PBS doc puts DADT in context

Tonight's episode of PBS's "Independent Lens" (10 p.m., WQED) chips away at the excuses for banning gays in the military and shows just how damaging and pointless the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy truly is.

"Ask Not," a one-hour doc by filmmaker Johnny Symons, offers ample evidence that remaining support for the policy is based solely on bigotry and ignorant, knee-jerk emotional responses unchecked by logic.

Symons presuasively makes his case by clearly and coherently presenting the facts and coupling that with examples, including an anonymous, closeted U.S. Army soldier called Perry, who's preparing to ship out for his first tour of duty in Iraq. Not for the first time in recent years, American hate-mongers get compared to Iraqi extremists.

"It doesn't scare me that I'm hated," Perry says. "I'm going to Iraq so people are going to dislike me from the moment I get off the plane for no apparent reason other than I'm American, so that's not that different from being hated because you're gay."

"Don't Ask" follows two groups of DADT protestors, one made up of former military men, the other members of a group called Right to Serve. The military guys lecture and engage audiences on DADT, the Right to Serve folks stage sit-ins at recruitment centers. Both are probably necessary but hearing about the policy from soldiers is far more persuasive.

As Army veteran Alex Nicholson, discharged by DADT, notes:

Normal 0 "One of the primary reasons behind the intelligence failures leading to 9/11 was that the Department of Defense's National Security Agency did not have enough Arabic linguists to translate the backlog of intelligence from Arabic into English before 9/11. And one of the ones that really struck me was a small phrase in Arabic which means, ‘Tomorrow is Zero Hour.' Any one of the 54 Arabic linguists discharged under Don't Ask, Don't Tell could have easily translated that phrase. So the question we need to ask ourselves is: Do we really care anymore if the person who translates the next piece of crucial intelligence is gay or straight as long as he or she gets the job done quickly and accurately and helps save American lives in the process?"

It's tough to argue with that and even recent surveys show rising support for scrapping the failed policy (including among conservatives), especially since no one can legitimately argue it will irreperably harm the military since it hasn't had that effect in more than a dozen other countries, including the United Kingdom, where a ban on gays was lifted in 2000.

Symons chronicles the history of DADT stemming from implementation of the policy under President Clinton, voted into law by Congress, and puts it in historical context alongside President Truman's executive order to end racial segregation in the military in 1947.

If Truman could end one form of discrimination, it's got to make you wonder, what are congressional leaders and President Obama waiting for?

***

Additional Gay Pride Month programming on WQED (from a station release):

Normal 0 Only in the Castro with Trevor Hailey - Wednesday, June 17 at 10:30pm

A light-hearted film that follows renown walking tour guide and San Francisco legend Trevor Hailey as she takes visitors on a hilarious half hour romp through the backstreets and back stories of the world's most celebrated gay neighborhood, including a stop at Harvey Milk's real-life camera store location.

In the Life - extended one-hour edition - Friday, June 19 at 10pm

In the Life is the country's premiere GLBT news program and an essential tool for informing GLBT citizens, educating the broader public, and a vital contributor to the national dialogue on GLBT issues. 

This summer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, In the

Life presents Summer of Stonewall - a three-episode mini-series commemorating the 1969 seminal event marking the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.  Kicking off in June with a special hour-long show, the mini-series will feature stories and firsthand accounts from the activists who have worked in the movement over the last forty years and with the young people inspired by the current political climate. 

POV: Beyond Hatred - Tuesday, June 30 at 10pm

In September 2002, three skinheads were roaming a park in Rheims, France, looking to "do an Arab," when they settled for a gay man instead. Twenty-nine-year-old François Chenu fought back fiercely, but he was beaten unconscious and thrown into a river, where he drowned. The acclaimed French verité film Beyond Hatred is the story of the crime's aftermath; above all, of the Chenu family's brave and heartrending struggle to seek justice while trying to make sense of such pointless violence and unbearable loss. With remarkable dignity, they fight to transcend hatred and the inevitable desire for revenge.

GLBT episodes on WQED On Demand

Additionally, WQED has produced several GLBT-themed segments for OnQ, its nightly local newsmagazine that are available on WQED on Demand.  These segments and more than 1,500 hours of programming can be accessed by clicking on http://www.wqed.org/ondemand/onq.php.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community in Pittsburgh - This special OnQ episode addresses challenges, advances and setbacks faced by the GLBT community in Pittsburgh. It includes a feature report on Persad's Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art annual auction, and a frank, informative panel discussion on gay life in the region.

GLBT Discussion - OnQ host Chris Moore and guests Joy Royes, Gary Van Horn, Betty Hill, and Darrell Philips discuss the current state of life in the Pittsburgh region for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) community, as well as, the challenges, advances, setbacks they may face.

Celebrate Life, Celebrate Art - A photographer from the North Side who's lived with HIV for 23 years, and a painter from North Oakland who has tested negative - also for 23 years. They are just two of many artists donating work to a cause that helps countless people. OnQ contributor Dave Crawley tells the story of a group called Persad and its art auction that takes place at the Carnegie Museum of Art.

Renaissance City Choirs - Renaissance City Choirs is Pittsburgh's only gay and lesbian choral group with men's and women's choirs.  Through their love of music, Renaissance City Choirs, strive to enrich the cultural community and provide a positive image of gays and lesbians.

Renaissance City Choirs- 20th Anniversary - With the men's choir founded in 1985 and the women's founded in 1995, Renaissance City Choirs are celebrating their 20th anniversary. As Pittsburgh's only gay and lesbian choral group, members seek to empower the GLBT community, add to the cultural community at large, and share their voices.

Church Controversy - The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh is threatening to separate from the National Episcopal Church over the consecration of openly gay Bishop, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire. The controversy has gripped local episcopalians who've staked their positions, and OnQ's Michael Bartley talks with a local man who's caught in the middle.

HIV/Aids Research: 25 years later - Twenty-five years after the discovery of the HIV virus, progress has been made in basic research, clinical treatment, and public health prevention.  OnQ's Michael Bartley takes a look into the early days of this worldwide epidemic, and at a new therapeutic vaccine that is showing signs as being a potential cure.

National Coming Out Day - Every year on October 11th, it is "National Coming Out Day".  National Coming out Day is a day where gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual people, can "come out" to others about their sexuality.  October 11th was picked as National Coming Out Day to commemorate the march on Washington for gay and lesbian rights.

The Shepherd Wellness Story -Often those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS lose their jobs, slip into depression, and experience overwhelming life challenges. OnQ's Michael Bartley takes you to a unique Pittsburgh volunteer agency bringing hope and confidence to those affected.

Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals - "Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals 1933-1945" is an exhibit currently at the American-Jewish Museum in Squirrel Hill that traces the persecution of gay men during World War II. OnQ previews this important traveling project of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.