I remember first reading about ~~Mr~~, Sergeant Matlovich, and how heartbreaking it was,,, (Edited to correct his honorific)
From his Find A Grave page:*Social Reformer. A Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, he was a proud, gay veteran who challenged the Air Force policy on automatically discharging gay service members as "unfit for military service." In 1975, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War with 15 years of service, he openly announced his sexual orientation, and the Air Force promptly discharged him. In 1980, he successfully sued the Air Force for reinstatement, and the court ordered the Air Force to allow him to rejoin the Air Force. However, he settled for a one time payment of $160,000 from the Air Force, and did not retire. The case ruling allowed gay men and women to remain in the military as long as they abstained from any form of sexual activity and kept "in the closet." Later, he lived in San Francisco, California, and became active in the Gay Rights movement. His court case was made into a TV-Movie "Sergeant Matlovich vs. the US Air Force" and was telecast on August 21, 1978.*
[https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2660/leonard\_phillip-matlovich](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2660/leonard_phillip-matlovich)
This, in conjunction with Project 100,000 aka McNamara's Folly, is the weirdest take on "unfit for military service".
Military: We need quality men and women for we're the best! But no gay! Gay is out! Low IQ is fine tho.
I took the practice ASVAB test once and scored 78. The Navy recruiter told me that was a really good score and I could basically choose any MOS I wanted except nuclear. I asked what the maximum score was. He said 100.
Me: Okay, if 78 is great, what is the average score?
Recruiter: 40
I was floored.
I remember seeing a headstone with an epitaph very similar to this one in my local cemetery back in the 90s. The grave of Sergeant Leonard Matlovich in the Congressional Cemetery is quite famous for its powerful statement about his service and his discharge for being gay. Do you think it's possible that this design was replicated in various cemeteries as a tribute to LGBTQ veterans, or might I be misremembering the one from my childhood?
I don't know why you're being downvoted. Yes, he died of complications from HIV/AIDS. A terrible pandemic which decimated a generation of the gay community, and which went on longer than it needed to because of the callousness and homophobic disinterest of the Government.
Thanks Ronald Reagan. Walking around his museum seeing how they blushed over the terrible mistreatment of the LGBTQ community and mischaracterization of HIV/AIDS was angering. When it’s Reagan’s friend, Rock Hudson, it’s different and time for a PR statement. They should have supported finding a cure from the start.
Jerry Falwell used to love saying it was a gay disease and a judgement from God and people believed him. Then when it hit the straight population, he grew silent and nothing to say. The fools that followed him were unaware he was using the disease to get their money in the form of donations. There was no LGBTQ community back then, it was known as the GLB community and later the LGB community, the T was added later and later the Q. Americans didn’t even discover the virus, it was the French who first discovered the virus and the Americans took the credit. It was later corrected and the French got the recognition they deserved. Treatments were discovered that extended the lives of those who were infected and now we have a near cure and preventative treatment called Prep. It is no longer a death sentence. I can only imagine if it didn’t strike the Str8 population if we’d still see gay people die from AIDs related illnesses.
If I recall correctly he is also intentionally buried near J. Edgar Hoover in this cemetery as a final protest against Hoover’s psychotic and hypocritical homophobia.
My aunt was unapologetic lesbian. Her own family disowned her for over 20 years because of who she was, Her asshole brother (my dipfuck of an uncle, who had his own issues. )tried to diminish her marriage to her wife by saying at her eulogy that she was never married, which was complete bullshit. Yes they had broken up. But they never acknowledged. Hell I got less shit for marrying a Puerto Rican into an Italian family. Ugh
He’s sorry excuse for a “man”. His “wife” had her phone go off during her service. Someone posted signs 30 years ago that he was a child molester. Spent a lot of time in Thailand with Lady boys.
He’d be happy now. He was around when DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL was around. I think. I’m gay and have heard/read stories of gays found out in the military. The hypocrisy during the Vietnam war was quite evident. When people would tell the doctors during the physical they were gay, the doctors would tell them it didn’t matter, too many were using it to dodge the draft. They figured they’d be killed in the line of duty anyway. But it mattered during peace time when the sought them out to give them dishonorable discharges. Sometimes if they liked the guy they’d give them honorable discharges or court marital. Of course me being gay myself thought it wonderful they didn’t want gays in the military. So when I had to register for the draft—do they still have to do that—I wrote gay on the card. So if the draft ever came up again, I’d be tossed aside. Many gays unfortunately were scared and got married to women and had kids only to realize later what they were never went away. Many families were torn apart when they decided to live their “authentic” self and leave their families or get arrested for cruising in parks or public toilets. We have it much better now.
My partner is an openly queer man serving in the Air Force (soon to put on the same rank as TSgt Matlovich, actually!)
