Date: October 22, 1975
On this day with SHAC, Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, a decorated American veteran of the Vietnam War, was “generally” discharged from the air force after publicly declaring his homosexuality. Unlike other members of the military of his same status who were honorably discharged, Matlovich received no such status after appearing on the cover of Time magazine in his air force uniform and with the headline, “I AM A HOMOSEXUAL”.
In 1979, four years after his discharge, Matlovich won a much-publicized case against the air force, and was granted the upgrade to “honorable discharge.” Unfortunately, just over 10 years later, Matlovich died at the young age of 44 due to complications from AIDS. He was, however, buried with full military honours at the congressional cemetery in Washington, D.C. What sets his tombstone apart from the rest, which basically say the standard things? Matlovich’s reads, “A gay Vietnam Veteran. When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
The controversy stems from the ban against homosexuals in the U.S. military. It was not until Clinton’s term as president did we see an altering of the restrictions, with first the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, allowing closeted gays, lesbians and bisexuals to join; followed by Obama’s lifting of the ban completely in 2011.
—Compiled by Alexandra Grant