Soldier of Change: From the Closet to the Forefront of the Gay Rights Movement - Hardcover

Snyder-Hill, Stephen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1612346979 ISBN 13: 9781612346977

Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc., 2014

Synopsis

When "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the official U.S. policy on gays serving in the military, was repealed in September 2011, soldier Stephen Snyder-Hill (then Captain Hill) was serving in Iraq. Having endured years of this policy, which passively encouraged a culture of fear and secrecy for gay soldiers, Snyder-Hill submitted a video to a Republican primary debate (held two days after the repeal). In the video he asked for the Republicans' thoughts regarding the repeal and their plans, if any, to extend spousal benefits to legally married gay and lesbian soldiers. His video was booed by the audience on national television. Soldier of Change captures not only the media frenzy that followed that moment, placing Snyder-Hill at the forefront of this modern civil rights movement, but also his twenty-year journey as a gay man in the army: from self-loathing to self-acceptance, to the most important battle of his life-protecting the disenfranchised. Since that time, Snyder-Hill has traveled the country with his husband, giving interviews on major news networks and speaking at universities, community centers, and pride parades, a champion of LGBT equality.

About this title

Review:

"Read [Snyder-Hill's] story and know the price paid for intolerance and the limitless joy of triumph."--Harvey Fierstein, Tony Award-winning actor and playwright--Harvey Fierstein (04/07/2014)

"Snyder-Hill offers a moving and insightful epitaph to a destructive policy."--Publishers Weekly--Publishers Weekly (07/11/2014)

"Stephen Snyder-Hill has written a compelling account of his experience as a closeted gay soldier in the era of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell.' It is at once a heart-wrenchingly intimate look at the corrosive consequences of being forced to live a double life, a love story, and a profile in hard-won courage. The book chronicles his journey from fear and secrecy to an unforgettable moment on the national stage--and beyond."--Christopher Goffard, author and staff writer for the Los Angeles Times

-- (04/23/2014)

"[Soldier of Change] is an important story to read if you need to know where LGBT rights have been and whose brought them forward. It's also one to enjoy if you want an informal, easy-to-like memoir. Even in this post-DADT time, Soldier of Change is a book to call for."--Terri Schlichenmeyer, Washington Blade-- (12/24/2014)

About the Author:

Stephen Snyder-Hill joined the military in 1988 and fought in the first Gulf War before his honorable discharge in 1996. After reenlisting in 2001, he deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn in 2010.

About this edition

• Publisher: Potomac Books, Inc.
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1612346979
• ISBN 13: 9781612346977
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192