published, if not so explicitly homophobic at this point. My mom served in the Army in the early 80s and I'm tempted to ask her more about her experiences - I know she joined shortly after the WAC was dissolved, and this gives me some questions around her haircuts and her marriages when she served. (Not implying my mom is queer, just that I wonder if her decisions were impacted by accusations or just general fear-mongering.)

I wish Shilts had lived to write some updates to this book, since my adult life has mostly been in the aftermath of its publication. Putting this history into a modern context would be really helpful for me. Not sure it's a book I'd recommend unless you're REALLY interested in this specific piece of queer history. I think having read And the Band Played On and knowing a bit about Shilts' politics and standing in the queer community added some extra flavor to the reading as well.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an “old” book, first published in 1993, but I’m in no position to say if things have improved in the US military in the intervening years. Shilts’ brings a journalist’s eye to the investigation and history of how homosexuals have been treated in the various branches of the services but a storyteller’s heart. And what stories these are. The book is heart breaking. Men and women who have taken an oath and are prepared to die for their country being harassed and subjected to appalling treatment. And – as Shilts states – “The point of the military’s regulations was not to actually rid the armed forces of all gays, but to allow the military to say they ejected all gays.”

The double standards are well captured here about who was targeted and how unjust the practices were – and in some cases bizarre. Women who had copies of Vogue magazine were asked if they “ogled” the models… The use of intimidation and coercion was widespread and women were unlikely to succeed… “If they are successful, they are suspect for not being womanly enough; if they fail they are harassed for not being man enough to do the job.”

Shilts clearly shows that “the presence of gay men – especially so many who are thoroughly competent for military service – calls into question everything that manhood is supposed to mean.”

This is a book full of heroes and will be useful to anyone studying LGBTI history and anyone who knew a gay service man or women who served during the period. The stories are part of a strong book told in chronological order through a sad time in American history. As I say, I don’t know if things have improved that much.

I was given a free copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[George Seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating, disturbing journey into the institutionalized discrimination against gay men and lesbian women in the American military is significant because it was written before DADT was instituted in 1993. Although the book was published that same year, 1993, the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy had yet to become a reality. This is significant because there are some who view DADT as the particular watershed in our history that defines discrimination against gay/lesbian Soliders, Marines and Sailors. As Shilts chronicles--largely through the words of those affected--this insidious practice began a very, very long time before the advent of DADT. This is a good read, especially now that there is the possibility gay/lesbian folk who wish to serve their country with honor, will be able to do so without the fear their sexuality will preclude that honorable service.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a big book--almost 750 pages--that shows the impact of anti-gay military policies upon the lives and careers of men and women who served our country honorably, some heroically. This book is an excellent argument for the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and the right for service members to be open about their sexual orientation. The evidence gathering against men and women (who need only be friends with a gay person to be removed from service) resemble the way intelligence was gathered against members of the French Resistance during German occupation. The interrogation methods were uncannily similar to those listed in the the medieval witch-hunters manual Maleus Maleficarum. How could our country be so stupid? Thank you, President Obama, for strengthening our country's security by repealing DADT.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randy Shilts's non-fiction has a very personal tinge to it, making the people he talks about as real to the reader as any fictional character. (If you know what I mean.) This book highlights the unfairness of American military policy on gays and lesbians, and there were several times I had to put the book down and pet some kittens just to recover. It was depressing, even more so because of its veracity, but extremely interesting. I learned a lot of things about the military, not even connected to gays, and a lot of things about AIDS, not connected to the military. And a lot of things about people.

Good stuff.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweeping view of the history of gay men and women in the military from roughly the Korean War through the rumblings of the Gulf War, covering why gay individuals sought to join the armed forces, tension with the gay liberation movement, court cases brought by individuals discharged from the military for their sexuality, purges of gays from various military installations, and the military’s response to HIV/AIDS. As with his other works, Shilts leans more on his journalism chops than his researcher chops, weaving in the personal narratives of the individuals who lived through and were affected by the military’s homophobic policies. I did get a bit bogged down about ¾ of the way through the book; there’s only so many gay purges you can describe and names you can learn before they all start to sound the same. In terms of sources, I wish that more women and people of color were reflected in Shilts’ interviews; as the notes show, the interview subjects were 74% male and 80% white. I also wish that sexuality was treated less as a binary; I was left wondering about the bisexual men and women who didn’t fit neatly into the military’s heterosexual=okay, homosexual=discharge dichotomy. Nevertheless, this remains the most comprehensive and detailed work on late 20th century gays in the military. I only wish that Shilts had lived long enough to write a follow up about the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell era and the final ability for gays to openly serve beginning in 2011.

