Memorial Day: Rememberg Sergeant Leonard Matlovich Ameri's First Openly Gay Soldier

Contents:

• THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY
• TAMMY SMH: FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. GENERAL
• ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS
• MEMORIAL DAY: REMEMBERG TECHNIL SERGEANT LEONARD MATLOVICH AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SOLDIER.
• RERVIST BE FIRST OPENLY GAY US GENERAL
• THE FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. AIR FORCE AMY COMMANDANT
• ERIC FANNG, FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY, CONFIRMED BY U.S. SENATE
• WOMAN BE FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL
• PRINT NOMAT FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY
• THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY U.S. HISTORY
• LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE
• ARMY’S 1ST OPENLY GAY GENERAL CELEBRAT ADVANC DURG PRI OBSERVANCE S. KOREA
• NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW
• TRIAL BY FIRE: MEMOIR OF AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY FIREFIGHTER
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN FIRST MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

THE REVOLUTNARY WAR HERO WHO WAS OPENLY GAY

In an era before gay marriage or open pri, ary men fell love, formed passnate iendships and had same-sex enunters. Historians also thk he was homosexual—and served as an openly gay man the ary at a time when sex between men was punished as a crime.

”After the war, von Stben legally adopted both men—a mon practice among gay men an age before same-sex marriage was legal.

TAMMY SMH: FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. GENERAL

John Mulligan, who was also gay, served as von Stben’s secretary and is thought to have had a relatnship wh the baron. Durg von Stben’s lifetime, the ncept of gay marriage, gay pri or g out was unthkable and there was no language or open culture of homosexualy.

But historil homosexual relatnships were actually don’t mean beg gay was ndoned: Sodomy was a crime lonial Ameri. If you are a gay or lbian member of the ary and have e out sce the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell, " please give a ll and tell your story at 800-989-8255. And I also read that, you know, before you were able to be openly gay the ary that, you know, a lot of thgs had to - everythg you did or thought about had to sort of be planned, a way.

ARMY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL RETIR AFTER SPIRG OTHERS

SMITH: Well - and you characterized that as a gay woman, but I would have to say more jt as a woman the ary, that are there the Hmm. Well, I wanted to ask you, you are - I know that you shy away om this, but you have to know that you are a role mol as a woman, as you said, and also, aga, as a gay woman. So there will be some folks who will look up to me for beg gay - and not so much bee I'm gay, bee that's not really signifint, so much as that I upheld my personal tegry a way that is fortable for me.

Go No - well, first, general, I am ecstatic that you are a general, and you beg gay has nothg to do wh you beg general. And she was reced to Naval Intelligence and live a closeted life, fact, married a gay man when she was telligence so they uld mata their ver.

MEMORIAL DAY: REMEMBERG TECHNIL SERGEANT LEONARD MATLOVICH AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SOLDIER.

Brigadier General Tammy Smh joed om the Pentagon - as of Friday, our natn's first openly gay general. Star and Strip, the Defense Department’s semi-official newspaper, proudly reported that the Army has promoted s first homosexual officer to general stat. The paper add that the ceremony Augt 10, at which Smh was officially promoted, “marks an important tone for gay rights advot, givg the movement s most senr public ary figure.

RERVIST BE FIRST OPENLY GAY US GENERAL

” Acrdg to the New York Tim, Smh, a 26-year Army veteran, married homosexual activist Tracey Hepner March 2011, after they had dated for ne years.

THE FIRST OPENLY GAY U.S. AIR FORCE AMY COMMANDANT

The Tim reported that Hepner is the founr of an anizatn lled Milary Partners and Fai Coaln, which, s webse explas, exists to provi “support, rourc, tn, and advocy for lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr ary partners and their fai. Stars and Strip poted out that Smh has attempted to downplay her notoriety as the first openly homosexual general the U.

ERIC FANNG, FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY, CONFIRMED BY U.S. SENATE

The irony of that ment is that, up until the dismantlg of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) 2011, homosexual behavr had been nsired a vlatn of the valu of Ameri’s fightg force sce the natn’s foundg.

WOMAN BE FIRST OPENLY GAY GENERAL

But the Defense Department has somehow turned homosexualy to a liftyle worthy of celebratn among pockets of the ary.

For example, as reported by The New Amerin, June Defense Secretary Leon Pata released a vio thankg homosexual ary personnel for their service to the natn — both durg and sce the repeal of DADT. “As we regnize pri month, I want to personally thank all of our gay and lbian service members, LGBT civilians and their fai for their dited service to our untry, ” Pata said.

