Jeff Petrie ’89 and Trey Rhiddlehoover ’89, pose with other gay service academy alumni at Farragut Square 6/27/2009
Although most, if not all, of the USNA Out members want to see an early end to the outdated, cruel and harmful “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” Policy, political activism is not within the primary mission of this alumni group. We are here for the support of each other and those who follow our footsteps as Midshipmen and Officers in the US Navy and Marine Corps.
As of June 27, 2009 there have been an estimated 265 LGBT discharges from the military since President Barack Obama took office. That equates to about two discharges per day. Eight USNA Out members were there the march to remind the Commander-in-Chief of his promise to change the policy that hurts our military and damages our nation’s international reputation. See Trey Rhiddlehoover ’89, and Jeff Petrie ’89 in the image taken with other gay service academy alumni in Farragut Square in downtown Washington, where the march began.
Registration is open for the Annapolis 10 Miler. http://www.active.com/framed/event_detail.cfm?CHECKSSO=0&EVENT_ID=1724870 Since this is a great race registration fills up usually within 10 days, so sign up right now. It is well supported from the race directors, the town of Annapolis and the mids. The shirt for the finishers looks great and worth the price of running 10 miles. (Check out our jackets–festive!)
Please let me know when you do register or if you would like to participate in a supporting role as cheerleader or tailgater.
USNA Out at Graduation Joe Soto ’83, Jeff Petrie ’89 Frank McNeil ’83, Reeta Whitney ’82 and Skip Muller ’96
It was truly an honor for 25 USNA Out members, partners, and friends to attend the graduation ceremony for the Naval Academy’s Class of 2009. Because it is difficult to put this intense experience to words, I will let the images will speak for themselves.
For the most recent update, please see the OUT of ANNAPOLIS page.
Filming for the documentary “Out of Annapolis” began in late October 2008 on the Yard of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Filming of the individual participant interviews began in November, and by May, about ninety-five percent of the planned interviews have been filmed, primarily in locations along the Eastern Seaboard between Washington, DC and Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area. A premier is expected in late 2009.
USNA Out members can help decide which of two proposed logo designs is best for achieving the best “brand recognition” for USNA Out. You may “cast you vote” at USNAOUT.org/mo/0903logo
The “Current” Logo
This is the logo which USNA Out has used since the initial inception of the organization. It is simple, similar to the simplicity of the HRC “Equal” logo.
The proposed “new” USNA Out logo
From the artist:
I took the Trident from the logo and the “O” flag square shape to represent a very strong look that could be “your” logo for this and other applications. I see the center arrow which points straight up represents “tradition” a straight (no pun intended) forward vision of our military. The left and right arrows bending in both directions represent our accommodation of diverse qualities we all have within us.
Filming for the documentary “Out of Annapolis” began in late October 2008 on the Yard of the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Filming of the individual participant interviews began in November, and by the holiday hiatus in mid December, about forty percent of the planned interviews have been filmed, primarily in locations along the Eastern Seaboard between Philadelphia and Boston. Additionally, about 18 percent of the planned “off-camera” interviews, a study to develop an overall profile of the LGBT alumni in conjunction with the film, have also been completed.
Our original intention was to present a film primarily of interest to the LGBT community for use in numerous LGBT film festivals around the country. A recent article in the Baltimore Sun reported on some of the initial direction of the film. But as production progresses further, the stories being told are being realized as too powerful and too important to remain within this limited audience.
What we are learning is that over 90% of our participants did not identify as LGBT when they took the Oath of Office as a Midshipman, more than 50% still didn’t identify as LGBT four years later at graduation from the US Naval Academy, when they were commissioned as officers serving in the US Navy and US Marine Corps. And for the vast majority, the coming out process was very, very difficult, sometimes impacting performance and usually impacting their career aspirations. Deployments and service within the war zones had the added stress of separation from their partners who had to remain invisible. As a whole, this project is revealing that despite the added pressures of living within the restrictions of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” we continue to be very dedicated to serving our country while remaining very dedicated to our families.
We have now identified over 200 LGBT Naval Academy Alumni, many who cannot participate in the project as they remain on active duty in service to their country. This number continues to grow. Our outreach will continue throughout the project so that we can better put a face on who we, the LGBT Alumni, really are.
Production updates, participant lists, schedules and inquiry contact information can be found at the film website at OutOfAnnapolis.com. Some portions of the site are restricted to the registered participants. It is planned that a film “trailer” will be posted on the website in Mid-January, 2009.
Just a quick update on my 20 year Reunion held last week. First off we beat Rutgers. Go Navy!!! Not that I watched the game. My classmates and I were behind the scoreboard drinking like fish and catching up on 20 years.
I will say I was a little nervous going back being gay and all those fears were alleviated fast. Everyone knew and everyone was asking where my partner was. I was more aware that I was single than being the only gay guy there. Well it turns out I wasn’t the only gay guy. Deric Camarigg was there, as seen in the photo.
This was my first reunion, and I will never miss one again. I can’t wait for the 25th, and I recommend you do your best to attend your reunions. It brought back so many good memories and it was wonderful to see my buddies doing so well.
USNA Out participated in the second-ever college admissions fair aimed at LGBT high schoolers at UC San Diego. For most of the 45 participating colleges — such as Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale, Penn State, and UC San Diego — the event was a perfect opportunity for them to advertise their fair and equal policies in recruiting the best and brightest of young gay Americans. USNA Out members attended to informed young gay Americans of the pros and cons of pursuing an appointment to a United States service academy.
Mike Foye ’81 and Stewart Bornhoft USMA ’69
Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based organization whose mission is to make American college campuses safer for LGBT students, gave us accolades and was very appreciative of our involvement:
“Hey guys! Thanks for all your support and participation! Please keep in touch. We will be having the fair again at UCSD!”
Mike Foye ’81 and Stewart Bornhoft USMA ’69 — who along with Larry Wood ’86 produced our portion of the event –have composed a post-report that I think does a very good job of summing things up for us:
“This is a new event so they are still working out the bugs. Glad we participated, though.
“We talked with many of the nearly 60 students who attended. Because they were more interested in discussions with individual college reps than in a sit-down briefing, however, and because the layout of the ballroom put the briefing area behind a partition on the opposite side of the room from the main stage, three of the four planned presentations (including ours and the Campus Pride Organizers themselves) were canceled. Interestingly, we did have several of the Admissions reps express an interest in learning more about DADT and its impact. The only brief that was given was the one on financial aid to the individuals actually receiving the assistance.
“Notwithstanding the drawbacks, this was a noteworthy first for USNA Out. We let people know that we exist. We should seriously consider participating next year.”
It was my pleasure to draft an email to George Watt, Skid Heyworth, and CDR Austin (the PAO at the Naval Academy) to give them a head’s up about our participation in the event. Not surprisingly, I did not hear back from any of them.
The event was written up in at least a few locations online, including “Out in San Diego” and the “Daily Tar Heel” (out of North Carolina).
THANK YOU to Mike Foye ’81, Hubert Dorsett ’66, Larry Wood ’86, Stewart Bornhoft USMA ’69 and Tom Carpenter ’70 for making this happen!
