Marilyn Monroe smiles. Semi-naked, pinned to a metal locker somewhere in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq. That was allowed. That was tradition. That was – let's call it what it is – heterosexual eroticism in the service of combat morale.
The US Army, after all, is a preserver of traditional values, and that simply means: when in doubt, go for the ample bosom. Tits good, all good.
Gay soldiers, on the other hand? Forbidden. Officially, by law, until 2011.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was the policy Bill Clinton introduced in 1993 – of all people, a president from Arkansas, a state that to this day plays an ignominious role in restricting gay rights and is one of those we have blocked for our shop. The Clinton rule was a compromise: gay people could serve as long as they remained silent. Those who spoke were out. Those who were discovered were out. Those who loved and showed it were out.
For 18 years.
Marilyn stayed in the locker. The gay soldiers who slept, fought, and died beside her had to remain invisible.
2011: Obama repeals "Don't Ask, Don't Tell".
For the first time in US Army history, gay soldiers were allowed to serve openly. No more hiding. No more silence as the price for "service to the homeland" – whatever that was supposed to mean.
It didn't take 10 years until Trump banned transgender soldiers from the army via tweet in 2017. Biden reversed it. Trump reversed Biden, again in 2025.
The pinups remained untouched.
What does this tell us?
The US Army has never had a problem with eroticism. It had a problem with whose eroticism was allowed to be visible. Busty women on metal lockers – traditional values. Two men who love each other – a threat to combat morale.
Gay Art has existed for millennia – from the Greeks through the Renaissance to today. And with the Greeks, by the way, gay soldiers were among the best.
See our blog post on the truth about "Platonic Love" here
We are not really concerned about which pin-ups hang in the lockers of the US Army; the armies around the world are too little close to our hearts for that. In this respect, this contribution is more of a interjection on the topic of discrimination against gay and queer people. A picture of us in a locker would at least be perceived by the Army as "subversive," and that would already be something that would do today's USA good.
At KUNSTWERK BILDER, we show what art history has omitted – and what some US states would still prefer not to see today. That's why some of them are not welcome in our shop. The list of shame? See below.
Gay Art. Gay art for your home. KUNSTWERK BILDER.
See our anti-picture in the shop
Where KUNSTWERK BILDER is not available in the USA – and why
Gay art is an expression of freedom, identity, and dignity. In some US states, these values are threatened by laws that actively restrict or criminalize gay art, gay visibility, and sexual self-determination. For human rights reasons and to protect our customers, we have deliberately blocked the shop in the following states:
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas.
This is not a technical restriction. It is a decision.
For those living in these states who still love our art – we understand. But we stand for a world where gay art does not have to be hidden. As long as these states see things differently, we do not see them as our market.
