Community Cinema Presents ASK NOT at the Oakland Museum of California

Last night marked the final Oakland Community Cinema Screening for the season with more than 150 people attending ASK NOT at the Oakland Museum of California. ASK NOT, airing June 16 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings), explores the tangled political battles that led to the infamous “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and reveals the personal stories of gay Americans who serve in combat under a veil of secrecy. Read a recap of the event below and find out how the policy affects those in the bay area community.

A panel discussion at the Oakland Community Cinema screening of ASK NOT, a film that explores the U.S. military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Bay Area Regional Outreach Coordinator Sara Brissenden-Smith opened the discussion with Johnny Symons, filmmaker of ASK NOT; Darryl Moore, council member from District 2 in Berkeley; Rebecca Kaplan, council member at large; and Zoe Dunning, Navy Reserve Commander (Ret.) and board co-chair at the Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN). At her retirement in June 2007, Dunning was the only openly gay person serving in the United States Military.

The audience discussed topics that together culminated in a conversation on the issues raised in the film and recent related current events around California’s Proposition 8.

So what was the inspiration to make ASK NOT?

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Tags: gay, Military

ITVS and WNIN Present ASK NOT

Johnny Symons, producer and director of ASK NOT, a film that explores the U.S. military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, airing on Independent Lens, June 16 at 10:00 PM (check local listings), discusses his most recent Community Cinema screening in Evansville, Indiana. Find out what it was like for him as he ventured into this unfamiliar Midwestern region and discovered a much more diverse community than expected.

WNIN Community Cinema organizer Suzanne Hudson-Smith with ASK NOT filmmaker Johnny Symons.

A large crowd gathered at the Evansville Community Cinema screening, which included Military vets, members of a gay youth group and a number of devoted senior citizens, among others.

I was on my way to Evansville, Indiana. Though I consider myself a geography geek, I’d never even heard of it. The map in the airline magazine revealed that Evansville was near St. Louis, MO and Louisville, KY––and further south than both of them. As I gazed out over rectangles of green and brown Midwestern farmland shimmering in the spring sunlight, I thought about the Community Cinema screening I’d been at the night before––the one in San Francisco, where the first four questions came from anti-military activists concerned about the American imperialist agenda. I had a feeling tonight’s event wouldn’t consist of the same crowd.

I was greeted at the airport by Suzanne Hudson-Smith, the upbeat and charming organizer of Community Cinema at WNIN, Evansville’s PBS affiliate. As we chatted on the way to the event, I noticed Indiana license plates emblazoned with slogans like “In God We Trust” and “Where Good Men Get Better.” “Your Wife is Hot,” declared a billboard, “Better Get the A/C Fixed.” Suzanne shared her own, somewhat different perspective on life in Evansville as an open lesbian.

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Tags: Evansville, gay, Military

In the News: The Latest on ITVS Programs

“CRIPS AND BLOODS: Made in America, a documentary feature on the PBS series Independent Lens, begins with the arresting picture … of downtown Los Angeles hanging upside down in the sky. It’s a simple but surprisingly potent image … and it captures as well as anything the menace and nonsense of its subject, the self-destructive assertion of territory and tribe.”
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Veteran linguists Alex Nicholson and Jarrod Chlapowski and Nathaniel Frank, author of Unfriendly Fire discuss the Independent Lens film ASK NOT.
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“Think back to the last time you were so gripped or inspired by something you saw on television that you felt compelled to get involved … Enter Community Cinema. Run by the Independent Television Service (ITVS), producers of the PBS documentary film series Independent Lens, Community Cinema combines screenings of selected Independent Lens films with panel discussions about the important social issues the films explore.”
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Tags: African American, gay, plane crash

Community Cinema Presents ASK NOT in Washington, D.C.

ITVS Regional Outreach Coordinator Michon Boston discusses the Community Cinema screening of ASK NOT in Washington, D.C., which premieres June 16 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings). Read her report of what it was like screening this film in the hub of national politics.

