The Veterans Benevolent Association (VBA) was an organization for LGBT veterans of the United States armed forces. The VBA was founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

in 1945 by four

honorably discharged A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve. Each country's military has different types of discharge. They are generally based on whether the persons completed their training and th ...

gay veterans.

History

Although serving primarily as a social outlet, the VBA formed in part in response to the sense of injustice that many gay veterans felt about being given blue discharges. These discharges, so-called because they were printed on blue paper, were issued to those whose military service ended under less-than-honorable, although not dishonorable, conditions. Under a

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers a ...

directive, blue discharge holders were denied the benefits of the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

(despite explicit language in the bill forbidding such denials) and the policy of excluding LGBT former service personnel from the Bill persisted for years after the discontinuation of the discharge itself. The VBA joined in coalition with the NAACP to campaign for an end to the arbitrary issuance of blue discharges both to homosexuals and to African Americans, who also received blue discharges in disproportionate numbers. The association incorporated in New York state in 1947, making it one of the earliest incorporated LGBT groups in the country. The VBA held meetings – monthly at first, then bi-weekly – and discussion groups. The VBA had a legal advisory panel that focused on helping members who faced discrimination in employment or housing based on their sexual orientation. Membership never exceeded 100 people, although the group's dances frequently attracted several hundred, including married members and their wives. Despite its early success as a social organization, VBA members began to disagree over the purpose of the group, leading to the rise of factionalism. The VBA disbanded in 1954. Several VBA members went on to found the New York chapter of

ONE, Inc. One, Inc., or One Incorporated, was one of the first gay rights organizations in the United States, founded in 1952. Organization The idea for an organization dedicated to homosexuals emerged from a Mattachine Society discussion meeting held on O ...

Humphreys, p. 51

Notes

References

* Archer, Bert (2004). ''The End of Gay: And the Death of Heterosexuality''. Thunder's Mouth Press. . * Bérubé, Allan (1990). ''Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two''. New York, The Penguin Group. * Humphreys, Laud (1972). ''Out of the Closets: The Sociology of Homosexual Liberation''. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall. . * Kaiser, Charles (1997). ''The Gay Metropolis 1940–1996''. New York, Houghton Mifflin. . * Katz, Jonathan (1976). ''Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A.: a Documentary''. Crowell. . * Licata, Salvatore L. and Robert P. Petersen (1982). ''Historical Perspectives on Homosexuality''. Haworth Press. . * Meem, Deborah T., Jonathan F. Alexander and Michelle Gibson (2009). ''Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies''. SAGE. . * Smith, Raymond A. and Donald P. Haider-Markel (2002). ''Gay and Lesbian Americans and Political Participation: a Reference Handbook''. ABC-CLIO. . {{Authority control Defunct LGBT organizations based in New York City 1940s in LGBT history 1950s in LGBT history American veterans' organizations Sexual orientation and the United States military Organizations established in 1945 Organizations disestablished in 1954 LGBT military-related organizations LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States 1945 establishments in New York City 1954 disestablishments in the United States

History

See also

Notes

References