Last week, the U.S. Air Force announced the lnch of two new diversy and cln programs, cludg a Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and
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AIR FORCE HONORS GAY RIGHTS IN THE SERVICE KICKED OUT 1975
Air Force announced the lnch of two new diversy and cln programs, cludg a Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgenr and Queer/Qutng iative team (LIT) and the Indigeno Natns Equaly Teams (INET). Leonard Matlovich, a Vietnam War veteran wh a distguished service rerd who the Air Force kicked out 1975 after he me out as gay to his mandg officer. The Facebook post mak no mentn of the service otg Matlovich, and stead foc jt on the airman’s role as beg the first service member to publicly out himself for the sake of advancg the gay rights movement.
“Sce Matlovich’s challenge 1975, the ary has e a long way takg steps toward clivy, ” the Air Force wrote s post, referrg to the 2011 repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the policy which forba gay or lbian men and women om servg publicly the ary.
Born to a Catholic Air Force fay Savannah, Geia, Matlovich grew up racist and homophobic, a “whe racist … flag-wavg patrt, ” by his own admissn. I felt Vietnam would do this for me, ” he said, acrdg to the 2007 book Ask and Tell: Gay and Lbian Veterans Speak Out.