Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

The Military's Inconsistent Policies on Openly Gay Service Members

Journalist Randy Shilts wrote the controversial book on the handling of the AIDS crisis, "And the Band Played On." He joins Fresh Air to discuss the legal troubles gays and lesbians in the military face. Shilts says the provision against gays serving in the military has been ignored now that the U.S. is engaged in war, and that these service members potentially face court martial when they return.

16:47
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on January 28, 1991

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, January 28, 1991: Interview with Robert Cullen; Interview with Randy Shilts; Commentary on nationality and colonialism.
Queue
22:37

Soviet Policies Place a Strain on U.S. Relations

Journalist Robert Cullen covers the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He joins Fresh Air to talk about recent crackdowns on rights in the U.S.S.R. and advances in the Baltic Republics. Cullen is currently working on a book about the Soviet empire.

Interview
Queue
04:02

How a Single Letter Defines Western Perceptions of the East

Linguist Geoffrey Nunberg comments on the way English speakers use the suffix "e" and "i" to lump together most nationalities in the Middle East (Kuwati, Iraqi...). He says the practice has its roots in the 19th and 20th century colonial period, and says a lot about how we view people in that region.

Commentary

Transcript

Transcript currently not available.

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
23:05

How the Military Has Purged Gay Personnel

Journalist Randy Shilts is the national correspondent for the San Francisco Chronicle. His book, "And the Band Played On," was one of the earliest written about the AIDS epidemic and it's impact on the gay community. Shilts' new book is about gay life in the military, called "Conduct Unbecoming." He started the it in 1988, before the current debate about gays in the military.

Interview
Queue
18:37

A Reporter on the AIDS Beat

Journalist Randy Shilts just returned from the latest International AIDS Conference in San Francisco. He says there is a revitalized push for the development of new drug treatments and a vaccine. Yet there have been protests against the volunteer-based model of AIDS outreach and treatment. After eight years, Shilts plans to stop reporting on the disease.

Interview
Queue
27:40

Investigating the AIDS Crisis.

Randy Shilts, author of And the Band Played On - Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic, a controversial book that reveals the identity of the first person to the bring AIDS to the United States. The book also raises questions about the government's response to the crisis.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

52:30

Daughter of Warhol star looks back on a bohemian childhood in the Chelsea Hotel

Alexandra Auder's mother, Viva, was one of Andy Warhol's muses. Growing up in Warhol's orbit meant Auder's childhood was an unusual one. For several years, Viva, Auder and Auder's younger half-sister, Gaby Hoffmann, lived in the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan. It was was famous for having been home to Leonard Cohen, Dylan Thomas, Virgil Thomson, and Bob Dylan, among others.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

43:04

This fake 'Jury Duty' really put James Marsden's improv chops on trial

In the series Jury Duty, a solar contractor named Ronald Gladden has agreed to participate in what he believes is a documentary about the experience of being a juror--but what Ronald doesn't know is that the whole thing is fake.

Queue

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue