15/02/2025
Gay arts blog Queerguru reports on a piece of naval history being turned into a celebratory work of musical theatre. Most gay men in the Western Hemisphere under the age of 50 have never had to experience life when it was still illegal to be gay. Queer Guru notes that " those of us who may pre-date all this (!) will remember how low Authorities would sink to actually entrap any one they suspected of being gay and throwing the full force of the law. The scary part is that the harassment of gay mem literally goes back hundreds of years ... There was a major incident in the US known as the Newport Navy Sex Scandal of 1919. A mid-level Navy official in Newport named Ervin Arnold learned that some sailors stationed there were meeting up to have sex with other sailors and civilian men. Arnold made it his personal mission to root out homosexuality in the Navy. It culminated in three weeks of military trials, with some of the sailors sent to prison on charges of sodomy and “scandalous conduct.” The incidents became nationally infamous – not just because there were sailors having sex with each other, but for the investigation methods which involved sending sailors out to seduce other sailors and entrap them." The new musical brings a theatrical gay bbrush to the story as Matthew Lawrence and Jason Tranchida bring the show to the big stage. Matthew Lawrence told QUEERGURU “This project is very special to us and we hope that this piece of queer-US history will allow attendees to consider some weighty topics that are as relevant today as they were in 1919.” His co-creator Jason Tranchida added “We began researching the scandal in 2019 and have spent several years developing this material through workshops, lectures, and performances. Much of Scandalous Conduct was filmed inside the Meeting House itself, to draw parallels between these events and where viewers stand today". Scandalous Conduct is showing at the Friends Meeting House, Newport, Rhode Island, until October 6th.
