Surviving The Silence
Continuing Pride of the Ocean’s long and distinguished history of giving its guests the unique opportunity to see pre-release sneak peeks of feature length films as works in progress before anyone else, we are proud to announce that SURVIVING THE SILENCE, scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2019, will be screening on Pride of the Ocean’s 50th Anniversary of Stonewall Cruise, departing New York for Canada and New England June 8-15, 2019. SURVIVING THE SILENCE joins the distinguished roster of films, such as Cheryl Furjanic’s BACK ON BOARD: GREG LOUGANIS, Nancy Kates’ REGARDING SUSAN SONTAG, & Yoruba Richen’s THE NEW BLACK that have screened as works in progress on Pride of the Ocean, only to go onto successful festival runs and broadcasts on HBO & PBS.
In addition to the Director Cindy Abel, and Editor Michael Bruno of the film being on board, 3 of the film’s subjects will also be on board. In the early 1990s, a highly-decorated colonel was forced to expel an Army hero for being a lesbian. What no one knew at the time was that the same colonel was herself in a relationship with a woman.
Cindy Abel & Colonel Margarethe “Grethe” Cammermeyer (Retired)
Decades later, this truth is exposed in all of its complexity, and the three women involved – Col. Patsy Thompson, her wife Barbara Brass, and Col. Margarethe Cammermeyer – come together to contemplate those events and their impact not only in the film, but in person on Pride of the Ocean.
Colonel Patsy Thompson (Retired), Barbara Brass & Michael Bruno
While online sales have ended, there are still cabins available for our 50th Anniversary of Stonewall cruise celebrating LGBT Military Veterans and Veterans of the Stonewall Revolution. We will be honoring Colonel Cammenmeyer for her extraordinary service to the United States of America and her service to the LGBT community at a special cocktail party for our guests, which you are cordially invited to!
You are encouraged to call Geisha Cumberbatch at (703) 389-4617, or email Geisha at g.cumberbatch@cruiseone.com to chat with her about what cabin categories are still available. You might be surprised at how inexpensive a 7-day cruise vacation, inclusive of lodging, meals and transportation, can be, versus the same vacation on land. More about one of our distinguished guests, Colonel Cammermeyer below.
Margarethe “Grethe” Cammermeyer (born March 24, 1942) served as a colonel in the Washington National Guard and became a gay rights activist. Born in Oslo, Norway, she became a United States citizen in 1960. In 1961 she joined the Army Nurse Corps as a student. She received a B.S. in Nursing in 1963 from the University of Maryland. At the University of Washington School of Nursing, she earned a master’s degree in 1976 and a Ph.D. in 1991.
She had a 15-year marriage to a man and they had four sons. In 1988, when she was 46, she met the woman who later became her wife, Diane Divelbess.
In 1989, responding to a question during a routine security clearance interview, she disclosed that she is a lesbian. The National Guard began military discharge proceedings against her. On June 11, 1992, she was honorably discharged. Cammermeyer filed a lawsuit against the decision in civil court. In June 1994, Judge Thomas Zilly of the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington ruled that her discharge and the ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military were unconstitutional. She returned to the National Guard and served as one of the few openly gay or lesbian people in the U.S. military while the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy was in effect, until her retirement in 1997.
A television movie about Cammermeyer’s story, Serving in Silence, was made in 1995, with Glenn Close starring as Cammermeyer. Its content was largely taken from Cammermeyer’s autobiography of the same name.
After retirement, Cammermeyer ran for the United States Congress in Washington’s 2nd congressional district in 1998. She won the Democratic primary, but lost in the general election to Republican incumbent Jack Metcalf.
In June 2010, she was appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, a committee which is appointed by the United States Secretary of Defense and which reports to the United States Department of Defense.[1]
The Point Foundation announced plans to honor Cammermeyer with its Point Legend Award in April 2011.[2]
In 2012, after same-sex marriage was legalized in Washington state, Cammermeyer and her wife Diane Divelbess became the first same-sex couple to get a license in Island County.
Book your cabin with the promo code SURVIVING2019 and receive a $100 per person cabin credit for you! Please note that our promotions cannot be combined.
Click here or on the button below to learn more about Pride of the Ocean's 2019 Stonewall50: Pride of the Ocean Cruise celebrating LGBT Military Veterans and Veterans of the Stonewall Revolution:
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Nancy began winning awards for her films in 1995 when her master’s thesis, Their Own Vietnam, for Stanford University’s film program, won a Student Academy Award“ and she hasn’t stopped since! She continues to accumulate accolades, from film festivals around the country and the world, as well as organizations such as GLAAD and the International Documentary Association.