Surviving the Silence // 79min // Documentary // 2020 // USA
Director: Cindy L Abel
Writer: Cindy L Abel, Jesse Stephen Freeman
Producer: Cindy L Abel, Marc Smolowitz
Cast: Col Patsy Thompson, Barbara Brass, Col Margarethe Cammermeyer, 22nd Army Sec Eric Fanning, Mary Newcombe
Surviving the Silence tells the story of two women in love who played a part in changing military policy, shining light on the unknown history of how a closeted colonel forced to expel an Army hero for being lesbian did so in a way resulting in re-instatement via federal court.
Years before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Colonel Patsy Thompson presided over the review board that dismissed Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer for being a lesbian. Although she had been in tough spots over the course of her 28-year service, this was the toughest. Presiding over this case forced Patsy to confront her own moral dilemma and her own secret: she too was a lesbian.
Margarethe Cammermeyer, a highly-decorated nurse and war hero, was on track to becoming a general. During a security clearance interview, she truthfully answered when asked if she was a lesbian. This started an investigation which led to her eventual and highly-publicized expulsion from the Army National Guard. In 1995, Margarethe’s memoir was adapted as a television movie, which was executive-produced by Barbra Streisand and starred Glenn Close. But Patsy’s story has remained a secret … until now.
An emotive human, cultural and political story of integrity, fear, resilience, courage and love emerges through elegantly interwoven narratives, saturated with evocative visual social and historical contexts. Surviving the Silence is a coming out story like no other, deeply moving, troubling, revealing of unknown, policy-changing history – and powerfully inspirational.
Director: Cindy L. Abel
Writer: Cindy L. Abel, Jesse Stephen Freeman
Producer: Cindy L. Abel, Marc Smolowitz
Cast: Col Patsy Thompson, Barbara Brass, Col Margarethe Cammermeyer, 22nd Army Sec Eric Fanning, Mary Newcombe