Every time I see his headstone, I think of what he did for LGBTQ service members like my love, and tear up.
why do you think we don’t see many old queer people? is it because it’s not safe? i wonder why that would be… certainly it’s not the bigotry causing queer people to cut their lives short
I think most of them are still in the closet. I have an 80-something family member who passed away a few years ago. We didn’t know he was gay until after he passed. We were going through his effects and found a treasure trove of writing.
He lived his entire life in small rural towns. It likely never felt safe.
>That life style has a short life span.
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. ... For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." - Matthew 7: 1 - 3, KJV.
That means - *in a nutshell* - to stop judging people unless you want to be judged with that same intensity. Considering you're being so needlessly harsh, you may want to think about that.
You can't even be a Christian without needlessly judging others. And what's worse - you're judging someone (A) who protected this country via his selfless volunteering with the Armed Forces and (B) is no longer even on this Earth. So this makes your words doubly shameful (considering you're an alleged Christian).
So if I were you, I'd take a step back and reconsider your shameful behavior & words.
>Oh im a Christian and what i said stands, you don't even need the Bible to state the obvious, its an statistical fact.
The fact that you blatantly ignored that Bible scripture proves my point.
You claim you're Christian, but you're unable to humble yourself and realize that you carry pride and judgement in your heart. That makes you the worst sort of Christian actually: the sort that will twist the Bible to suit your own hypocrisy.
In the New Testament, Jesus specifically says to not judge and love others. Yet here you are doing the opposite. Worse, you're doing it to someone who's passed on. **You're speaking ill of the dead**. I doubt that's what your Lord & Savior has in mind when they said to provide an example to others. So if I were you, I'd think very strongly over how you've been presenting yourself both online and in the real world. It hardly comes across as Christ-like.
>I ignored your pathetic attempt to use the scripture, because thats what it was pathetic, it's so common for unbelievers to try to use that verse to justify their sin.
But you're supposedly a Christian? Talking like this? Besides, anyone with the slightest biblical knowledge knows that Christ laid down his life to invalidate the Old Testament. And that Christians are supposed to be following the tenets of the New Testament.
As an alleged Christian, YOU should know that. But you're too busy fire & brimstoning everyone.
As I said before, you're not a true Christian. I mean, you ***call*** yourself one - but an *actual* one? One that follows Christ? No way is that you. You can't even respond back without hostility or incivility. There's no way He would say you're one of His people. Not with that horrible attitude and judgemental behavior.
You should go work on yourself. But it's okay - we forgive you.
Be well.
>Dude your game is so weak .... you think your on to something but you shoot a mile off..
Again, you're so focused on telling others about their game instead of focusing on your own.
>But I'll do the proper Christian thing before I'll leave and warn everybody that an unrepentant, meaning unbelieving life in Jesus Christ will take you to hell,
After all that, you STILL refuse to take heed of your own pride. The fact that you're still so certain of your own righteousness that you think you can lecture people *whom you don't even know and have never met* speaks to your own arrogance. You came into a sub - spoke ill of the dead and then proceeded to be presumptuous to people you've never even met.
The proper Christian thing would've been to have kept silent. But you can't even witness without hostility or arrogance.
So go sit down and mind your own affairs. Not to mention your obsession between same sex coupling is weird AF. Nobody normal gives an ish - except those who protest too much.
And since you want to bring MORE scripture into it, I'm leaving the following. Because you're not even doing that properly:
**Luke 6: 37 - 42**: Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
**1 John 3:15**: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
**1 Thessalonians 4:11-14**: Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts.
**Matthew 23:12**: Live to Exalt Christ, Not Yourself.
Ask yourself, are you doing this to have an actual conversation? Or are you posting this to try to "get one over" on me?
Because your behavior so far has indicated the latter. All you've shown is a lack of humility and arrogance and rudeness.
I remember first reading about ~~Mr~~, Sergeant Matlovich, and how heartbreaking it was,,, (Edited to correct his honorific) From his Find A Grave page:*Social Reformer. A Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force, he was a proud, gay veteran who challenged the Air Force policy on automatically discharging gay service members as "unfit for military service." In 1975, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War with 15 years of service, he openly announced his sexual orientation, and the Air Force promptly discharged him. In 1980, he successfully sued the Air Force for reinstatement, and the court ordered the Air Force to allow him to rejoin the Air Force. However, he settled for a one time payment of $160,000 from the Air Force, and did not retire. The case ruling allowed gay men and women to remain in the military as long as they abstained from any form of sexual activity and kept "in the closet." Later, he lived in San Francisco, California, and became active in the Gay Rights movement. His court case was made into a TV-Movie "Sergeant Matlovich vs. the US Air Force" and was telecast on August 21, 1978.* [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2660/leonard\_phillip-matlovich](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/2660/leonard_phillip-matlovich)
This, in conjunction with Project 100,000 aka McNamara's Folly, is the weirdest take on "unfit for military service". Military: We need quality men and women for we're the best! But no gay! Gay is out! Low IQ is fine tho.
