Profiled through thoughtful research, insight, and humor in Levi Hastings and Josh Trujillo’s fascinating graphic biography Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben, the titular general easily proves to be one the most intriguing leaders of the American Revolution. Although often omitted from accounts of U.S. history, von Steuben and his story illustrate the need to unearth the suppressed stories of queer historical figures. Born in Prussia in 1738, von Steuben is described as being “flamboyantly gay” and “one of the greatest military leaders in the history of the U.S,” despite living at a time when men who had sex with men could be put to death. He was a brilliant and ambitious military strategist who cultivated power through strategic and romantic liaisons with a succession of queer royal figures, and was recruited by Benjamin Franklin to train the Continental Army. In this 12-page excerpt, the coauthors provide an introduction to von Steuben’s life and accomplishments, often in thoughtful comparison to their own lives as gay men today. Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben by Levi Hastings and Josh Trujillo is out now from Surely/Abrams ComicArts.
