Filmmaker Document Life of Gay Service Member

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Award-winning documentary filmmaker Louise Hogarth today announced plans to follow the day-to-day life of a gay service member deployed to the frontlines of a war zone as part of her upcoming film Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The project, currently in production, will mark the first time a filmmaker has documented the first-hand experience of gay personnel deployed abroad and living under the military's ban on lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers.

"Until now, the stories of lesbian and gay service members have been told after the fact," said Hogarth. "We have never experienced, in real time and on the frontlines, the truth about 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' during wartime. While anecdotal evidence and the experience of our allies shows that repealing the military's gay ban will have no detrimental impact on our fighting forces, there is no stronger proof than the first-hand account of a service member who, like their heterosexual colleagues, simply wants to do the job to the best of their ability. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the filmed diary of a gay soldier on the frontlines should end any speculation that sexual orientation impacts a service member's ability to defend our nation."

Don't Ask, Don't Tell will also explore the experiences of foreign militaries following repeal of their own gay bans and look at the talent lost since the Pentagon's policy was implemented in 1993. During that time, more than 10,000 men and women have been discharged under the ban, according to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), a national legal aid and advocacy organization working to repeal the ban. Dream Out Loud will ultimately make the film available, after its initial premiere, for Congressional and other educational screenings in support of efforts to repeal 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.'

Hogarth, whose last film, The Gift, was called "far and away the most important selection at NewFest 2003" by the New York Times, has won numerous film festival awards, including Best Documentary at the New York Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The Gift has been televised internationally and is currently airing on the Sundance Channel. It will be broadcast in Canada, with a televised panel discussion, on World AIDS Day. Hogarth also directed Does Anybody Die of AIDS Anymore?, a film used by universities, AIDS organizations and other institutions for educational purposes. For more information, visit http://www.dolfilms.org.