Barry Winchell
Encyclopedia
Barry Winchell was an infantry
soldier
in the United States Army
, whose murder by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, became a point of reference in the ongoing debate about the law known as "Don't ask, don't tell
", which required the US military to discharge service members based on sexual orientation
.
, Winchell enlisted in the Army in 1997 and was transferred in 1998 to Fort Campbell, Kentucky
. As a Private First Class
, he was assigned to the 2/502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division. While stationed at Fort Campbell, he received a Dear John letter
from his high school sweetheart. Winchell later accompanied his roommate, Spc. Justin Fisher, and other soldiers for an excursion to the Nashville downtown bars. In 1999, Fisher and others took Winchell to a Nashville club, The Connection, which featured transgender
performers. Here Winchell met a male-to-female transgender showgirl
named Calpernia Addams
. The two began to date. Fisher began to spread rumors of the relationship at Ft. Campbell where both men served. Winchell then became a target of ongoing harassment which his superiors did little to stop.
The harassment was continuous until the Fourth of July weekend, when Winchell and fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, fought after Winchell accused a boasting Glover of being a fraud. Both were drinking beer throughout the day. Glover was soundly defeated by Winchell, and Fisher harassed Glover about being beaten by " 'a fucking faggot' like Winchell". Fisher and Winchell had their own history of physical altercations as roommates in the barracks of Ft. Campbell. Fisher continued to goad Glover. Subsequently, Glover took a baseball bat from Fisher's locker and struck Winchell in the head with it as he slept on a cot outside near the entry to the room Winchell shared with Fisher in the early hours of 5 July 1999. Winchell died of massive head injuries on 6 July at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center
. Glover was later convicted for the murder of Winchell; Fisher was convicted of lesser crimes regarding impeding the subsequent criminal investigation, and both were subsequently incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
. The murder charges against Fisher were dropped and Fisher was sentenced in a plea bargain
to 12.5 years, denied clemency
in 2003, released to a halfway house
in August 2006, and released from all custody in October 2006. Glover is serving a life sentence
.
to order a review of the "Don't ask, don't tell
" policy, a policy which some assert was a significant factor in the murder of Winchell by Calvin Glover. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
was a prominent critic of how the policy was implemented, and they demanded to know who, in higher ranks, was responsible for the climate on base. The policy review led to the addition of a “Don’t Harass” clause in the policy. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was overturned by President Barack Obama on September 20, 2011.
Winchell's parents, Wally and Patricia Kutteles, and many others continue to press for a re-examination of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. Despite campaigning by the Kutteleses and LGBT
activist groups, the Commanding General of Fort Campbell
at the time of the murder, Major General
Robert T. Clark
, refused to take responsibility for the purported anti-gay climate at Fort Campbell
under his command. After being exonerated, he was nominated and approved for promotion to Lieutenant General
on 5 December 2003.
Lieutenant General
Timothy Maude
however, did visit with Patricia Kutteles. He was a point man on LGBT
issues for the U.S. Army.
The 2003 film Soldier's Girl
is based on Winchell's murder and the events leading up to the brutal slaying. Winchell was portrayed by Troy Garity
. The film received a Peabody Award
and numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and sparked renewed debate of the effects of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy during the Clark promotion hearings.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, whose murder by a fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, became a point of reference in the ongoing debate about the law known as "Don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
", which required the US military to discharge service members based on sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
.
Life and murder
A native of MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, Winchell enlisted in the Army in 1997 and was transferred in 1998 to Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
. As a Private First Class
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
, he was assigned to the 2/502nd Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division. While stationed at Fort Campbell, he received a Dear John letter
Dear John letter
A "Dear John letter" is a letter written to a husband or boyfriend by his wife or girlfriend to inform him their relationship is over, usually because the author has found another lover. Dear John Letters are often written out of an inability or unwillingness to inform the person face to face...
from his high school sweetheart. Winchell later accompanied his roommate, Spc. Justin Fisher, and other soldiers for an excursion to the Nashville downtown bars. In 1999, Fisher and others took Winchell to a Nashville club, The Connection, which featured transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
performers. Here Winchell met a male-to-female transgender showgirl
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
named Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Addams
Calpernia Sarah Addams is an American author, actress, musician, and a spokesperson and activist for transgender rights and issues.-Biography:...
