User:Emily Pistorova/sandbox

Sea queens

- Very little information provided on the topic. The article is mainly the definition of what a sea queen was and what the term is referring to.

- Examples of sea queens or stories of those who identified themselves as sea queens of the time could be very helpful to the article.

- The article mentions two writings that reference sea queens. Pulling examples from either of these works could help aid in the explanation of sea queens.

- More in depth information about what sea queens did would make the article a little more clear.

- Possible sources:

- Baker, Paul, and Jo Stanley. ''Hello Sailor! The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea''. Pearson Educated Limited, 2003.

Addition to Lead- (remove last sentence) The nonfiction historical monograph ''Hello Sailor! The Hidden History of Gay Life at Sea'' describes the stories of Sea Queens and their experiences. The use of the Polari language can be drawn back to Sea Queens along with the attempted expulsion of gay men in Newport, Rhode Island after WWI.

During the 1950s and 60s a large percentage of gay men began joining the Navy. In the Navy, gay men were able to be truthful about their sexuality. They used it as an outlet of freedom where they could express themselves possibly through different clothing without the fear of being discriminated against. Joining the Navy was an escape for individuals who identified as gay and didn't want to hide their sexuality. They could go and express themselves how they truly wanted and be surrounded by others who felt the same as them. This contradicted the life that gay men would have back on land. Back on the physical grounds of Britain, gay men were forced to be closeted and keep their sexuality to themselves. Gay men that didn't want to hide joined the navy to be open about themselves. As the numbers rose, it created a community of gay men. Since gay men on land were forced to stay in hiding, many wouldn't know about other men who were gay meaning they wouldn't have a community like those in the navy.

Gay men may have used Polari to communicate during these times. Polari was a coded language used by gay men that used metaphors and coded or made up words to to talk about the topic of homosexuality without anyone knowing. The secret language could be used to talk about their sexuality without others around them picking up on their conversation and outing them for being gay. It was even used by certain radio shows to tell gay jokes without anyone realizing what they were airing. Gay men that used Polari often called themselves "queen" which can be drawn in relevance to the use of sea queens. Either term may have been a variation from the other.

The use of sea queens and the flourishing amount of gays in the Navy wasn't the only event that was happening during this time. Many other events can be linked to a surge of gay population, not always ending with a positive outlook. One important event can be recalled from an instance in Newport, Rhode Island where gay men sailors were being targeted my the military, discriminated against, and were even being arrested if they were found gay. The government began attacking gay men and were purposely searching for them. In many cases there was very little evidence against these men creating a higher chance of them being found gay even for the smallest inclination that they could be gay. This meant that many were also falsely accused of being gay.