Closets, Combat and Coming Out:
Coming of Age as a Gay Man
in the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Army
by Rob Smith
January 14, 2014
Digital + Softcover
Publisher: Blue Beacon Books
ISBN: 978-1-61929-132-4
Available via
Amazon Kindle | Amazon (paperback)
Barnes & Noble Nook
In select progressive bookstores and
LGBT booksellers (wholesale via Bella, Ingram)
COVER 72DPI | 300DPI ON REQUEST
PHOTOS 72DPI | 300DPI ON REQUEST
PRESS RELEASES/NEWS
05.20.14 ROB SMITH Named 2014 KEY WEST PRIDE GRAND MARSHAL
03.19.14 Book Signing: BGSQD bookstore, NYC + SiriusXM appearance.
02.13.14 Rob Smith on the cover of San Diego's LGBT Weekly
01.30.14 Rob Smith on HuffPost Live (1/30/14)
01.28.24 The ADVOCATE's Michelle Garcia on author Rob Smith
01.14.14 Gay Vet Publishes First African-American Iraq War Memoir
CONTACT
Andy Reynolds, Popular Publicity: andy@popularpublicity.com | 347-500-6827
CLOSETS, COMBAT + COMING OUT
The 1st Iraq War memoir written by an African-American veteran
The 1st gay veteran memoir to be published post-DADT repeal
"Bold, provocative, and positively fearless." – Lt. Dan Choi, DADT repeal champion
"...an intelligent voice on being LGBT in the military." – Michelle Garcia, Advocate.com
“…a riveting first-hand account of a shameful time in our recent history when courageous men like Smith were forced to serve their country in silence." – Keith Boykin, New York Times bestselling author
"Smith does not hold back and his story could be anyone’s, but fortunately with his sharing this piece of his history, he has made it possible to look at one person’s moment in time, that is now forever changed. Here is a lesson learned, where you can truly choose to become all that you can be, and especially be true to yourself." – EdgeontheNet.com
"…an honest, engaging retelling of what it means to navigate being Black, gay and becoming a man in one of the most traditionally macho landscapes on Earth: The U.S. Army." – MUSED Magazine Online
"Cinematic in its voice, poignant, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, Closets is an inspirational, groundbreaking portrait." – James Earl Hardy, author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series
"…a powerful treatise on the unique trials and challenges he [author, Rob Smith], and countless others, faced in their quest to proudly wear our country's uniform. – GBM News
Scroll to PRAISE to read the full quotes.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Gay Vet Publishes First African-American Iraq War Memoir
"Closets, Combat and Coming Out
Coming of Age as a Gay Man in the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Army"
Author one of 12 Arrested at White House DADT Protests (November 2010)
“…a riveting first-hand account of a shameful time in our recent history when courageous men like Smith were forced to serve their country in silence." – Keith Boykin, New York Times bestselling author
Download PDF version of this press release here.
January 14, 2014 – New York, NY – In "Closets, Combat and Coming Out," the first gay Iraq war memoir published post-DADT repeal – and the first Iraq war memoir written by an African-American, period – author and activist* Rob Smith comes to terms with his sexuality against the backdrop of the hyper-masculine and hyper-homophobic U.S. Army. continue reading
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rob Smith is an openly gay Iraq war veteran, journalist, author, lecturer, and LGBT activist. He served for 5 years in the United States Army as an infantryman, earning the Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. After graduating with honors from Syracuse University, he became a noted journalist, with work published by outlets such as Salon.com, USA Today, CNN.com, and The Huffington Post.
In November 2010, he was arrested with 12 other LGBT military veterans and civilian activists at the front gates of the White House while protesting the U.S. Military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) law, which barred open military service by gays and lesbians. In December of that same year, he was an invited guest of President Barack Obama at the ceremony which saw the repeal of the discriminatory law be signed and put into effect.
Rob travels around the country speaking at different college campuses about his experiences with growing up, coming out, serving as a gay soldier, and participating in the ongoing fight for equal rights for the LGBT community. He has lectured at dozens of colleges and universities, including Virginia Tech, Hofstra University, and Vanderbilt University among many, many others. Rob recently spoke on the LGBTs In The News Panel at the National Press Club in Washington DC.
