Gays in the Military
A tale of brutality, fear, and heroism
“The Inspection” is a riveting movie about a Black gay man in the military. The film does a wonderful job of tight-roping fact and fiction.
Any gay person in the military before 2011 should be able to relate to the themes of brutality, fear, and heroism.
I should know.
I spent a collective 32 years (1971–2017) in the Air Force; first, as a closeted gay fighter pilot and combat-ready commander, and eventually as an openly gay spokesperson on the topics of leadership and character.
So I applaud what Elegance Bratton has done for America in his film The Inspection.
Elegance Bratton is one of my heroes.
Fact
Elegance Bratton is a Black gay man who is the screenwriter and director for The Inspection. The movie is semi-autobiographical. The story’s protagonist (Ellis French) is an amalgam of events from Elegance Bratton’s own life and situations experienced by other gay men in the services.
Elegance Bratton’s real story — and Ellis French’s Hollywood story — are both appalling and inspiring.
Elegance was kicked out of his home by his mother when he was 16. Tragically, this is not uncommon for gay youth who live in religiously conservative dwellings (e.g., Evangelicals). Nine percent of LGBTQ youth (less than age 18) in Evangelical families have literally been kicked out of their homes. Elegance describes his complicated and painful relationship with his single-parent mother as “the first person to love me completely — and reject me wholly.”
Elegance was forced to be homeless for ten years! This tragedy corroborates the fact that up to 40% of the 1.6 million homeless people are LGBTQ youth. Married to this atrocity is the fact that 21% of Black LGBTQ youth have attempted suicide. In the movie, the character Ellis French laments, “Most of my friends are dead or in jail. If I die in this uniform, I’m a hero.”
Elegance Bratton, by any standard, is a hero.
Elegance graduated from Marine “boot camp” and had a stellar career in the Marines (2005–2010) as a combat camera production specialist, photographer, and movie director.
While fully loving her son, Elegance’s mother died without respecting Elegance’s sexuality. Such is likewise true for an untold number of conservative Christian parents.
Fiction
The movie declares that it is “inspired by true events.” Hollywood is infamous for taking a true story and embellishing it for audience appeal. Such is true with The Inspection. Elegance Bratton is quoted as saying, “This movie is 100% autobiographical when it comes to hopes, fears, motivations of [the lead character] Ellis French.” Elegance also states that the abuse performed against the character Ellis French is “not a situation I have personally been through.”
Elegance entered the military in 2005 — during the 1993–2011 era of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (the military’s policy in accepting/rejecting gay servicemen). However, in the movie, Ellis French arrives to screaming training instructors who ask him, “Are you a homosexual?” The military absolutely prohibited this question during Elegance Bratton’s arrival in the Marines in 2005.
Likewise, in the movie, Marines are portrayed to have nearly allowed Ellis French to drown, beat him up in the open showers, and conspired to lie about his rifle score. Marines watching this movie may have justifiable ire over such possibly fabricated incidents.
That said, Elegance Bratton does a masterful job of showing actual themes that gay soldiers and airmen face in the military: brutality, fear, and heroism. However, before elaborating upon those three themes, I want to briefly discuss the military’s positions regarding “homosexuals” in the military.
Standard Policy (1949–1993)
“Homosexual personnel, irrespective of sex, should not be permitted to serve in any branch of the Armed Forces in any capacity, and prompt separation of known homosexuals from the Armed Forces is mandatory.”
Homosexuals were considered to be people who engaged in “sodomy” — defined as any person who engages in “unnatural” carnal copulation with another person of the same sex, no matter how slight the penetration.
In their application to join the military, candidates needed to declare on paper whether they were a homosexual. Such admission would result in the gay person being barred from military service. As for myself (and countless other gay service members during this era), I checked the box that I was not a homosexual. My sexual identity was uncertain at age 18, so I presumed I was not a homosexual. However, countless gay candidates were forced to lie to join the military, serve their country, and potentially die in combat. So sad.