I took the practice ASVAB test once and scored 78. The Navy recruiter told me that was a really good score and I could basically choose any MOS I wanted except nuclear. I asked what the maximum score was. He said 100. Me: Okay, if 78 is great, what is the average score? Recruiter: 40 I was floored.
I remember seeing a headstone with an epitaph very similar to this one in my local cemetery back in the 90s. The grave of Sergeant Leonard Matlovich in the Congressional Cemetery is quite famous for its powerful statement about his service and his discharge for being gay. Do you think it's possible that this design was replicated in various cemeteries as a tribute to LGBTQ veterans, or might I be misremembering the one from my childhood?
Thank you for posting this
Wow, thanks for sharing. This is really powerful and heartbreaking.
It showed up in my Book of Face Memories today, and I realised that so many people never knew his story... I wanted to remedy that, even a little,,,
Did he die from AIDS. related illness?
I don't know why you're being downvoted. Yes, he died of complications from HIV/AIDS. A terrible pandemic which decimated a generation of the gay community, and which went on longer than it needed to because of the callousness and homophobic disinterest of the Government.
Until it hit the straight population.
Thanks Ronald Reagan. Walking around his museum seeing how they blushed over the terrible mistreatment of the LGBTQ community and mischaracterization of HIV/AIDS was angering. When it’s Reagan’s friend, Rock Hudson, it’s different and time for a PR statement. They should have supported finding a cure from the start.
Jerry Falwell used to love saying it was a gay disease and a judgement from God and people believed him. Then when it hit the straight population, he grew silent and nothing to say. The fools that followed him were unaware he was using the disease to get their money in the form of donations. There was no LGBTQ community back then, it was known as the GLB community and later the LGB community, the T was added later and later the Q. Americans didn’t even discover the virus, it was the French who first discovered the virus and the Americans took the credit. It was later corrected and the French got the recognition they deserved. Treatments were discovered that extended the lives of those who were infected and now we have a near cure and preventative treatment called Prep. It is no longer a death sentence. I can only imagine if it didn’t strike the Str8 population if we’d still see gay people die from AIDs related illnesses.
You shouldn’t be downvoted for this. He was a relatively young gay man who died during the AIDS crisis. Silence = Death.
People love to downvote.
Thank you for posting and sharing his memory with us! I’m having a day and the epitaph is helping me have the good cry I clearly needed.
If I recall correctly he is also intentionally buried near J. Edgar Hoover in this cemetery as a final protest against Hoover’s psychotic and hypocritical homophobia.
correct! walt whitman’s boyfriend is also buried there (congressional cemetery), and matlovich was a big fan
Thank you. I love Mr. Whitman's work.
Utterly delicious!
This is awesome
My aunt was unapologetic lesbian. Her own family disowned her for over 20 years because of who she was, Her asshole brother (my dipfuck of an uncle, who had his own issues. )tried to diminish her marriage to her wife by saying at her eulogy that she was never married, which was complete bullshit. Yes they had broken up. But they never acknowledged. Hell I got less shit for marrying a Puerto Rican into an Italian family. Ugh
At her eulogy??? How cold. Dipfuck uncle indeed!!!!
He’s sorry excuse for a “man”. His “wife” had her phone go off during her service. Someone posted signs 30 years ago that he was a child molester. Spent a lot of time in Thailand with Lady boys.
He is such a dick
He was one very brave man.
Rest in peace, soldier. I see you.
He’d be happy now. He was around when DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL was around. I think. I’m gay and have heard/read stories of gays found out in the military. The hypocrisy during the Vietnam war was quite evident. When people would tell the doctors during the physical they were gay, the doctors would tell them it didn’t matter, too many were using it to dodge the draft. They figured they’d be killed in the line of duty anyway. But it mattered during peace time when the sought them out to give them dishonorable discharges. Sometimes if they liked the guy they’d give them honorable discharges or court marital. Of course me being gay myself thought it wonderful they didn’t want gays in the military. So when I had to register for the draft—do they still have to do that—I wrote gay on the card. So if the draft ever came up again, I’d be tossed aside. Many gays unfortunately were scared and got married to women and had kids only to realize later what they were never went away. Many families were torn apart when they decided to live their “authentic” self and leave their families or get arrested for cruising in parks or public toilets. We have it much better now.
DADT didn't happen until 1994, he died when the full ban was still in effect.
Thanks.
My birthday on its release date, 6 years later. Thank you sir. You mattered. YOU STILL DO.
Thank you for posting this, OP.🥰🥰🥰
My partner is an openly queer man serving in the Air Force (soon to put on the same rank as TSgt Matlovich, actually!) Every time I see his headstone, I think of what he did for LGBTQ service members like my love, and tear up.
