Daily-ist Tuesday: Ask Not

Don't Ask Don't Tell, the U.S. military's controversial policy regarding gays in service, has been getting a lot of press lately. First, liberals hoped (and conservatives feared) that President Barack Obama might reverse the 16-year-old law. Then it looked like the Supreme Court might try to have their say.

The issue has been extremely important in the wake of the war against terrorism, when military recruitment and retention is below expected numbers. Many openly-gay aspiring servicemen and women, some with skills that include Arabic fluency, are being turned away from service.

Just last week, the SCOTUS has decided not to hear an appeal challenging the law's legality, but the topic is still up for debate. Enter the documentary Ask Not, a film that "exposes the tangled political battles that led to the discriminatory law and examines the societal shifts that have occurred since its passage in 1993."

HoustonPBS will screen the documentary tonight as part of its free Community Cinema series. A discussion panel will follow the screening. The screening, coincidentally, comes just before Houston's annual Pride Parade, which takes place this weekend.

Ask Not screening with Houston PBS Community Cinema
Admission: Free
Date and Time: 7 p.m. tonight
Location: Rice University Cinema, Rice Media Center, 6100 Main Street, MS-549

Photo: Community Cinema Houston