Our Time: Breaking the Silence of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Active duty, gay Air Force officer Seefried is the founder of OutServe, the military's only safe, organized LGBT community. Familiar with the effect that DADT had on LGBT military men and women, Seefried compiled nearly 50 first-person accounts. Many of them recall failed relationships due to fear of being caught, others tell of the fear of being outed and forced them to live lives of deceit. One man married a woman so he did not have to reveal his sexuality, another regularly considered suicide. Some individuals found the courage to come out and were discharged, getting by with support from family and fellow soldiers. An especially moving essay by a heterosexual soldier laments the ignorance at the core of homophobia. To members of the LGBT and their supporters, this important book chronicles a significant moment in history and despite the uneven quality of the essays%E2%80%93some are moving while others strangely distant%E2%80%93it will serve as a snapshot of a time before repeal, when many military men and women were forced to serve in silence. (Oct.)