Mitchell's Fetish Art for July

An experienced, professional soldier (left) has been successfully training squaddies in specialist skills for many years. Then, one day a new group arrives and suddenly, out of the blue, he finds himself becoming obsessed with one of the men in the class. Unable to understand his feelings, he singles the man out for extra training and punishments. This only serves to bring them together all the more and strengthens his interest in him. He slowly realises he's fallen in love. 

He is torn between his feelings and his duty. It's improper to for an NCO to fraternise with his men and although this recruit is legally an adult, Army regulations outlaw any sort of romantic relationships between the men.

Inevitably the day comes when the two are alone together in his quarters and he discovers that his feelings are reciprocated. Years of suppressed passion are unleashed, but they are interrupted by the Sergeant Major who has been tipped off by another member of the squad. 

Facing disgrace and dismissal from the Service the two Soldiers defiantly declare their love.

This picture harks back to a time (not so very long ago) when gays were not allowed to be in the Armed Forces and being caught like this would result in a lengthy detention in the Guardhouse, followed by a discharge in disgrace. That meant you could say goodbye to any Service Pension you had earned. That very specific situation also graphically summed up the bleakness of the gay experience outside of the forces at that time.

It's a little different now, if you don't count Russia, Brunei, Uganda and a host of other countries.
If you don't count religions who are never content to keep their judgemental beliefs to themselves.
If you don't count all those social groups and individuals who still refuse to recognise the validity of gay love and use any opportunity that comes their way to say so.

 I rarely make posts here under the 'Pride' label but it is perhaps timely now.

I suspect Freedom is a fight that will never end for us.