by Bob Roehr
Army Lt. Daniel Choi took part in the ceremonies honoring the late Leonard Matlovitch, who in 1975 first put a face to the issues of discrimination for gay people in the military.
WASHINGTON, D.C. –
Four generations of the fight to end the Pentagon's discrimination against gays and lesbians were on display at Congressional Cemetery on Oct. 10 as an adjunct to the National Equality March.
The event centered on Leonard Matlovitch, the man who first put a face on the issue for the American public when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1975. Matlovitch was a Vietnam vet and decorated Air Force when he came out to his commander to fight the policy. He lay in his grave a few yards away from where the ceremony was held in Washington, D.C.
Frank Kameny, a pioneer of the modern gay movement, lied about his sexual orientation to join the Army in 1943. "I have resented for 66 years that I had to lie to my government in order to serve," he said.
In the 1960s, Kameny began to counsel many of the soldiers caught up by in the Pentagon's anti-gay policies. Matlovitch would later seek his help.
"When Leonard came out, he didn't receive a lot of hosannas from our community," said David Mixner, gay political guru and a friend of Matlovitch. "Often, he was a prophet in the wilderness."
Mixner explained his support for President Barack Obama and urged him to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
"He doesn't need an act of Congress, he doesn't need to wait for a paper (to sign repealing the law)," Mixner said. "He can just tell the American people the money is better spent on teaching our children in schools than prosecuting and oppressing our soldiers."
Also speaking at the event were others who challenged various versions of the military gay ban over the years, including Navy pilot Tracy Thorne, Army Sgt. Jose Zuniga and Army Lt. Daniel Choi.
