So these past few days
our class has been watching a movie titled 'Serving in Silence'. A movie about
the brave Margaret Cammermeyer and her journey in coming out to her family,
friends, the military and the general public. We were asked to answer a series
of questions based on the movie, so without any further ado lets begin;
1.
Describe the reactions to
Margaret's sexual orientation:
A. MilitaryWhen Margarethe Cammermeyer told the military about her sexuality, their
reaction was to immediately discharge her, but as an “Honorable Discharge”.
B. Father
When she told
her father, he somehow understood, but feared for her position in the army.
Also, he believed that she should not tell everyone about it because it was an
inside-of-the-house matter.
C. Children (in order from oldest to youngest):
Matt:
He said he already knew and he understood completely.
David:
He was understanding and decided to go to live with his mom after he had
problems with his dad.
Andy:
He asked her if she decided to become a lesbian, but accepted her anyways.
Tom:
At first, he was avoiding her. But as the movie goes on we see that he accepts
her mom in the end.
2.
Margarethe's decision to
tell:
A. The military: Margarethe had never been
asked before whether she was a homosexual or not, so she was never put in that
position before. In the moment she was asked, she did not lie about her
feelings and told the truth even though she was sure that would affect her in a
bad way. The Army felt that it would have been better if she had kept that
information to herself.
B. Her children: As Margarethe told the military
and was facing the problem, she decided to fight back and sue the Army. Of
course, this will to fight would bring a lot of public attention to her and
that would affect, not only her, but also the members of her family, including
her children, and that was why she decided to tell them the truth.
C. Her father: Margarethe was particularly
afraid of telling her father, being the oldest and most conservative of her
immediate family. When her father told her that he was coming to live with her,
she decided to tell him before he found out by himself when he arrived.
3.
What is your reaction to
this true story? Do you believe that she should have kept her secret or told it
to everyone? Explain your response why.
a.
Angel Carrillo:
i.
"I am a little
indifferent about the story, still, I guess this was bound to happen anyway.
I know that she just said it because she was asked, but it all escalated
because she did not know about the new rule about sexual orientation."
b.
Crystal O’Neill:
.
"My reaction to this
story is nothing out of this world. In my opinion this is a saturated topic in
the society we live nowadays, although it is still sad that these things
happen. Anyways, I do feel sympathy for Margarethe, since I know how hard it
can be to be judged by everyone, even though you are not any less of a person
than them and are not doing anything wrong. About the question of whether she
should have told the truth about her sexuality or not, I believe she did the
correct thing because she did what a loyal, true soldier would have done, and
she followed her beliefs to the end, which is admirable. "
c.
Jeanette Marquez:
.
"I think she did a
good thing telling people and not lying, since she wasn't doing anything wrong.
I know that at this decade was a taboo, so she did make a statement by
suing the military, because they had no reason to fire or discharge her. "
d.
Paula Delgado:
.
"Being the daughter
of a veteran attendant I know first hand what affects the discrimination
against the LGBTT community in the military can cause. I think that
Margarethe was very bracy for being one of the first people to stand up for her
rights as a homosexual in the military. I liked that she told the truth
about her sexual orientation to the world. Not many people had the
courage to do that and with that bravery, she opened the door to many other
military personnel."
e.
Hector Rodriguez:
.
"It’s a sad story
about inequality. I believe that since it not a “life-death” situation,
she should have kept it secret for the sake of her job."
f.
Nicolas Torres:
.
"I believe
Margarethe did the right thing. By saying the truth, she created a wave of
events that concluded in changing the code of the army concerning
homosexuality. I think that Margarethe’s pride led her to make the
decision; because she honors the military code so well, she spoke the truth and
wasn’t afraid of the consequences do to the fact that nothing had changed in
her life when she said she was a homosexual."
4.
How would Dr. Kinsey
explain the Margarethe Cammermeyer’s sexuality? She is a mother of 4 boys
so how can she be lesbian? Is it her choice?
.
Dr. Kinsey might have
said that Margarethe’s sexuality changed over time. First she was married
to a man and had four children. According to Kinsey, it would be normal
to love a man, and over time, love a woman. Margarethe made her choice to
marry and have children. One might argue that she had been distracted
from her homosexual identity for a time. Then she meets Diane. For
whatever reason, Margarethe had been able to discover, or re-discover, her
identity as a woman who is attracted to other women. In turn, it was her
decision to act and live with Diane.
a.
Once, she was married to
a man and had four children. For many years, she was married to a man she
loved. Then she divorces the man soon to assert her interest in women.
She then meets Diane whom she had fallen in love with. Margarethe made
her choice, two choices. To admit to herself and to the military that she was a
homosexual and to continue to fight for her human rights.
5.
What does Margareth
believe about her sexaulity as it relates to her identity?
Margarethe
tells her sons when she reveals her sexual orientation to them, that she has
somehow always known that she was a homosexual. It is not something that she
chose to be but something that defines her as a human being. She explained to
her family, her superiors and the man that interviewed her for her security
clearance, how her sexuality is characterized by her identifying and forming
emotional bonds with women and that in turn is part of what makes her who she
is.
