The policy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was officially repealed Sept. 20. It has been a battle for many LGBT individuals who have served their nation for the past 17 years without disclosing their sexual orientation. With more than 60,000 currently serving from our community and more than 13,000 discharged within, this ban had been a source of frustration for many.
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have created a timely documentary entitled The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell for HBO. Some of the featured players are Sen. Joe Lieberman, and Reps Barney Frank and Patrick Murphy among others. These openly gay filmmakers have produced more than two dozen documentaries for the cable network and brought Worlds of Wonder to life for years.
Windy City Times: Hi, guys. First off I am such a fan of your work and have talked to many of the people you have made shows for such as RuPaul, Chaz Bono and the Beekman Boys.
Fenton Bailey: Well, we are such fans of Windy City Times.
WCT: Hi, guys. What inspired you to make this documentary?
FB: That is a really a good question because it was so long ago that both Randy and I are having problems recalling how it even started.
Randy Barbato: I think it came up in a conversation with the people at HBO. Wasn't it, Fenton?
FB: Yes, the weird thing is it was not repealed when we started. In the course of making of the film we didn't know what the outcome was going to be. It is such a weird story. At first I don't think either of us knew how crazy "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was.
WCT: So you learned a lot from doing this?
FB: Oh yeah. It has been going on for 17 years with almost 14,000 people discharged. It is crazy.
WCT: I thought about how everyday jobs are not allowed that kind of discrimination these days [in most states], so why the military?
FB: Right. I remember when DADT first happened it was disappointing but no one thought it was as heinous as it proved to be. In the workplace people talk and ask each other what they did over the weekend. If you are gay and in the military then you can't even say that you went to the movies on a date.
You have to answer because that is the way people bond by interacting. You are forced to lie. That is a huge problem because the military values integrity and honor. You are not supposed to go around lying but that is what you are required to do. It actually created the very suspicion of gay people that the law was trying to prevent.
WCT: Tell our readers about the featured guests and how you approached them about it.
FB: Well, one of the big problems was that no one actively serving in the military who were gay could sit down and give us an interview. A number of people very bravely agreed to be interviewed anonymously with a light or something blocking their faces. Hearing their stories and their experiences were very powerful.
RB: For people that haven't seen it, the film basically includes interviews with active service members, gay and lesbian, all of who have their identity concealed. We also have the key players who really helped repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." So [there are] people within the government, from Sen. [Joe] Lieberman to Sen. Carl Levin, Congressman Patrick Murphy—a lot of those politicians who were actively involved in the repeal as well as gay activists [and] Aubrey Sarvis from Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.
The weird thing about this film is when we first started it we weren't convinced it would be repealed. It started with us really trying to track down the service members but then we start looking for the actual political story. It turned into a Bourne Identity or political thriller. Will this thing get repealed? Bit by bit we started becoming involved in the story unfolding in Washington DC. We tracked the machinations of how a law like this might get overturned. In a scenario like this you usually get one person to agree to talk to you then they turn you onto another person. It is a pretty long process especially the people in Washington, D.C. The people that we never got to trust us were the people on the other side of the argument. Even people who changed their mind since like Colin Powell, we approached them over and over again to sit down and talk to us.
WCT: And no luck?
RB: No luck, although the Department of Defense did participate in the film ultimately, it took over a year.
WCT: Did you try Bill Clinton?
RB: We did try Bill Clinton a number of times. There were very gracious nos.
WCT: It sounds like a tough project for you both to tackle.
RB: Yes, it took a long time and we never knew how it was going to end. We literally just finished the film last week.
WCT: You were able to have updates for the finished product?
FB: Yes, even though Obama signed the bill back before Christmas the repeal doesn't go into effect until the night the film shows on the 20th of September. So no one can declare themselves so to speak.
WCT: So even some politicians can't say what they want to say about it yet.
RB: It has been such a political hot-button issue, even for everyone involved in addition to the fact that there is a huge stack of requests. I am sure it was easier for the Department of Defense to say yes to what was happening when it was fully decided because then they not commenting in a way that can impact the outcome. What we have made really is a historical document of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It is different than a lot of our other work in the way that it is a more traditional documentary of a civil rights issue for gays and lesbians.
WCT: Will it be available on DVD at some point?
RB: I think so, yes.
WCT: Are there more upcoming documentaries from you both?
FB: We are making a sequel to Becoming Chaz, a where-are-they-now special with Jennifer and Chaz settling into their new life.
RB: That will be on the OWN network.
WCT: What do you think about the reaction of Chaz appearing on Dancing With the Stars?
FB: Pretty shocking, really. It is surprising but also sad to say that there is a lot of transphobia out there.
WCT: I just watched your doc The Eyes of Tammy Faye the other day. Once you start watching that one you can't stop! [All laugh.] Wishful Drinking, that you also made, is coming to Chicago.
FB: Oh my God, that is so great.
RB: We just saw Carrie Fisher the night before last.
WCT: Will there be another season of RuPaul's Drag Race?
RB: There is another season. We just finished filming it. It will be out in 2012 and you are going to gag!
FB: You will die with pleasure!
The Strange History of Don't Ask, Don't Tell aired on HBO September 20 with reruns throughout the month. On Demand and HBO Go allow viewers to watch it anytime. For details and listings visit www.hbo.com .
