War Memorial Auditorium

You are standing in War Memorial Plaza and before you is War Memorial Auditorium. Built in 1925, the auditorium served as home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1939 to 1943. War Memorial also has a surprising place in Nashville’s sexual history. In the fall of 1943, a rally at this location kicked off a week-long campaign across Middle Tennessee. A year earlier, the May Act was passed to combat the spread of sexually transmitted disease as a result of high rates of unprotected sex and prostitution. The campaign was called “V.D. Week” which aimed to decrease cases of venereal disease by increasing awareness and education. Speakers included the assistant surgeon general of the U.S. Public Health Service and representatives of the War Manpower Administration and Federal Security Agency. Thousands of pamphlets such as “V.D., It Does Happen Here,” and “The Facts About Syphilis” were distributed.

The May Act resulted in the arrests of hundreds of women in the greater Nashville area. A woman could be charged with prostitution for just walking down a notorious street or being in a car with a soldier. The language of the May Act made no distinction between sex acts involving the exchange of money and those having a consensual relationship without any transaction. “Amateur prostitutes” or “pickups” were also blamed. Be careful you are not “walking with a lascivious carriage” on your way to the next stop.

When you have finished exploring War Memorial Auditorium, make your way north through the War Memorial Plaza towards the state capitol. Cross Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and straight ahead is your next stop, the Edward W. Carmack statue.