Month: February 2010

MORE THAN 115 of 190 for whom we had email addresses have already taken part in the current study!

We learned some really eye-opening things about ourselves when we began gathering information last year as part of establishing the profile of the typical LGBT Annapolis Alumnus. But our numbers have grown significantly since the “Out of Annapolis” trailer hit YouTube last year. The “revaildation” of the survey will allow for many more of the members to participate as well as discover or confirm other key facts about the alumni as a group that had not been previously considered. The revalidation will also continue to ensure the data are squeaky clean.

Here are some of the facts that we know about ourselves as a group. This is the information that we will fine tune through the revalidation:

Less than one in every eight of us LGBT USNA alumni had fully “accepted” our sexual identity as LGBT before we took the oath of office to enter the military. Many had no idea what they were going to face in the future as they reidentified as LGBT at Annapolis, in the Fleet or later in life. For classes prior to 2000, twenty percent actually got married not fully realizing at the time it wasn’t right for them, and later ended those marriages.

LGBT alumni enter into individual warfare specialities at the same proportions as their straight peers. But the Marine Officers on the whole are the ones who have the most difficult time coming to grips with their sexuality. Even when “Don‘t Ask, Don‘t Tell” ends, DADT is still going to be the way of life in the Marine Corps, no Marine alumni intend on changing. All of the known suicides of LGBT alumni were Marine Officers.

Those who did identify as LGBT when they entered had a different set of challenges to face, but they were more likely to serve out their commitments. Less than one-percent felt that their LGBT status had put them into a position to be blackmailed by a co-worker.”

The various data are included throughout the film as it relates to individual members as they tell their stories.

If you are an LGBT alumni of USNA (alumni means took oath of office as a midshipman, whether or not you graduated) and would like to participate, please contact the study director here at USNA Out.

Continue reading “2/9/2010 – “Out of Annapolis” Study undergoing “Expansion/Revalidation.””

For the most recent update, please see the OUT of ANNAPOLIS page.

A lot of people continue to ask “where’s the film?” Here’s the latest update of where we are. This page will be updated frequently as we get closer to “Out of Annapolis” being “in the can.”

“Festival screeners” will be ready mid-February, 2010, and an “All-new” trailer and film website are expected to be launched on 1 March, 2010.

By 5 July, 2009, almost thirty individual filmed interviews were completed, with many others eager to participate. We were so overwhelmed with good stories that plans to film interviews in Southern California and Florida needed to be canceled to get the project into post production as soon as possible. The final shooting of “B-Roll” was wrapped up on October 13, 2009 in Annapolis. The film continues in “Post Production,” story line edit is locked, “cutaway material” and “B-Roll” materials are mostly inserted into the timeline to provide a visual picture to go along with the spoken word. Simultaneously, the soundtrack is being scored. Once all video tracks are totally completed, the film will be sent to the “colorist” who will make corrections to the video to ensure that the film colors look accurate for presentation on the big screen.

A few still shots are still needed to be placed in the timeline as “cutaway” material. A list of these needs was emailed to the USNA Out membership late January. Although needed ASAP, late submissions will also be taken if the picture fits the spot.

Brian Wiechowski ’97 has taken on the task of “revalidating” some of the statistical information presented in the “Out of Annapolis” film. There has been keen interest in this information, initially gathered in 2008 when Steve Hall ’75 interviewed many of the USNA Out members to get an overall profile of who we are as a group. Some compiled results of the initial “study” are posted at http://outofannapolis.com/who. The data have been eye-opening. And since the “Out of Annapolis” trailer hit the street in January 2009, our numbers have grown significantly to more than 300 identified LGBT alumni, and we know there are many, many more of us out there still to be counted.

As a special treat for USNA Out members who are logged in, you can view the “opening sequence” which is complete (except for “coloring”). Also available to watch is the current version of the “credit roll” which is constantly being updated and will be finalized just prior to the first official screening.

Continue reading “2/7/2010 – OUT of ANNAPOLIS Update”