On This Day in History: September 8

"I Am A Homosexual" on the cover of TIME Magazine

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One day, perhaps, it won’t matter. That day has not yet arrived. The LGBTQ+ community continually relies on people publicly proclaiming their sexuality or gender as a method of gaining acceptance that should already exist as a non-issue, by virtue of the fact that we are all human beings. Alas, a lot of said humans are bigoted assholes.

--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: September 8, 1975--

In 2019 I wrote a piece about the epic levels of bullshit a “straight pride parade” is. It was publicly lauded by Chris “Captain America” Evans, who has a gay brother. The media ran with it, and it was read by about a hundred million people. While many praised the piece, the backlash was also substantial, proving that there is still a long way to go. But things have improved significantly since September 8, 1975 when decorated Vietnam veteran Leonard Matlovich appeared on the cover of TIME Magazine with the headline “I Am A Homosexual” to protest the exclusion of gays in the military.

Born in 1943, Matlovich was the son of a career Air Force sergeant. He enlisted in the Air Force at age 19, served three tours of duty in Vietnam, and attained the rank of technical sergeant. During that time, he was awarded a Bronze Star for killing two Viet Cong soldiers attacking his post. He was also seriously wounded stepping on a land mine and received a Purple Heart, but remained in the military.

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In 1973, at age 30, he slept with another man for the first time. He came out to friends but hid his sexual orientation from his commanding officer. He then read an article by gay rights activist Frank Kameny and reached out with his dilemma of being gay in a military that wouldn’t accept him. Kameny saw in Matlovich, a service member with a perfect record, a test case for challenging the military ban on gay people.

Matlovich, Kameny, and the ACLU planned for months. In March 1975 Matlovich hand-delivered a letter to his Air Force commander explaining his homosexuality, stating that “my sexual preference will in no way interfere with my Air Force duties.” There was a hearing, and Matlovich was given an Honorable discharge from the service. He sued, and in 1980 was ordered to be reinstated and promoted. The Air Force countered with a financial settlement, which Matlovich reluctantly accepted, knowing the Air Force would find some other way to kick him out. 

Matlovich continued to work as a gay rights activist. He succumbed to complications from HIV/AIDS in 1988 and was buried with full military honors. His tombstone reads “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

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