The cost of coming out as a lesbian is running $80,000 these days. Former University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill student Sara Isaacson can attest to that as she is being forced to pay back her ROTC scholarship she received from the Army.

 Isaacson came out in a time where policy mandated that gays could not serve openly in the military, two days before the 2010 State of the Union Address, where President Obama pledged to get the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy repealed. Media attention surrounded Isaacson as she became an unintentional activist and figurehead for the movement and UNCW film student senior Andy Myers joined her battle.

“I’ve always been a believer in using film for social justice,” Myers said, concerning his involvement in the controversial issue that has attracted national debate. “I first heard about Sara’s injustice when I was studying abroad. I got an email from Campus Progress, which is an organization devoted to the political and social dilemmas of today’s youth. I decided to do my senior seminar project about it, and Sara was more than happy to agree.”

According to Myers, his documentary is being used to keep the spotlight on not only Isaacson and her own personal struggle, but the countless other military personnel forced to leave because the policy prohibited them from serving.

The Government Accountability Office, a congressional watchdog agency, looked at 3, 664 cases of active military gays and lesbians who were forced to leave after coming out. Collectively, the policy cost more than $193 million to implement, and, on average, $52, 800 a person to take someone out because of their orientation and find and train a replacement.

“They don’t keep records of who was forced to leave ROTC, so nobody knows an exact number on what the policy cost students who came out to their unit or commanding officer,” Myers said.

While it was Myers who’s interest in the project formed its foundation, fellow film major, senior Matthew Blackwell joined him to help produce the film and spread awareness for their cause. The duo split many of the documentary’s technical aspects such as sound and videography and have began the editing process as their final semester approaches.

“I have always thought that the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy was absolutely disturbing and antiquated, so I was on board from the beginning. But I hadn’t personally known anyone who was individually affected by the thing. So, it was good to meet Sara and to hear her story, and to work with Andy on the documentary so that others would hear it too,” Blackwell said.

For every film student’s senior seminar project, they are asked to choose between several different types of film: narration, experimental, documentary or animation. When asked why Myers chose this particular subject, he shrugged his shoulders and responded, “Because the main point of this documentary is to get the story out there, so people see the personal effect it has on every day people. Sara’s story isn’t unique, it happened to a lot of people, and I think the main point of my project is to show that while the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy has been repealed, there is still a lot of work left to be done.”

Myers encourages those who feel as strongly as he does about military discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to sign a petition asking Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates to stop sending bill collectors to those affected.

http://act.americablog.com/sign/dadt_dischargedebt/?source=abloggay