He was first of all, a soldier, on the
battlefield in Vietnam, and then in the battle for gay civil rights in
America.
In the 1970’s, my friend Leonard Matlovich was perhaps
the best-known openly gay man in America next to Harvey Milk.
His
fight to stay in the United States Air Force after coming out of the
closet became a cause célèbre around which the gay community rallied.
His case resulted in articles in newspapers and magazines throughout the
country, numerous television inter- views, and a television movie on
NBC. His photograph appeared on the cover of the September 8, 1975,
issue of Time magazine, making him a symbol for thousands of gay and
lesbian service members and the gay community in general.
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 re- main
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
recommended that it be upgraded to Honorable and the Secretary of the
Air Force agreed, confirming Matlovich’s discharge in October 1975.
Matlovich
stayed the course, and was here in Miami in June of 1977 when Anita
Bryant was beating us down. He was repeatedly called upon by gay groups
also challenging John Briggs’ attempt to ban gay teachers in California.
Sometimes he was criticized by individuals more to the left than he had
become. “I think many gays are forced into liberal camps only because
that’s where they can find the kind of support they need to function in
society” Matlovich once noted.
Yes, we proudly celebrated Dan
Choi’s courage in chaining himself to the White House fence earlier this
year, but look at the picture on this page of Leonard Matlovich in
handcuffs, protesting President Reagan’s neglect of AIDS patients in the
1980’s.
A unique man, persistent and provident, Matlovich
personally designed his inter- nationally known tombstone, incorporating
the same kind of reflective granite that was used in the construction
of the historic Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in D.C.
The stone
does not bear his name, inset instead with pink triangles referencing
the emblem used to mark gays in Nazi concentration. Matlovich’s last
name is inscribed at the foot of the border. It was to be the only
indication that the grave was his. He wanted the stone itself to serve
as a memorial to all gay veterans, and so it has been, marked by a quote
that sends chills down your spine:
It reads, “When I was in the
military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for
loving one.”
Ironically, Matlovich’s tombstone in the
Congressional Cemetery is on the same row as that of FBI Director J.
Edgar Hoover.
In a tribute no one anticipated, a grow- ing number
of other out gays, including veterans, have since chosen to be buried in
the same once obscure graveyard. And at his graveside every Veterans
Day, Capt. Mike Rankin USN (RET) conducts a memorial service for all gay
veterans who have passed—just as Leonard dreamed.
Leonard
Matlovich, a true gay American hero.
Addressing a Gay PrideWeek
rally in New York in June of 1975, Matlovich broke down and cried. Said
he years later:
“I found myself, little nobody me, standing
up in front of tens of thousands of gay people. And just two years ago I
thought I was the only gay in the world. It was a mixture of joy and
sadness. It was just great pride to be an American, to know I’m
oppressed but able to stand up there and say so. They were very
beautiful people out there.”