Year

2001

Show#

18

Description

-"Don't Ask - Don't Tell" has the Pentagon firing an average of three people each day!  GNN'S Gay Agenda asks an ex-navy Petty Officer, SLDN attorney and HRC's Deputy Legislative Director why the policy doesn't work. 

Show Information

Two guest experts on the issue of gays in the military, the Human Rights Campaign's, Deputy Legislative Director, Nancy Buermeyer, and the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's, Jeff Cleghorn, a 12-year Army veteran, explain how their organizations help lesbian and gay service members and discuss the flaws in the arguments to keep the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy. Plus, ex-Navy Petty officer Brandon DuBroc, who graduated 1st out of his 600 member training class, tells of his daily ordeal facing slurs and death threats.

This special GNN show features lots of archival military photos and video clips. From the main stage at the 1993 March on Washington, Dorthy Hajdys, Allen Schindler's mother, speaks from the heart about the untimely death of her son plus Suzanne Westenhoffer, from Comedy Central's first "Out There" gay comedy special, who serves up her own thoughts on gay's in the military. Finally, several Washington, DC area gay and lesbian vetrans sound off on the policy and share first hand experiences. Then, pay close attention as the credits roll, you'll hear more from ex service personnel and see a clo se up of the Capitol Hill grave site of Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, the activist who first challenged the Military's gay ban in 1975 and became nationally recognized for doing so.

Matlovich, saw three tours of duty in Vietnam and was awarded the Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and two air force commendation medals for valor in combat, died of AIDS related complications in June of 1988. Matlovich's head stone reads "A Gay Vietnam Veteran: When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

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