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Getting into "Out of Annapolis"

During a recent weekend I was invited to attend a screening of the documentary,“Out of Annapolis,” held at The Pelican Art Gallery in downtown Petaluma. Owned by partners Linda Postenrieder and Donna Hinshaw since 2003, the space is a combination of art, frame store and event space.

On this day Linda and Donna had the director, Steve Clark Hall, present to show the film in Sonoma County for the second time, the first being at the Petaluma Film Festival last year. It also played at the Frameline LGBT festival in the Castro this past summer. This documentary could not be more timely.

“Out of Annapolis” chronicles the experiences of dozens of LGBT alumni – from diverse eras, backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and warfare specialties – all through interviews, live footage, photos, and supporting facts and figures. The film aims to educate by providing a factual and representative account of the Naval Academy and military experiences of LGBT alumni, both before and during the era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

And boy did it ever.

The most exciting part of the day was that Linda and Steve had both attended the Naval Academy in Maryland and are interviewed in the film. It truly was a great afternoon of insight into the issues mentioned above. I couldn’t help but feel as a gay person that I was watching a part of me up on that screen, being discriminated against, for no reason at all, other than because of whom I choose to love. Having lived through the passing of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and the recent vote to end the policy, I found the film to be extremely powerful – full of intellect and emotion.

 

 

Gary Saperstein is a transplanted New Yorker, living and thriving in beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. Working in the restaurant business and focusing on hospitality for most of his “so called” adult life he has now started “Out In The Vineyard,” a Wine Country tour and event company marketing the LGBT community. It is his goal to make Wine Country a destination for his community with a chance of getting a date along the way!