Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story Page #5

Now what did we do?

- Yeah, what?

- Nothing.

This is about me.

I'm going to sue the Army.

What?

They want to discharge me

because I told them I'm a lesbian.

- Here. Mor, here.

- Thank you.

You're not a lesbian.

They don't have kids.

Where'd you get your information?

If you want to have

nothing to do with me...

No, please don't cry, Mor.

Mor, we already know.

How?

I didn't realize it that long ago myself.

Dad did.

He said that?

Hey, it's old news.

Not to everybody else.

When I sue,

it'll be in the newspapers.

I'll be on the news.

People are going to know.

Like Lynette.

I told her on our first date.

What?

If she'd had a problem with

it, we wouldn't be together.

You were the first gay

person she'd ever met.

- Why does everyone have to find out?

- Who cares?

You want to ask me anything?

Yeah.

When did you decide to become a lesbian?

I think I always knew.

I just couldn't admit it to myself.

We have to go. We told Dad we'd be home.

Already? Tom!

Tom?

I love you.

- Bye, Mom.

- Bye-bye.

- I love you.

- I love you.

When you're in the military, you

have to believe in the greater plan.

You have to find meaning in adversity.

Most people find a lawyer instead.

You know, if the Army's smart,

it'll lose the paperwork.

- You are too pure a test to the policy.

- The Army's very good at paperwork.

You know, conduct is

such a stupid distinction.

If it doesn't interfere with the military,

what difference does it make what you do?

- Is that gonna be your argument?

- Discrimination and prejudice.

That's the case.

There is no legitimate basis for

treating gays and straights differently.

The policy's built on nothing

but fear and prejudice.

So strike it down, clean and simple.

- Do you think it will work?

- Probably not.

I don't want to mislead you, Grethe.

This particular U.S. Supreme

Court has gone out of its way

to avoid protecting homosexuals.

I'm a positive thinker.

Good.

I have something for you.

But if you don't like it, you

have to give it back to me,

because I like it myself.

Well, then you should keep it.

I want you to have it.

It's an Edwardian buckle ring.

We can get it sized down if you like it.

Just don't be polite.

I love it.

Yo.

Jim, can I talk to you?

Sit.

What can I do for you?

You know how I can't

afford to lose this job.

What's happened?

I'm a lesbian.

Thank God. I thought it was something

else, something really scandalous.

I am so naive, Grethe, it

never even occurred to me.

The Army's trying to discharge me.

You told everybody.

I'm gonna fight it.

So everybody's going to know about it.

The patients are going to hear about it.

Their families, the administration...

Look, if I fired everyone on staff who

was gay, the hospital would shut down.

You're a good nurse, Grethe.

Anything else is your private life.

You don't have to worry

about your job here.

Thank you.

I don't know why you keep

opening your mouth about it.

Where's your sense of privacy?

I'm sorry if it embarrasses you, Far.

Good night.

Margarethe?

Do you know why I never hugged my sons?

You didn't want to.

I did.

I was afraid they would

become homosexuals.

And you ended up with one anyway.

At least it was only your daughter.

Are you blaming me?

You missed so much.

You can't control who people are, Far.

Good night.

The first ward I worked

on in the Army was OBIGYN,

so I thought I knew everything

there was to know about childbirth.

Until I had Matt.

I didn't know that you fall in love.

The moment they put him

in my arms, I was awed.

He was so beautiful.

They took him down to the nursery.

I remember the hospital was really quiet.

There was nobody in the halls.

I couldn't sleep, so I got

up and I went down to see him,

even though I couldn't feel my legs.

Just to see if he was real.

I couldn't believe that something

so fragile and irreversible

had happened to me.

He was a gift of love.

So now he's getting married.

How did that happen?

Here they come.

All right. Okay.

- Excuse me.

- Congratulations.

Yeah, I'm just trying to get in.

- Is that Louis?

- He used to be very handsome.

Then your kids got it from both sides.

Matt. Matt, come on.

- Wake up, wake up. They're coming.

- Okay.

- Hi.

- Hl.

I wish you could have been inside.

Did somebody from the

church come and sit with you?

Yes, a very nice man came out

to ask if we had any questions.

But I didn't have any.

A married man!

- Hi.

- Hi.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you for coming.

Far.

I'm glad you're here.

Hi, dud.

- It went smooth as glass.

- I'm glad.

I'd like you to meet my friend Diane.

How do you do?

Hi. Hi. Hi.

- Congratulations.

- Thank you.

Picture. Picture!

- Come on. Let's... Far, over here.

- Where, where, where?

Thank you.

All right, great.

Why don't you get on the

other side of Grandpa there?

Everybody ready?

Great. Now how about a kiss?

Great.

- The car's over here.

- I'm going with Mom. I told you.

Are you all right?

- Problems?

- Sort of.

- I'll get that.

- Thank you.

Watch your head, dud.

Yeah, I was wondering if

I could come stay with you.

You know how I hate to get

between you and your dad.

No, I don't want to live there anymore.

I want to move in with you,

but if that's a problem...

It isn't. No, I'd love to

have you home. I'd be thrilled.

You not liking guys and

all that, and I'm a guy...

David.

My sexual orientation has

nothing to do with you.

I love you for who you are.

So please, don't stereotype

me like that, okay?

I'm coming.

So can I?

You know you can.

- Your father will blame me.

- What else is new?

That made me laugh.

I'll take Far up.

If I don't resign immediately,

they're going to court-martial me.

Oh, they don't call it a court-martial.

They called it an Administrative

Board Hearing. It's the same thing.

They're coming after me, Diane.

Why don't you just take

it easy on yourself,

just for once, and back off.

You know, I had this little fantasy.

I thought I'd be Chief Nurse

of the entire National Guard.

General Cammermeyer would

be living in Washington, DC.

I'd finally retire. Full military honors.

And then I'd say, "You know what?

"I've been a lesbian all this

time, and it didn't matter at all. "

It's a pretty story.

And it's really a pity it

didn't turn out that way.

Well, the story's not over.

I wish it were.

Then why don't you go home, Diane?

If this is too hard for you,

why don't you just go home?

- Careful. I might think you mean it.

- I do.

Afternoon, Colonel.

I've been trying to get letters of support

- from some of the other Chief Nurses.

- Let me guess.

Nobody wants to put their

head in the block for you?

Well, it doesn't have to be

from the medical community.

- You mean me?

- We worked together, Colonel.

- You could...

- No, your evaluations speak for themselves.

And I have letters and

commendations to back them up.

Only nobody wants to challenge the policy.

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