. The two began to date. Fisher began to spread rumors of the relationship at Ft. Campbell where both men served. Winchell then became a target of ongoing harassment which his superiors did little to stop.
The harassment was continuous until the Fourth of July weekend, when Winchell and fellow soldier, Calvin Glover, fought after Winchell accused a boasting Glover of being a fraud. Both were drinking beer throughout the day. Glover was soundly defeated by Winchell, and Fisher harassed Glover about being beaten by " 'a fucking faggot' like Winchell". Fisher and Winchell had their own history of physical altercations as roommates in the barracks of Ft. Campbell. Fisher continued to goad Glover. Subsequently, Glover took a baseball bat from Fisher's locker and struck Winchell in the head with it as he slept on a cot outside near the entry to the room Winchell shared with Fisher in the early hours of 5 July 1999. Winchell died of massive head injuries on 6 July at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a collection of several hospitals and clinics, as well as the schools of medicine and nursing associated with Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.It comprises the following units:...
. Glover was later convicted for the murder of Winchell; Fisher was convicted of lesser crimes regarding impeding the subsequent criminal investigation, and both were subsequently incarcerated at the United States Disciplinary Barracks
United States Disciplinary Barracks
The United States Disciplinary Barracks is a military prison located on Fort Leavenworth, a United States Army post in Kansas....
. The murder charges against Fisher were dropped and Fisher was sentenced in a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
to 12.5 years, denied clemency
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
in 2003, released to a halfway house
Halfway house
The purpose of a halfway house, also called a recovery house or sober house, is generally to allow people to begin the process of reintegration with society, while still providing monitoring and support; this is generally believed to reduce the risk of recidivism or relapse when compared to a...
in August 2006, and released from all custody in October 2006. Glover is serving a life sentence
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
.
Fallout
Winchell's murder led President Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
to order a review of the "Don't ask, don't tell
Don't ask, don't tell
"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
" policy, a policy which some assert was a significant factor in the murder of Winchell by Calvin Glover. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network is a non-profit legal services, watchdog, and policy organization founded in the United States in 1993. It is dedicated to ending discrimination and harassment of gay and lesbian U.S. military personnel negatively affected by the "Don't ask, don't tell"...
was a prominent critic of how the policy was implemented, and they demanded to know who, in higher ranks, was responsible for the climate on base. The policy review led to the addition of a “Don’t Harass” clause in the policy. 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' was overturned by President Barack Obama on September 20, 2011.
Winchell's parents, Wally and Patricia Kutteles, and many others continue to press for a re-examination of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy. Despite campaigning by the Kutteleses and LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
activist groups, the Commanding General of Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
at the time of the murder, Major General
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Robert T. Clark
Robert T. Clark
Lieutenant General Robert T. Clark is a retired United States Army general. His last assignment was as the Commanding General, Fifth United States Army which he commanded from December 5, 2003 to December 2006....
, refused to take responsibility for the purported anti-gay climate at Fort Campbell
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astraddle the Kentucky-Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and Clarksville, Tennessee...
under his command. After being exonerated, he was nominated and approved for promotion to Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
on 5 December 2003.
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
Timothy Maude
Timothy Maude
Lieutenant General Timothy Joseph Maude, USA was the highest ranking military officer killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks and the most senior U.S. army officer killed by enemy action since Simon B. Buckner in 1945. He was serving as the U.S...
however, did visit with Patricia Kutteles. He was a point man on LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
issues for the U.S. Army.
The 2003 film Soldier's Girl
Soldier's Girl
Soldier's Girl is a 2003 drama film produced by Showtime. It is based on a true story: the relationship between Barry Winchell and Calpernia Addams and the events that led up to Barry's murder by fellow soldiers. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Frank R...
is based on Winchell's murder and the events leading up to the brutal slaying. Winchell was portrayed by Troy Garity
Troy Garity
Troy Garity is an American film actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Barry Winchell in the 2003 television movie Soldier's Girl, but may be best known for his role as Isaac Rosenberg in the Barbershop films.-Early life and...
. The film received a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
and numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, and sparked renewed debate of the effects of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy during the Clark promotion hearings.
See also
- Allen Schindler
- Violence against LGBT people