What I Learn in School

1919 - 1920 investigation of same-sex sexuality at the Newport Rhode Island Naval Training Station. Concerned about "immorality" within the ranks, the Navy employed decoys to seek out, have sex with, and testify against men who self-identified as "queers." The following is from the official trial transcripts, an examination of a decoy by the defense:

Q. You volunteered for this work?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You knew what kind of work it was before you volunteered, didn't you?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You knew it involved sucking and that sort of thing, didn't you?
A. I knew that we had to deal with that, yes, sir.
Q. You knew it included sodomy and that sort of thing, didn't you?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And you were quite willing to get into that sort of work?
A. I was willing to do it, yes, sir.
Q. And so willing that you volunteered for it, is that right?
A. Yes, sir, I volunteered for it, yes, sir.

from Rupp, Leslie. A Desired Past. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago Press, 1999.