Leonard Matlovich

[Zombie]

 

In June it will be the 25th anniversary of the death of Vietnam veteran, Leonard Matlovich. A leading campaigner for gay rights, he became a cause célèbre and was the first openly gay person to be on the cover of Time magazine. He had an exemplary military record, was seriously wounded and was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Whilst in the military he became a campaigner against racism and came to believe strongly that discrimination against gays was similarly wrong. He also bravely chose to make a stand for gay rights by outing himself to his military commander. According to the Wiki entry:

"At that time, the Air Force had a fairly ill-defined exception clause that could allow gays to continue to serve if there were extenuating circumstances. These circumstances might include being immature or drunk, exemplary service, or a one-time experimentation (known sarcastically as the "Queen for a day" rule). During his September 1975 administrative discharge hearing, an Air Force attorney asked him if he would sign a document pledging to "never practice homosexuality again" in exchange for being allowed to remain in the Air Force. Matlovich refused. Despite his exemplary military record, tours of duty in Vietnam, and high performance evaluations, the panel ruled Matlovich unfit for service and he was recommended for a General, or Less than Honorable, discharge. The base commander, Alton J. Thogersen, citing his service record, recommended that it be upgraded to Honorable. The Secretary of the Air Force agreed, confirming Matlovich's discharge in October 1975.  He sued for reinstatement, but the legal process was a long one, with the case moving back and forth between United States District and Circuit Courts. When, by September 1980, the Air Force had failed to provide US District Court Judge Gerhard Gesell an explanation of why Matlovich did not meet their criteria for exception (which by then had been eliminated but still could have applied to him), Gesell ordered him reinstated into the Air Force and promoted. The Air Force offered Matlovich a financial settlement instead, and convinced they would find some other reason to discharge him if he reentered the service, or the conservative US Supreme Court would rule against him should the Air Force appeal, Matlovich accepted"

Later he involved himself in various gay rights causes and the fight for adequate HIV/AIDS education and treatment. In 1986 he himself was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and continued to campaign on behalf of HIV/AIDS sufferers, including being arrested in 1987 at a protest demonstration in front of the White House for what he considered was an inadequate response by the Reagan administration to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

His last public speech in 1988 included these lines

"...And I want you to look at the flag, our rainbow flag, and I want you to look at it with pride in your heart, because we too have a dream. And what is our dream? Ours is more than an American dream. It's a universal dream. Because in South Africa, we're black and white, and in Northern Ireland, we're Protestant and Catholic, and in Israel we're Jew and Muslim. And our mission is to reach out and teach people to love, and not to hate. And you know the reality of the situation is that before we as an individual meet, the only thing we have in common is our sexuality. And in the AIDS crisis - and I have AIDS - and in the AIDS crisis, if there is any one word that describes our community's reaction to AIDS, that word is love, love, love."

His tombstone, which does not bear his name, is intended as a memorial to all gay veterans. Later, gay activists built on his work to protest against the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy - which has since been scrapped.

A life well lived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Matlovich
 

Edited April 23, 2013 by Zombie