If it was determined that a military member was indeed a homosexual but was not actively engaging in gay sex, the member was promptly discharged (under honorable conditions). However, if the homosexual was known to have engaged in gay sex, he was swiftly given a dishonorable discharge.
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (1993–2011)
Soldiers and airmen under this revised policy were required not to initiate information about their sexual orientation, identity, or behaviors. The gay service member would only be discharged if someone had “credible information” of his gayness. Such credible information included seeing or hearing someone engaging in gay sex, or learning that a person acknowledged himself as a homosexual or bisexual.
Accordingly, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell resulted in much fewer discharges of gay service members.
However, gay servicemen were still branded with an identity that they were disordered, less-than, and even “evil” when compared to straights.
Themes that Gays Experience in the Military
The movie The Inspection does a brilliant job of exposing at least three themes that every gay service member experienced before 2011: brutality, fear, and heroism.
Brutality. The initial introduction into the military (known as boot camp) is famously ruthless to every trainee. The military’s often expressed goal is to “break him down and build him back up.” The initial barrage for every new military candidate is intentionally ferocious and strenuous.
Trainers scream into the faces of the trainees. Insults are often hurled — intended to degrade the person. For example, during my boot camp, it was common to refer to trainees as “faggots.” Trainees often experience “learned helplessness” — no matter how they behave, it is said to be in error.
Physical exhaustion is another common goal of the training. Physical conditioning and crucible courses (designed to push the trainee to his very limits) occur in all branches of military training.
Paradoxically, those candidates who survive the brutality express a sense of self-esteem, unlike anything they have ever experienced. They describe their boot camp with hallowed reverence. Many trainees describe their harrowing experiences as rallying to teamwork — forming some of the longest-standing friendships in their life.
Elegance Bratton said, “The greatest lesson I learned from the Marine Corps was to talk to people different than me — and get a common ground.”
Elegance faced the harshest of brutality — and came out a winner!
Fear. To enter the military as a gay man during 1949–2011 (62 years!) was synonymous with a constant state of fear. Service members knew that one little slip-up — just one wrong conversation or sidewise glance — would get him kicked out of the service. Life in the military was akin to being a spy in the enemy’s camp: you never knew when you would be found out and executed.
Fear is one of human’s most painful experiences. Now, imagine that fear 24/7/365.
In the movie The Inspection, Ellis French is constantly hiding in the dark; constantly repressing himself from the behaviors he longs for. He cannot say he is gay; he hides his true identity.
One erection in the shower would result in forever disdain from his peers and potential expulsion. As for me, I remember glancing at nude men in the open showers — doggedly and consistently restraining myself from an erection. It became a daily challenge. I knew that even after 19 years and 364 days as a dedicated officer in the Air Force, I could lose my retirement pay with one slip-up.
In fact, I was so on edge as an Air Force officer that I developed clinical depression. Yet, I did not feel safe to seek help for such depression until after I retired.
I suspect Elegance Bratton understands the impact of living in fear on the human body. Certainly, I do.
Heroism. It is accurately said that one can never experience courage without first experiencing fear.
Certainly, Elegance Bratton displayed immense courage during his time as a Marine. And so did every gay person who faced potential expulsion but fought through their fears to serve their country. Many gays fought in combat. And an untold number of gays bravely gave up their lives to serve our nation.
Elegance Bratton is one of my heroes.
He was required to be homeless for ten long years. His mother always mocked and derided his gayness. He took on the most brutal of initiations — and came out a winner! He lived with fear and eventually became a role model for millions worldwide.
Elegance Bratton has said that his favorite movie is “Rocky” — a film he has constantly watched. Elegance, like Rocky Balboa, took all of the blows to his body and emerged as a survivor.
Survivor.
That is a status that all gay men in the military share. We survived the pressures and the indignations so that we could serve — even in combat — for our nation. We only expected to do our job with dignity and excellence. And if we should die in uniform, we would be honored.
So, on the next Veteran’s Day, please remember Elegance Bratton. I will.
And I would be proud to stand alongside him.
Dr. Mike Rosebush (he, him, his; Ph.D., Counseling Psychology) may be contacted at mikerosebush75@gmail.com.