This season, Community Cinema featured two Independent Lens films about policies that impact the U.S. military, LIONESS and ASK NOT. At screenings for both of these films, I asked everyone who has served––past and present––to stand up so we can say “Thank you” to those who have served our country. It’s a very moving moment for the audience and the service members.

ITVS Regional Outreach Coordinator Michon Boston with Vince Patton, a retired master chief petty officer of the U.S. Coast Guard.

The latest film, ASK NOT, examines the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy. We videotaped the screening recently held at the Washington, D.C. Jewish Community Center, which was largely attended by military as well as people interested in the topic. However, it didn’t occur to me, until after the taping, that a camera pan of the audience might capture someone on active duty while serving under the policy. This demonstrated some of the fear these men and women must face under DADT.

Joining us at the event were three men from the film: Alex Nicholson, Jarrod Chlapowski and Vince Patton of Service Members Legal Defense Network (SLDN). Other guest speakers included Darren Manzella from SLDN and Kim Jones from Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).

After brief introductions and a discussion on the topic, the panel opened up questions to the audience. And in true Washington fashion, the first question from the audience was “What can we do?” about this issue. Together, the panelists offered advice, which included:

#1: Write your congressional representatives and senators before 2010.
#2: Find a safe space to share stories about gay men and women you know who serve. Talk about the issues openly and join others, tell friends and other family members to get involved.
#3: Tell the story in letters, calls and emails to representatives and friends. The stories from ASK NOT are, according to the panelists, a place to start if you don’t have a personal story.

One question that arose during the discussion: When DADT is repealed––and everyone on the panel is confident it will be eventually––would the former military men on the panel affected by DADT re-enlist?

Alex Nicholson, who founded the Call To Duty nationwide veteran speaking tour, said he would return but his ideal career would be to serve as an Army JAG (Judge Advocate General) lawyer. He serves as executive director of Servicemembers United, a progressive “DADT 2.0-style” advocacy organization for Iraq and Afghanistan-era veterans that was formed directly out of the work featured in ASK NOT. Meanwhile, Jarrod Chlapowski finished his military service in 2005 and chose not to re-enlist. Jarrod completed his Masters and is about to write his thesis and travel abroad on a fellowship. Lastly, Darren Manzella, a former U.S. Army Sergeant who was discharged in 2008, believes his career was terminated too quickly and would come back to the Army but wouldn’t want to start at the bottom. He also added that his return would be contingent on how old he is when DADT is repealed. He currently is a lobbyist for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and does outreach around the country on the military readiness issue to repeal DADT.

As the discussion came to an end, a student from American University’s Queers and Allies organization shared a story about a George Washington University student who was discharged because of DADT. The student also was left with no choice but forced to withdraw from the university because he lost his financial aid package provided by the U.S. military. The story made everyone reflect on an underlying question, “Does having the DADT policy make us any safer or smarter?”

Missed this screening in Washington, D.C.? Be sure to check out the next screening on Sunday, May 31 at 5:00 PM at Busboys and Poets ( 2021 14th St.). For more information, email asknot@communitycinema-dc.org.

Find more Community Cinema screenings like these in your neighborhood >>

Tags: gay, Military, WHUT

Watch BILLY STRAYHORN: Lush Life Tonight on Independent Lens

Winner for Best Documentary at the 2008 News and Documentary Emmys:

BILLY STRAYHORN: Lush Life: As Duke Ellington’s co-composer, arranger, and right-hand man, Billy Strayhorn wrote some of the greatest American music of the 20th century. But as a gay man in the ’40s and ’50s, Strayhorn had to lead a discreet existence, while Ellington played to thunderous applause on center stage. BILLY STRAYHORN: Lush Life tells the story of the unheralded man who changed jazz and popular music forever, maintaining artistic and personal integrity, while challenging prejudice along the way.

Check out the preview below:

BILLY STRAYHORN: Lush Life airs tonight at 10:00 PM (check local listings) on Independent Lens on PBS

Tags: gay, jazz, online video