GAY PEOPLE's ChronICLE AUGUST 29, 1997

EVENINGS OUT

A strong Navy woman might be lesbian? Oh, no-no

G.I. Jane

Directed by Ridley Scott Hollywood/Buena Vista Pictures

In wide release

Reviewed by Doreen Cudnik

One only has to look at the images of Demi Moore sporting a military buzz cut or doing one-armed push ups to know that lesbians were going to line up in droves to see her new movie G.I.Jane. What many may not know--and what the commercials do not tell youis that there is a subplot that brings attention to the ongoing issue of gays in the military.

Moore plays Lt. Jordan O'Neil, a Naval Intelligence officer who is recruited as the first woman allowed to train for the covert operations unit known as the Navy SEALS.

Nobody really expects O'Neil to succeed, considering that 60 percent of the males enrolled in the program fail. In fact the military, and high ranking government officials including her sponsor, a wily Texas senator played by veteran actor Anne Bancroft, are counting on her to fail.

That way they can say, "Well, we tried it, but it's been proven that females can't compete with males in military combat," and still go about telling new recruits and constituents that they believe in equal opportunities for

women.

To their dismay and against all odds, O'Neil continues to persevere, and without using any of the military-approved tools provided to help make training easier for women. She insists on living with the men, using the same bathroom facilities as the men; she even shaves her head to the regulation eighth of an inch in order to fit in, as well as to dissuade any of the guys from groaning about "special treatment.” (Also, I suspect it's a whole hell of a lot easier to complete those

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O'Neil stubbornly hangs in there as more and more of the men in the group call it quits. Even the sadistic Command Master Chief fails to break her.

The chief is played by Viggo Mortensen, who is sure to set of a few gaydars. I also predict there will be a few bottom boys wishing they could trade places with O'Neil when she answers, "Yes sir, Master Chief," to his question about whether she's ready for another go-round. Mortensen's credits include a Drama-Logue Critics Award for his stage performance in the Los Angeles premiere of Bent, Martin Sherman's play about gay men in a German concentration camp.

O'NET

PHIL BRAY

The sadistic Master Chief John Urgayle (Viggo Mortensen, left) and Navy Intelligence officer Lt. Jordan O'Neil (Demi Moore).

Someone gets the idea that they can drum O'Neil out of the military altogether--or at least demote her to desk duty while her case is being reviewed-simply by accusing her of being a lesbian. A photographer using a telephoto lens snaps shots of the clusive "G.I. Jane" having a picnic on the beach with the only other female friend she has met during military training, and a group of other women.

That's it no hand holding, no kissingjust women socializing without the company of men. There is no indication if any of the women are in fact lesbians, or if they are military personnel or civilians.

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of O'Neil's commanding officer, the scene that follows gives those who may not be at all familiar with the military's “don't ask, don't tell" policy a small taste of how it affects even those who are only perceived to be gay or lesbian.

The filmmakers deal glancingly with the issue of military witch hunts by showing us one of the other women from the beach waiting to see the commanding officer as O'Neil leaves his office after being shown the photographs.

Here's where the film's attempt to educate ends, though, as O'Neil reacts in a very homophobic way to the suggestion that she is a lesbian, in fact calling it a "smear" campaign. Maybe I was expecting too much from this mainstream Hollywood film, but I hoped it would address the ridiculousness of a policy that permits the mere allegation of homosexuality to effectively ruin a person's career rather than focus on how horrible it must be for this straight woman to be associated with those nasty dykes as if on her way to becoming a lieutenant, she didn't serve with any!

To make sure that nobody makes the mistake of assuming our heroine is a dyke, the film conveniently gives her a boyfriend in the Navy, a buff and blonde "man's-man" named Royce, who she runs to when the lesbian-baiting scandal erupts.

I suppose I also expected a little more from Demi Moore, who in addition to starring in the film was also one of the producers. Also, screenwriter and execu-

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tive producer Danielle Alexandra, who has been called "the female Tom Clancy" because of her mastery in the male-dominated world of action/political thrillers, is hardly a conventional woman.

Alexandra said she was inspired to write G.I. Jane "based on the current political issues and news-breaking headlines about women serving in combat." I just had a hard time believing that this strong, gutsy character that Alexandra created would really have been all that worried about whether or not anybody thought she was a lesbian. I want to imagine a lesbianfriendly G.I. Jane whose only real concern is that a simple gathering of friends could destroy her chances of becoming a Navy SEAL.

Moore said that the role of O'Neil "afforded me the opportunity to be involved with something that had great substance."

"The story deals with a subject matter that is not only topical, but also very important because of the bigger issues of women having more choices available to them," she said.

Alexandra added that her story is "reflective of the times"

"Hopefully, it will inspire women inside and out of the military to be fearless, forgiving, and committed to the limitless nature of their possibilities."

I hope so too. I also hope that someday, a film about strong, fearless and committed women in the military will include the possibility that some of them are lesbians.

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