More than 11 years after it debuted on NBC, the Emmy-winning TV movie Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story will be available on DVD Sept. 12.
The film, starring Glenn Close, is based on the true story of Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer, the highest-ranking officer ever to be discharged (in 1992) from the U.S. military for being gay. More than a decade later, the film is seemingly more relevant than ever, as new figures show a rise in the number of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’-based military dismissals.
Cammermeyer had a long and distinguished career as a military nurse but was dismissed in 1992 after revealing she was gay during a security clearance interview. With the help of Lambda Legal, she fought a two-year court battle to serve her country—and the Federal District Court in Seattle ruled the military’s policy was unconstitutional and based on prejudice. Cammermeyer once again became chief nurse of the Washington State National Guard, retiring in 1997 after 31 years of dedicated service.
The critically acclaimed movie was executiv-produced by Barbra Streisand and Close. Close and co-star Judy Davis both won Emmy Awards for their performances. The film also won a Peabody Award and a GLAAD
Media Award.
DVD extras include interviews with Streisand, Cammermeyer and Close, as well as footage of the 1996 GLAAD Media Awards.