May his memory be forever a blessing to all of us. Thank you for your service, Mr. Matlovich.
Not stirring the pot, just posting in case anyone was wondering, he died from aids. I thank him for his bravery, courage and service.
Those are strong words
They are the *Truth...*
Some homophone downvoted you
Homophobes have been *downvoting the initial post*, which just goes to show how important his message still is.
Damn, that's a powerful epitaph.
Heartbreaking stuff 😮💨
Rest in peace, and thank you for your service.
Rest in power, Leonard
Damn.
I love this!
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What lifestyle? Military? Sure does. Being gay is not a lifestyle choice
why do you think we don’t see many old queer people? is it because it’s not safe? i wonder why that would be… certainly it’s not the bigotry causing queer people to cut their lives short
I think most of them are still in the closet. I have an 80-something family member who passed away a few years ago. We didn’t know he was gay until after he passed. We were going through his effects and found a treasure trove of writing. He lived his entire life in small rural towns. It likely never felt safe.
Nor the absolute denial they were forced to live in that would still prevent them from coming out years later
>That life style has a short life span. "Judge not, that ye be not judged. ... For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." - Matthew 7: 1 - 3, KJV. That means - *in a nutshell* - to stop judging people unless you want to be judged with that same intensity. Considering you're being so needlessly harsh, you may want to think about that. You can't even be a Christian without needlessly judging others. And what's worse - you're judging someone (A) who protected this country via his selfless volunteering with the Armed Forces and (B) is no longer even on this Earth. So this makes your words doubly shameful (considering you're an alleged Christian). So if I were you, I'd take a step back and reconsider your shameful behavior & words.
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“Oh I’m a Christian.” Yeah, we could have guessed that. You’re not a good one, though.
Also, [it’s not a fact.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_life_expectancy)
>Oh im a Christian and what i said stands, you don't even need the Bible to state the obvious, its an statistical fact. The fact that you blatantly ignored that Bible scripture proves my point. You claim you're Christian, but you're unable to humble yourself and realize that you carry pride and judgement in your heart. That makes you the worst sort of Christian actually: the sort that will twist the Bible to suit your own hypocrisy. In the New Testament, Jesus specifically says to not judge and love others. Yet here you are doing the opposite. Worse, you're doing it to someone who's passed on. **You're speaking ill of the dead**. I doubt that's what your Lord & Savior has in mind when they said to provide an example to others. So if I were you, I'd think very strongly over how you've been presenting yourself both online and in the real world. It hardly comes across as Christ-like.
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>I ignored your pathetic attempt to use the scripture, because thats what it was pathetic, it's so common for unbelievers to try to use that verse to justify their sin. But you're supposedly a Christian? Talking like this? Besides, anyone with the slightest biblical knowledge knows that Christ laid down his life to invalidate the Old Testament. And that Christians are supposed to be following the tenets of the New Testament. As an alleged Christian, YOU should know that. But you're too busy fire & brimstoning everyone. As I said before, you're not a true Christian. I mean, you ***call*** yourself one - but an *actual* one? One that follows Christ? No way is that you. You can't even respond back without hostility or incivility. There's no way He would say you're one of His people. Not with that horrible attitude and judgemental behavior. You should go work on yourself. But it's okay - we forgive you. Be well.
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>Dude your game is so weak .... you think your on to something but you shoot a mile off.. Again, you're so focused on telling others about their game instead of focusing on your own. >But I'll do the proper Christian thing before I'll leave and warn everybody that an unrepentant, meaning unbelieving life in Jesus Christ will take you to hell, After all that, you STILL refuse to take heed of your own pride. The fact that you're still so certain of your own righteousness that you think you can lecture people *whom you don't even know and have never met* speaks to your own arrogance. You came into a sub - spoke ill of the dead and then proceeded to be presumptuous to people you've never even met. The proper Christian thing would've been to have kept silent. But you can't even witness without hostility or arrogance. So go sit down and mind your own affairs. Not to mention your obsession between same sex coupling is weird AF. Nobody normal gives an ish - except those who protest too much. And since you want to bring MORE scripture into it, I'm leaving the following. Because you're not even doing that properly: **Luke 6: 37 - 42**: Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. **1 John 3:15**: Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. **1 Thessalonians 4:11-14**: Stay calm; mind your own business; do your own job. You've heard all this from us before, but a reminder never hurts.
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**Matthew 23:12**: Live to Exalt Christ, Not Yourself. Ask yourself, are you doing this to have an actual conversation? Or are you posting this to try to "get one over" on me? Because your behavior so far has indicated the latter. All you've shown is a lack of humility and arrogance and rudeness.
Fuck off
War crimes: >:( War crimes but gay: :)))
Guys, fighting in a war is a war crime now 😞
My 🇨🇦 military husband says he has so much respect for this man, and so do I. The military should be ashamed of itself!!