Steel and Velvet is the true story of a gay man in the Colombian army. The author, Juan Cordoba (a pseudonym), has been granted U.S. asylum and is now living in Chicago. The book, subtitled A Soldier’s Story, has been released in English.
Stationed on the border of Egypt and Israel, part of an international peace-keeping mission, Cordoba describes the challenges of being true to himself and coming to terms with his own sexuality—within the confines of an all-male military environment.
The hatred and persecution that followed the publication of this book, when first published in Spanish, led the author to flee his country and seek political asylum in the United States.
See www.amazon.com/ Steel-Velvet-Soldiers