Years before Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Colonel Patsy Thompson presided over the review board that dismissed Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer for being a lesbian. Although she had been in tough spots over the course of her 28-year service, this was the toughest. Presiding over this case forced Patsy to confront her own moral dilemma and her own secret: she too was a lesbian. Surviving the Silence tells the story of two women in love who played a part in changing military policy, shining light on the unknown history of how a closeted colonel forced to expel an Army hero for being lesbian did so in a way resulting in re-instatement via federal court.

Don’t miss the LIVE Q&A Saturday, August 8 at 2pm/CST with director Cindy L. Abel, subjects Colonel Patsy Thompson, Barbara Brass, 22nd Secretary of the U.S. Army Eric Fanning and Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer.