Today in Gay History: Thank a gay man for your freedom!

[jmowreader]

Two hundred forty years ago today, the thirteen British colonies in what we now call the United States of America had gotten so fed up with the way the Crown was treating them, they wrote a nice little letter to the King telling him his presence here was no longer required.

The King was not amused.

In the war that shortly followed, the Colonists were getting their butts kicked not only by the well-trained British troops the King sent to bring us back in line but by themselves. They couldn't fight, and their camp sanitation was terrible. Dysentery killed nearly as many Colonial soldiers as the British did.

General Washington knew if he didn't do something the Colonies would remain at the end of the British supply lines and he'd find himself at the end of a rope. What to do? Yes, of course: find someone who actually knew how to fight and get him in here to straighten out this unruly mob.

Washington knew of a great general, the Baron von Steuben.

Europe knew about this guy too: he'd been run out of every decent country on the Continent for being very gay, and he was about to be executed for it. The colonists cut a deal with them: let him go, give him to us and you'll never see him again. They were okay with that.

Von Steuben came to the United States and freaked out about how bad Washington's army was. They were even doing stupid shit like putting latrines next to the mess hall. Von Steuben wrote "Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States," which became known as the Blue Book and was used until 1812. He organized a company of 100 men to serve as trainers for the rest of the Army. And he fixed the latrine situation right away. Under his guidance the Army turned itself around.

After the war, the new nation was so grateful they gave him an estate where he could farm and be as gay as he wanted.

So while you're celebrating your freedom today give a thought to the gay man who made it possible.