A Medal for Sergeant Matlovich?

Sunday June 22nd marked the 20th Anniversary of the death of Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, USAF. In 1975 Matlovich captured national attention by appearing on the cover of Time Magazine in his Air Force uniform above the banner headline: "I Am a Homosexual." His openness and honesty marked the first time many Americans ever considered the unequal treatment endured by gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members.

In his latest Huffington Post blog, SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis examines legacy left by Matlovich and considers why SLDN continues to fight for open and honest military service.

Click here to visit Huffington Post and learn more about the need for principled leadership, and why Sarvis is telling the President that there should be “A Medal for Sergeant Matlovich?”

-Victor Maldonado

Remembering Leonard Matlovich

SLDN marks the 20th anniversary of the death of retired Air Force Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich by renewing its call for repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning military service by gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans. Matlovich, who appeared on the September 8, 1975 cover of Time magazine over the headline “I Am a Homosexual: The Gay Drive for Acceptance,” was the first person to challenge the ban on openly gay men and women in uniform, and a hero to the LGBT community.

Matlovich passed away on June 22, 1988 and was buried in Congressional Cemetery. Upon his headstone, carved in stone lie the words which will forever be his legacy, "When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one."

-Adam Ebbin