The Friday before Spring break, I went to the Cleveland Film Festival. I went to see "Ask Not" a documentary about the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in the military. While I knew that the U.S. Military had this policy, it was really interesting to get a personal look at how this policy effects actual people. The documentary followed three main groups of people. The first group was made up of former members of the military that traveled across the country visiting colleges to tell about their experience. Most of the members of that group were dishonorably discharged for being homosexual even though they were highly qualified. One of the members of this group was a linguist who spoke five languages including Arabic! The second group was also primarily made up of members who had been dishonorably discharged. This group went to military recruiting offices across the country and attempted to sign up to serve, and when they were denied the right to enlist because of their sexuality they would hold sit ins in the recruitment offices. Most often this would lead to their arrest by local law enforcements. The third group focused on a man who was gay who went back into the closet in order to serve in the military. It showed him throughout his tour in Iraq. What I found most interesting about this man was when he had been in Iraq for a while, he said something along the lines that he wasn't a gay man anymore, just like he wasn't a son or a brother; he was a soldier, that was the only identity he really had while over in Iraq. Throughout the documentary there were some staggering statistics of qualified soldiers being discharged from the military because of the sexuality. With the low enlistment rate and the need for troops over seas, this documentary seems to ask all the right questions as to why this policy is still intact.
As a future educator, I can see the value of having students go to a film festival. Obviously, this is something that not every student would experience without the initiative of a teacher. It offers the opportunity to experience different cultures and different mindsets. Not to mention, the atmosphere of a film festival in its self. Also, it is a really great way to incorporate film into a classroom. As an educator if I could find a film festival that offers programs such as the Cleveland Film Festival's "Film Slam" I think I would definitely consider taking my students!
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When I first heard about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy I was shocked. I think that a policy like that just shows the bigotry that is in our country. It makes me really upset that people can still get away with discrimination like that. Although I have not seen this movie, I think showing something that discusses controversial issues like this in the classroom would make students look at it in a new way. Instead of a debate or discussion, which could end in an argument, showing a movie is a more passive way to teach students about bigotry and prejudice.
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