When people think of the history of the Gay Rights Movement, they often think of Stonewall as the maiden voyage from oppression to liberation. In his first book, “The Deviant’s War: the Homosexual vs. The United States of America,” Eric Cervini details the life of American astronomer Frank Kameny, whose livelihood was dedicated to improving the experiences of queer Americans in the years prior to the Stonewall riots. Cervini, a Harvard educated historian of LGBTQ+ culture and politics, presents a stunningly researched exploration of Kameny’s activism, thereby using the life of one individual to provide insight into the experiences of many.
“The Deviant’s War” moves through Kameny’s life at a fast, but incredibly detailed pace. Kameny was born in New York City in 1925, and was clearly gifted from an early age. Before age 10, Kameny had his sights set on a career in science. He fought in World War II before attending graduate school at Harvard, where he earned a Ph.D. in astronomy in 1956. Kameny then taught for a year at Georgetown University before being hired by the United States Army Map Service.
Shortly after being hired, Kameny received a letter from his superiors while supervising a team of AMS scientists in the Hawaiian Islands. The letter directed him to return to Washington, D.C. “at once” due to “certain administrative requirements.” Once back in the nation’s capital, Kameny was interviewed by two Civil Service Commission agents. The agents informed the astronomer that his responses were being recorded, then explained that “Information has come to the attention of the U.S. Civil Service Commission that you are a homosexual.” They followed their statement with a question: “What comment, if any, do you care to make?”
The rest of Kameny’s life was predicated on how he answered this question. He was cut off by the two government agents while explaining that, “one’s private life is his own,” and that the government had no right to interrogate citizens on their private behaviors. In January of 1958, Kameny was barred from ever working for the federal government again. He would not hold a paying job for the rest of his life. Instead, he took up the cause of “the homosexual minority.” Cervini details Kameny’s legal battles, his involvement in founding and running various societies and his internal conflict regarding his allegedly “deviant” sexuality.
One of the most interesting throughlines in “The Deviant’s War” is the history of how “the Homophile Movement” – as it was called back in the day – ebbed and flowed with the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout Kameny’s activism, he drew inspiration from and also directly borrowed tactics from the Civil Rights movements, which were happening at the same time. However, Cervini does not appropriately address the intersections of these two movements. The book always addresses racism and homophobia as two wholly sovereign issues, never accounting for those citizens to whom both applied – queer people of color.
Cervini’s framing of LGBTQ+ history is at times incomplete, but the telling of Kameny’s life is superb. “The Deviant’s War” provides not only an informative read, but also an inspiring one, which rings relevant to our nation’s contemporary moment. Frank Kameny dedicated his life to aiding in the plight of gay Americans, knowing full well that he would be ostracized and targeted – by everyone from his neighbors to the FBI – until he died. Kameny often struggled to pay for food, let alone make rent. But this Harvard-educated man knew where his energy was best used. As Cervini eloquently puts it, “How could he distract himself with a real job when he still saw injustice everywhere?”
