Haresfoot

Wisconsin Pride – Haresfoot

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Narrator: Lieutenant Kenneth Palmer from Edgerton, Wisconsin, was a decorated war hero, surviving over 50 dangerous missions, including a harrowing bombing run over Munich. As he navigated his B-24 bomber over his target, the plane took on heavy anti-aircraft fire. A piece of flak ripped through the nose of his plane, sending shrapnel flying toward Palmer. His jacket took the brunt, shredding into pieces. But the young navigator miraculously walked away with little more than a few bruises and a story for the ages. He quipped, “If they can come that close and not get me, I’m safe.”

[bell ringing]

After the war, Kenneth Palmer returned to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He and so many of his fellow veterans were looking to catch up on the years and opportunities lost to the war. Palmer studied commerce and served as secretary and also performer in the extracurricular theater troupe, the Haresfoot Club.

[applause]

[band plays rousing music]

Scott Seyforth: Haresfoot was a theatrical organization that formed on campus in the late 1890s.

Singers:  Have you ever been to a picture show? No! 

Scott Seyforth: And they were very popular at the time. They would perform six, seven, eight sold-out shows. And they would get on the train, and they would do a tour. They thought it was good publicity for the University, but they didn’t like the idea of sending men and women out together on the road. It turned into one of these all-male companies where men played the women’s roles.

Haresfoot Cast:  Follow the girls

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[inaudible]

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Follow the girls 

Narrator: The Haresfoot motto became “All our girls are men, yet everyone’s a lady.”

Scott Seyforth: They’d go to Eau Claire and La Crosse, sometimes to St. Paul, and do their shows.

[men singing]

It was the Wisconsin Idea in drag.

[applause]

Dick Wagner: Though the company was predominantly heterosexual, there were a lot of gay men who were attracted to Haresfoot.

Narrator: The theater was a sanctuary.

Dick Wagner: You have both sexuality and gender identity all mixed up together.

The element of drag allowed performers to experiment with gender roles publicly. To be expressive about sexuality under the protection of theatrical satire.

Dick Wagner: Haresfoot was willing to push those boundaries.

Narrator: In 1948, the Haresfoot Club was celebrating its 50th anniversary with an original show, Big as Life, a send-up of the legendary Paul Bunyan myth. The cast included senior Kenneth Palmer, donning a red wig to portray the female role of Mabel. The group’s 50th year would be a fateful one.

Scott Seyforth: A University police officer found two men making out in a car on campus, and he arrested them. In their car was an invitation to a party at a private home.

Narrator: Police raided the Adams Street house party and made arrests on morals and sodomy charges.

Scott Seyforth: Two of the men involved in that sting operation were members of Haresfoot.

Narrator: Kenneth Palmer was arrested, his name and address printed in the newspaper. The press called the home “a den for lewd activities.”

Dick Wagner: On campus, there was concern about this growing outbreak of homosexuality. And so, there was an investigation launched of the Haresfoot theater troupe.

Narrator: The investigative committee called upon psychiatrist Dr. Annette Washburne for guidance.

Scott Seyforth: Dr. Washburne had a classification of homosexuals. She believed that there were ‘pseudo homosexuals’ that could be treated. ‘True homosexuals’ were a danger on campus, and she really believed that the University needed to get rid of those people.

Narrator: Kenneth Palmer completed his requirements for graduation. But at the highest levels of the University, his degree was denied.

Scott Seyforth: There’s a belief that to graduate gay men into society is a stain on the University. It’s appalling. It’s regrettable. It’s unfathomable.

In 1950, Cold War tensions were brewing in Korea. War hero Kenneth Palmer anticipated a return to service. He pleaded with the University to have his degree granted, emphasizing that it would be unlikely for him to rise through the officer ranks without a diploma. Once again, he was denied.

Narrator: Fallout from the Haresfoot Scandal would not end with Palmer. A silent force would push the next generation of gay students deeper into hiding.