“Out of Annapolis” is a timely documentary, especially with the ongoing dilemma that surrounds the proposal to repeal the policy that has become known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” which prohibits openly gay service members to serve in the military.
The film is produced by retired Cmdr. Steve Clark Hall. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1975, and served in the Navy for 20 years. The attack submarines Greenling and Drum were under his command at some point during his career.
“Out of Annapolis” is about the lives of several gay alumni of the Naval Academy, and was produced by a group that represents 190 gay, bisexual, lesbian or transgender alumni. Eleven gay alumni shared their experiences in the film, through interviews.
A feature on the Navy Times shared an interview with producer Steve Clark Hall. When asked about his target audience for the film, Hall shared that “Out of Annapolis” was mainly for the midshipman who is unsure about their sexuality. The goal is to let them know that “it’s OK to be gay because, look, these other people had an OK time, they made it.” Hall would also like to send a message to parents, telling them that their child is “going to be OK.”
When asked about the attitudes towards gays in the academy, Hall shared an instance involving an Academy professor that was shared with him. The professor reportedly posed the following question in class: “How many of you have a friend here at the academy who has told you that they’re gay?” All of the students in the class reportedly raised their hands.
November 22nd, 2010 - 4:41 am
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November 22nd, 2010 - 7:25 am
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November 22nd, 2010 - 9:25 am
Oosp, sorry for the typo. I meant Vietnam.
Oh this is getting so tedious. I was a Naval Officer for six years including River Patrol in Vietnam. While I didn’t know everyone who was gay, the gay officers and men I knew were among the best-performing. What is being overlooked in this debate, is that, like all Americans, almsot all who volunteer for military service are highly motivated and very patriotic. There is some weird idea that homosexuals would join for other reasons. Frankly, most don’t wish to be in the military.
I knew two gay man who were wounded and nearly died for their country. Their sexual orientation was just never an issue. Many American lives have been saved by truly courageous gay medical personnel, I don’t think wounded people care whether the person saving their life is gay or not. The Canadians, Brits, Israelis and others have gotten past this quite well, we should be a leader, not a straggler among modern military forces.