Serving in Silence

Margarethe Cammermeyer was an army nurse who was discharged from her service for being lesbian. She decided to sue the army and earn her rights, which were not supposed to be affected because of her sexual orientation. At first I was surprised by the army’s reaction. They asked her to make a declaration were she stated that she was not a lesbian. In other words they wanted her to lie about her personality; deny who she was. Her sons, on the other hand supported her completely. They were not ashamed of her and they didn’t ask under any circumstances for her to deny who she was. If anything, her statement made them closer to their mom. 

The movie Serving in Silence was an excellent representation of her story. I thought her narrative was inspiring; in terms of being honest and fighting for what you believe in. I most definitely believe she shouldn’t have kept it a secret. I think everyone has the right of expressing their beliefs and being open about who they are. If she ‘d kept it quiet it would’ve meant that she was letting others decide for her. Denying her reality meant letting society control her. She considered her sexual orientation her identity. She didn’t think of it as a temporary interest, but essentially a part of her. That was one of the main reasons why she didn’t deny it and wasn’t willing to take back her statement. I truly admire her for standing up for herself and for deciding on her own path.