Newspaper Page Text
I !
luil
Nj
| f; jp
■Mi
Mi
fi
m
jWji
«f|
fofejgj
®'«S
’i i
#trf
ikt i
pal
THE BIG SHIP
ED’S NOTE; Part I of “Th# Big:
Ship” published in ftw July issue of
the BARB gave use detailed report
on how lt feeis to. be GAY in the
U.S. Nlvy. end how Mr. Kingsley
dealt with this problem. Boston's
GAY COMMUNITY NEWS recently
published Stuart Kingley's article
"The Big Brig**. The “Big Ship” is
. the story of : the reaction to that
article.
4 The letter I had
written to the captain was
placed in the ship’s post
office. That night the captain
saw the letter. He referred
the whole * matter to the
executive officer. I was still
awake at two in the morning
when the seaman standing
the Watch came to me, The
executive officer wanted- to
sqe me in his quarters. How r
could he want to see me so
late at night? The watch on
duty would only spread the
word that I had been called to
his quarters so late at night.
Now' the executive officer
spoke to me. “Kingsley, I
don’t think you’ire a
homosexual. You state in
your letter that you did not
engage in sex with this sailor
in Hawaii.*’ .;
:i‘ “Yes, that’s true," I
Said, looking up at the man
Standing near me. The
executive officer, was an
extremely good-looking man
who was somewhat a father
figure for me. I had never
spoken to him intermittently.
Now, as we conversed, I
realized warmth in him few
on the ship realized existed.
He stated that the signal
bridge was the wrong area to
place me for ship duty.
\i. “They never educated
you, Kingsley. They used
you for work they did not
want to do. ”
.' Our conversation lasted
forty-five minutes. The
executive officer felt that
everything would go fine.
He believed I was not gay
and, that I would stay on the
ship. I felt different. In my
letter I mentioned an officer
who had befriended me. It
was decided that he would be
with me if an officer was
needed in the investigation
of my declared
homosexuality. The first
by STUART KINGSLEY
thing that happened was the
closing off of Operations
. ■ communications in OC
’ Division. Officer Manson
wanted to go through nrv
iocker. The > Navy ■ w as
looking for names and ad
dresses 1 had. They never
found an address book full of
gay addresses. > All they
found was a very neat locker.
• Now- the crew realized
something was going on. ,
Conners came to me and
asked whether I had men
tioned in my letter to the
captain that he had pulled his
prick out to see mq blush. I
said 1 had not. But 1 had.' In
■ my letter i had mentioned all
the sdilors who had exhibited
themselves to me to see me
blush. The next day I was
told 1 had to leave the ship to
make a legal statement. The
executive officer wanted md
to leave the ship w ithbut the
crew knowing of - my
departure. : With ’ a : working
party I went to th& ship’s
pier. 1 did as 1 was told.
Slowly I: moved to the
beginning of the pier w'ith my
broomw, Now 1 $aw Officer
Manson. A car was waiting.
They took toq to legal officers
on the base. In a small room
full of electric fans a man was
waiting to type my
statement. As in my letter to
the captain, 1 mentioned only
the incident in Hawaii. *
Returning to the ship in the
car, I (looked at Officer
Manson, “What kind of
discharge will they give me?
He spoke quickly, without
looking 1 at me.
“Undesirable.”
1 couldn’t believe my
ears. What had I done that
was wrong? 1 would fight
this., No one would destroy
my life with a bad military
discharge.
A few days, passed and
everything seemed t to get
back to normal. 1 had been
laughing w ith sdme friends
on the mess decks w.hen
Officer Manson came to me
outside the ship’s store. He
said that Brown had been
told of my allegations.
“But he may harm me,” I
Said softly.
“You are leaving the.
ship, Stuart. Go below' and
pack vour sea bag. I’m so
sorry.”
1 shook Office? Mainson’s
hand and w ent belo\v. in O-
C Division I saw Browm in
Supply Division nearby1
Though standing, his, stance
w as that of a broken man. T
shall never fqrget seeing'
him. He did not see me.
Quickly I went to my focker.
Carefully I removed its
clothes and supplies into my
sea bag., My decision w'as to
leave thq ship oh the inside
so as to/take one last look at
my horde of eight months.
With toy sea bag heavy on
my shoulder, 1 entered the
mess decks. Winters was
there drinking coffee: ’ He
asked me where I was going.
1 did not answer him. 1 wa.s
very upset. I may have been
weeping,'-
I found myself in the aft
part of the ship. 1 signed the
tog stating that t was leaving
the ship. 1 found myself
alone with toy sea bag by me.
1 stood there for a long time;
but no one came to say
“Good-bye'Never had I
noticed the ship so still. Not
a sailor w as" in sight. The sun
w av setting, a fid its reflection
in the harbor water caught
my eyd, The reflection
blinded me for a moment.
Now someone had come to
remove me from the ship.
Mv hand rose, and 1 gave my
flag a last salute. The pier
hit my foot, and l went to the
truck that would transport
me, 1 glanced at the ship,
but no one vvas on topside,.
Not a sailor could be seen.
The pier vanished. Now I
saw the buildings of the
base. - He took me to, toy.
barracks, He shook my hand
and wished me the best of
luck. Alone with my sea bag
I w alked to an encaged area.
My hahd signed the log; My
new home was not a ship. It
\yas a long corridpr with men
living on both sides. We had
a living room and a head.
We had the right to leave
only to the. base, . But I
missed my old friends. I
remembered" that old
destroyer. T now found
myself an outacst from that
ship. Yet to this day I miss -
THE BIG SHIP.
EPILOGUE
I was in the barracks
for about three weeks. The
first night five young men
arrived from the USS Kitty
Haw k. But they did not stay.
That very night they were
awakened and led to the
brig. Weeks later I learned
that homosexuals slept on
the right,of the long corridor.
As these young men had
slept with us, I realized that
they were involved
homosexuallv.
They gave us no work to
do; My mind was so upset
that physical labor would
^ P j I?® BARB, August 1976
have driven me mad. In the
clothes drying room I paced a
great deal. I began work on a
new novel. 1. tried to escape
the horror of the moment.
One day I was taken to the
legal offices to make one last
legal statement. Two men
cross-examined me. They
mentioned the security of the
Continued ON Page 14.
I Wednesday
supper at 7
service at
oofDcis!
I1T2CC aclanca
>00 n.highland ave. ne. (404)872-2346 \
If you’d like
§ to stretch your
HME OW^ERs
AUTO
or:
call
Bob Marcus
EAST COBB PROFESSIONAL PARK
PHOENIX
•OCIATES
1348 JOHNSON FERRY ROAD
MARIETTA GEORGIA 30067
(404)973-4000
County Seat...the place to
swing with an old friend or
with someone new.
County Seat...cruise in our
park. County Seat...pool and
pinball and games you’ll dig
in the Penny Arcade.
County Seat...tops in Disco c .. ,
County Segt... popular-priced dancing and the best in „ ^ ws?
beverages available in the shows and entertainment in n - n .. in ® e ’
Saloon. the Music Hall. you might win out.
County Seat...l886 Cheshire Bridge Road Phone 874-7753
Onyx Lounge Presents—
ie
enter tai
With-
roski fernandez
terry douglas
jerry holmes
unickyday
tiger HI
-^wrv. V _ 7 f SO £
3-7 <39/ ZoC7QeacAZt£^cS^-
5ZZ--9/OS-