The article explores the discovery of Leon's marriage to Warren through genealogy research conducted by Andy Ingall. It highlights their remarkable lives, the hardships faced due to Leon's dishonorable discharge from military service because of his homosexuality, and their enduring partnership that led to the establishment of Warlé, a boutique they ran together. The narrative illuminates the profound grief shared in their later years, demonstrating the intricacies and emotional depth of LGBTQ+ history often overlooked in traditional narratives.
Andy Ingall dove in and quickly discovered an unfamiliar branch on his otherwise unremarkable family tree: his father's cousin, Leon.
Leon was a Jew who fled Russian and German persecution, emigrating to the United States in 1940.
According to a surviving friend, Warren's service included a period in which he was an operative for the O.S.S., the precursor to the C.I.A.
Despite gaps in Ingall's research, several key moments helped synthesize the couple's story.
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