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

by Stephen Snyder-Hill, George Takei

Overview

When ôDonÆt Ask, DonÆt Tell,ö the official U.S. policy on gays serving in the military, was repealed in September 2011, soldier Stephen Snyder-Hill (then Captain Hill) was serving in Iraq.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 RepublicansÆ 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 lifeûprotecting 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612347066
Publisher:	Potomac Books Inc.
Publication date:	09/15/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

STEPHEN SNYDER-HILL joined the military in 1988 and served nearly three years on active duty in Germany and fought in the first Gulf War in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait before his honorable discharge in 1996. He reenlisted in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn in 2010. Throughout his military career, Snyder-Hill received numerous awards and decorations, including the Meritorious Service Medal. He is currently a registered dietitian and lives in Columbus, Ohio, with his husband and two dogs.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

I Marketing ≈ Digital ≈ Software 1

1 Hacking is a Good Thing 3

2 Marketing is a Digital Profession 9

3 What Exactly Are Digital Dynamics? 15

4 Marketing is Now Deeply Entwined with Software 25

5 Marketers Are Software Creators Now 31

6 Parallel Revolutions in Software and Marketing 37

7 Adapting Ideas from Software to Marketing 47

II Agility 53

8 The Origins of Agile Marketing 55

9 From Big Waterfalls to Small Sprints 65

10 Increasing Marketing’s Management Metabolism 75

11 Think Big, but Implement Incrementally 85

12 Iteration = Continuous Testing and Experimentation 95

13 Visualizing Work and Workflow to Prevent Chaos 105

14 Tasks as Stories along the Buyer’s Journey 117

15 Agile Teams and Agile Teamwork 129

16 Balancing Strategy, Quality, and Agility 143

17 Adapting Processes, Not Just Productions 155

III Innovation 161

18 Moving Marketing from Communications to Experiences 163

19 Marketing in Perpetual Beta with an Innovation Pipeline 173

20 Collaborative Designs and the Quest for New Ideas 183

21 Big Testing is More Important Than Big Data 193

IV Scalability 205

22 Bimodal Marketing: Balancing Innovation and Scalability 207

23 Platform Thinking and Pace Layering for Marketing 219

24 Taming Essential and Accidental Complexity in Marketing 233

V Talent 245

25 Chasing the Myth of the 10× Marketer 247

Notes 255

Acknowledgments 263

About the Author 267

Index 269

Editorial Reviews

“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

"[Soldier of Change] is an important story to read if you need to know where LGBT rights have been and who 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

Washington Blade - Terri Schlichenmeyer

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.”—Christopher Goffard, author and staff writer for the Los Angeles Times  

Christopher Goffard

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

“Here is the tale of an eagle who awakes to find himself shackled. He beats his wings and struggles mightily until his chains give way and he’s allowed to soar skyward. But listen and hear the rasp in his cries for freedom. Look and see his mighty wings are torn, his proud legs bloodied. Who dared enslave this majestic creature? Read his story and know the price paid for intolerance and the limitless joy of triumph.”—Harvey Fierstein, Tony Award-winning actor and playwright

From the Publisher