Ask Not on AllMovie

Documentary filmmaker Johnny Symons marks the fifteenth anniversary of the U.S. military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy with this film highlighting the failure and injustice of the rule that has resulted in the discharge of 12,000 service members since being put into practice back in 1993. In a time of war, our overstretched military needs all the help it can get. Yet despite the fact that thousands of gay men and women would be willing to put their lives on the line to protect America, they often remain reluctant to do so in fear of the repercussions that could arise should their sexual preference become public knowledge. With this film, Symons explores the issue by following a young upstart group as they attempt to promote a Right to Serve campaign by enlisting as openly gay candidates, documenting the experiences of former soldiers who have made it their mission to expose the flaws of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" by sharing their stories with military and civilian audiences, and following a San Francisco soldier as he ducks back into the closet before shipping off to Baghdad.