Washington and American military law was always dealing with homosexuality, not only rape, that is another bizarre misdirection claiming that it was legal to be homosexual, you just could’t rape your fellow soldiers.
That is a lie, just as donmeaker lied when he claimed that the military during the 1960s and 1970s that homosexuals were “”recruited and admired for their excellent performance.””.
As far as defining a homosexual in the military, I never realized that you were asking that and I don’t know the relevance, it means anyone who is an active homosexual or is learned to identify as a homosexual, I thought that was obvious, surely you know that there must be a few pedophiles in the military but no one can mind read, if they are discovered to be so, then they are kicked out.
None of this changes the reality that law has to determine the status of homosexuals in the military, either they are discriminated against by law, or equal in the law, equal means that their legal gay marriages would be recognized as well.
Below is one of the punishments at Valley Forge:
What is most interesting is how these charges took place at Valley Forge, where the man responsible for the training of the Continental troops (Von Steuben) was most likely homosexual himself. Von Steuben, who was accompanied to Valley Forge by his “handsome” 17-year-old secretary (which added fuel to the speculation that he was indeed a homosexual and possibly a boy lover), had been forced out of the Prussian Army under suspicion of homosexual activities, which was seen as a detriment to the army. At Valley Forge, however, Von Steuben proved his worth by instilling a measure of discipline that had been lacking in the Continental Army.
Head Quarters, V. Forge, Saturday, March 14, 1778.
At a General Court Martial whereof Colo. Tupper was President (10th March 1778) Lieutt. Enslin of Colo. Malcom’s Regiment tried for attempting to commit sodomy, with John Monhort a soldier; Secondly, For Perjury in swearing to false Accounts, found guilty of the charges exhibited against him, being breaches of 5th. Article 18th. Section of the Articles of War and do sentence him to be dismiss’d the service with Infamy. His Excellency the Commander in Chief approves the sentence and with Abhorrence and Detestation of such Infamous Crimes orders Lieutt. Enslin to be drummed out of Camp tomorrow morning by all the Drummers and Fifers in the Army never to return; The Drummers and Fifers to attend on the Grand Parade at Guard mounting for that Purpose.
Note that Monfort was not punished.
So, you're saying exactly what I've been saying a dozen times upthread: that, if a homosexual never acts on his urges then there is no legal or regulatory basis for kicking him out?
The fact that von Steuben could not get into three different militaries in Europe, that Benjamin Franklin lied about him when presenting him as a “Prussian General” should give one pause. He was actually a captain.
Von Steuben himself wrote about the charges of sexual misconduct with young boys. He wrote “I have nothing to be ashamed of for my part in the war, though it may be that an inconsiderate step and perhaps an irreconcilable enemy destroyed the expectation of a better reward.”
He came to America with Peter Du Ponceau, a seventeen year old boy, who acted as his interpreter. His servant was Carl Vogel, another 17 year old boy, who was described as handsome.
Du Ponceau once wrote about Von Steuben “Once, with the baron’s permission, his aides invited a number of the young officers to dine at our quarters, on condition that none should be admitted that had on a whole pair of breeches...”
President John Adams disowned his son Charles when he moved in with von Steuben in his late teens. The President tore up every letter that his son had written him.
He was given 16.000 acres for his service and a yearly pension. He bequeathed the land to the two young aides-de-camp who he had met under Washington’s command and had live with him after the war until his death.
This is just some of the evidence that shows von Steuben being a homosexual. He was also the “Father of the American Military”.