[Cortney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true must-read. I can't imagine a more powerful, more well-researched, and more devastating book about the lengths the US military has gone to discriminate against a defenseless demographic. If only this 200-year history was truly history, but so much rings like modern current events. In this book Shilts explains that as early as the Revolutionary War, gay officers served nobly, and their sexual orientation was never a topic of concern. Only in more modern times, in the 20th century, did the witch hunts, accusations, investigations, prosecutions, and prison sentences become common occurrences on bases around the world. He talks about the fear and punishment felt by gay officers, who were later hit with a whole new curse when the AIDS virus swept across the country. And he talks about the sexual assaults that women subjected themselves to in order to avoid being accused of being lesbians. The research---through both government documents and interviews conducted by Shilts---that went into this book was awesome.

[WallofText · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly the mammoth task of reading Randy Shilts' bibliography, a nearly 800 page in-depth examination of the history of gay and lesbian people in the military. With his common precision, compassion, and razor sharp vocabulary, this book does what few manage: to interest you in a subject you may never have found yourself caring this much about. Reading And the Band Played On before Conduct Unbecoming made this an even stronger reading experience. I had heard of a few of the individuals covered in this book, but never in this vivid of a portrayal and set in this detailed of a context. Despite it's age, this remains a vital read for anyone interested enough to not be scared by the sheer volume. Another outstanding work by Shilts.

[Ryan Hannay · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I most enjoy about Shilts' writing is that he doesn't resort to being preachy or overdramatic, and doesn't gloss over the faults and hypocrisy within the gay community itself. But by documenting a full and entertaining account of decades of history you can see just how long change in society actually takes. It's hopeful without being naively optimistic. And the personal stories are relatable enough for anyone to be engaged. It's hard not to feel shame and outrage for our country after reading this, though.

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredibly dense and obviously well-researched book. Shilts comes at every topic he writes on with no holds barred and it shows. Unfortunately, this can mean that the text becomes too dense and isn't enjoyable to read all at once. This is an incredible book for reference purposes, but I ended up not finishing it with a little over 100 pages left. I lost interest at this point because the stories Shilts was relaying felt a bit too repetitive. Military and legal proceedings are not strong areas of interest for me either, which contributed to my loss of interest as well.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exhausting look at the mistreatment of gays in the military. You will never trust the government again.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an important and thorough documentation of history, but prohibitively long.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the political season (i.e. U.S. presidential campaign) in full swing and annoying the hell out of me I thought I should deviate from my usual fiction reading to something more challenging and political. Ergo Randy Shilts excellent history of gays and lesbians in the U.S. military.

For those of us who want to believe in the ideals of the country I was born and live in this book will challenge those beliefs. Shilts chronicles nearly 60 years of military excess and witch hunts to kick gays and lesbians out of the military. In most of these cases there is no misconduct or security risk. All these people are guilty of is being different.

Instead they are subjected to interrogation techniques that the military says is approved, but would be 100% illegal if conducted by a police officer. The approved interrogation techniques show a path that would lead to the current abuses in Iraq. The Navy Investigative Service is portrayed as bunglers who spend more time going after gays and lesbians than criminals and drug dealers within the Navy. And, the NIS admits this they specialize in going after gays and lesbians.

The cost to taxpayers goes into the millions, and careers and lives are ruined. Just the mere accusation of being gay derails a career. Many of the soldiers had outstanding ratings. I wanted to believe, albeit naively, that the U.S. military promoted and believed in being a meritocracy. To say the least this book dashed those beliefs.

To argue that it is the military's stated policy and written regulations that up to 1990 (the book's ending) that gays and lesbians are barred from service is a farce. The policy had a history of being selectively enforced, especially during times of war.

As he showed in And the Band Played On the late Shilts is an excellent journalist. I think And the Band Played On is better written and more engrossing. Conduct Unbecoming is more like some of the history texts I read in university and can be a bit of a slog at times.

[Simon Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sad, in many ways to finish this book because of the realisation that this is the last book Shilts wrote before his own untimely death and that it was sadly in many ways an unfinished project.
Only in resent years has the policy on gays serving in the military been rightly cast down. I have to wonder therefore what Shilts would have made of the fact that it still took anther 20 years for it to happen.
I would heartily recommend this book though I have to say it does wonder a little from its own brief.

[Christopher Sutch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book that causes me to question the ability of portions of the government to abide by their own laws, regulations, and institutions. Since, evidently, the armed forces have a fine history of suborning perjury and engaging in dishonorable tactics for personal reasons, this book calls into question the wisdom of allowing military tribunals to have jurisdiction over anything, let alone over military matters.

[Freyja Vanadis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is simply way too long. Shilts could've written a hard-hitting, effective book at half the size of this 700+ page book that was grueling to get through. It's almost as if he was determined to write about every single case of military person who was tossed out for being gay. Information overload.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prophetic, written almost 20 years before the apparent death of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". Defined an essential struggle for readers that might otherwise have seen military service as a second or third level priority for the LGBT community.