In August of 2012, Rob made his literary debut in the short story anthology "For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Was Still Not Enough: Coming of Age, Coming Out, and Coming Home" (Magnus Books), which just won the 2012 American Library Association Stonewall Book Award for Nonfiction.
His first book "Closets, Combat, and Coming Out: Coming of Age as a Gay Man in the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Army" (Blue Beacon Books), was released on January 14th, 2014.
Photo: Omar Columbus
PRAISE
"Rob Smith is a natural born storyteller who writes with the gifted pace of a seasoned novelist. His page-turning memoir opens the military's closet door to reveal a young black man coming to terms with his sexuality in the U.S. Army and exposes both homophobia and homoeroticism in the armed forces while tackling issues of race, class and privilege. "Closets, Combat and Coming Out" is a riveting first-hand account of a shameful time in our recent history when courageous men like Smith were forced to serve their country in silence." – Keith Boykin, New York Times bestselling author
"Smith offers an amazing window into his life and a reality that has yet to be so frankly discussed in public. His journalistic roots create an honest, engaging retelling of what it means to navigate being Black, gay and becoming a man in one of the most traditionally macho landscapes on Earth: The U.S. Army." – MUSED Magazine Online
"Rob Smith's timely memoir could easily be tagged a queer Private Benjamin: A pudgy, directionless, closeted teen from Akron, Ohio, joins the Army to be all he can be and, in the process, grows to understand and embrace himself as a gay man. But, unlike that Goldie Hawn film, this narrative doesn't lampoon the military's regressive sexual/gender norms but explores them through the unique experience of a same gender loving soldier with care and candor. Cinematic in its voice, poignant, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, Closets is an inspirational, groundbreaking portrait." – James Earl Hardy, author of the bestselling B-Boy Blues series
"Navigating life in our armed forces in the days before President Obama repealed the 'Don't Ask/Don't Tell' policy on gay and lesbian servicepeople, was a psychological minefield, in which the enemy marched alongside thousands of closeted veterans. Rob Smith's engrossing story of his life in the Army of that era, is a powerful treatise on the unique trials and challenges he, and countless others, faced in their quest to proudly wear our country's uniform. At times poignant, at times irreverent, Smith's tale of personal growth is a humble, self-deprecating portrait of a gay American soldier in combat, both overseas, with his Army, and with himself. From basic training to the battlefield, Smith shows us a little-known side of the military experience, with unvarnished honesty and gritty realism." – GBM News
PRESS
ADVOCATE.com | 1/28/14 | Editorial by Rob Smith 3/19/14
Bay Area Reporter | 4/20/14 | print version
Bleu Magazine | 1/28/14
Bilerico.com | 2/4/14
Edge | 4/2/14 (22 city portals)
Gay City News (NYC) | 4/2/14 | print version | COVER STORY
Gay South Florida blog (Miami Herald) | 1/14/14
GBM News | 1/17/14
Huffington Post | 1/17/14
HuffPost Live | 1/30/14
KCUR (NPR Kansas City) | 2/4/14
Kenneth in the (212) | 2/10/14 | also 3/19/14
LGBT Weekly (San Diego) | 2/13/14 | print version | COVER STORY
Marine Corps Times + Army Times | 4/7/14 | print version
MUSED | 1/20/14
MySoCalledGayLife | 1/14/14
Next Magazine | 2/5/14 | print version
Outlook Ohio | 5/30/14 | print version
OutSmart Magazine (Houston) | 2/24/14 | print blurb March 2014
Outword Magazine | 1/31/14
PRIDE 2014 Magazine | excerpt | Summer 2014 (free at Pride events nationwide)
Queer Me Up | 1/17/14
Queerty | 1/14/14
SiriusXM (The Morning Jolt w/Larry Flick) | 3/19/14
Time Out New York | 3/13/14
The Pride Network
The Fight | February 2014 | print version
WindyCityTimes.com - 3/25/14 Print teaser
Umiius | 1/17/14