PRINT NOMAT FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY

In July, as reported by The New Amerin, Pata followed up that ngratulatns by allowg ary personnel to march uniform a San Diego “gay pri para, ” an act that is banned by ary regulatns. ), a member of the Senate Armed Servic Commtee, fired off a letter to Pata askg him why he offered a waiver of that prohibn to homosexual personnel, while at the same time allowg a Navy chapla to be punished for wearg his uniform to a pro-life event, or a Mare for attendg a Ron Pl mpaign event his uniform. “If the Navy n punish a chapla for participatg a pro-life event or a Mare for participatg a polil rally, stands to reason that the Defense Department should mata the same standard and preclu service members uniform om marchg a gay pri para, ” Inhofe challenged Pata.

THE FIRST OPENLY GAY ARMY SECRETARY U.S. HISTORY

In a separate statement, Inhofe exprsed his ncern that the Obama admistratn “ntu to force s liberal social agenda on the ary by promotg the homosexual agenda, mandatg the e of high-st green energy iativ, pursug abortn rights, and supprsg the ee exercise of relig liberti.

” By ntrast, said Ray, “there is a two month history of open homosexual polil activy the ary, and senr Pentagon officials are llg this grand social experiment ‘participatg wh fay tradnal ceremoni. Tammy Smh, the ary’s hight-rankg openly gay officer, me out 2012, she has tried beg an example of livg thentilly while also beg a bean of visibily to other Soldiers and their fai.

LATVIA BE 7TH NATN TO BE LED BY AN OPENLY GAY HEAD OF STATE

As difficult as was for her, g out publicly as gay “may not have been as easy for someone who was at a lower rank, ” Smh said an terview last week.

ARMY’S 1ST OPENLY GAY GENERAL CELEBRAT ADVANC DURG PRI OBSERVANCE S. KOREA

“When I me durg the 80s, thgs were different for women and gay people, and now 2021, the societal l are different aga. “People mt fd fort and ph back some of that ternalized homophobia, and build a b on the journey between hont and thentic.

NAVY’S FIRST OPENLY GAY SEAL BUILDS HIS LIFE ANEW

In 1973 Technil Sargent Leonard Matlovich read an terview the Air Force Tim wh gay activist Frank Kameny who had unseled several gays the ary over the years. He lled Kameny Washgton DC and learned that Kameny had long been lookg for a gay service member wh a perfect rerd to create a tt se to challenge the ary’s ban on gay men.

” Matlovich replied, “It means Brown vers the Board of Edutn” bee for Matlovich, his tt of the ary’s ban on homosexuals would be equivalent to that se. At that time, the Air Force had a unique exceptn clse that technilly uld allow gays to ntue to serve unr unfed circumstanc.

TRIAL BY FIRE: MEMOIR OF AMERI’S FIRST OPENLY GAY FIREFIGHTER

(Remember this was LONG before DADT a time when if someone whispered you were gay you’d be discharged whout any fense) An Air Force attorney asked Maltovich if he would sign a document pledgg to “never practice homosexualy aga” exchange for beg allowed to stay the Air Force. He was repeatedly lled upon by gay groups to help them wh fundraisg and advotg agast anti-gay discrimatn, helpg lead mpaigns agast Ana Bryant’s effort Miami, Florida, to overturn a gay nondiscrimatn ordance and John Briggs’ attempt to ban gay teachers California and also later the fight for aquate HIV-AIDS tn and treatment.

"For years, gay and lbian generals and admirals were forced to hi their fai orr to protect their reers. Michelle Johnson’s e-mail to staff, obtaed by the Colorado Sprgs Inpennt, pats a picture of an acplished officer — the former vice manr of the 59th Bomb Wg and wg manr of the 2nd Bomb Wg, wh experience flyg at least a half-dozen different typ of ary aircraft cludg the B-2 Spir stealth is standard, Johnson left Goodw’s personal life out of the bgraphy, although is signifint, as Goodw will be the first openly gay mandant at the amy. The 2010 repeal the Clton-era “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” paved the way to allowg gay members of all branch to marry their partners and extend ary benefs to their fai and allow them to live on ’s likely that Goodw would rather be known for her acplishments as an officer, and for her upg tenure as mandant to be fed by the learship she provis ts, than her personal life.

Neverthels, ’s not signifint that Goodw land this specific Air Force Amy has equently been embroiled ntroversi over accatns that senr lears there have built a zy relatnship wh fundamentalist Christian groups which have tried to dissemate anti-gay doctr at the ’s also relevant that the Air Force Amy is suated jt outsi Colorado Sprgs, which is home to more than 100 evangelil groups cludg Foc on the Fay, a proment anti-LGBT polil lobby anizatn.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS' KEV MAXEN FIRST MALE PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY

Army photoCase pot, when the Army Tim published the headle that Eric Fanng was the first openly gay person to serve as actg secretary of the U.

However, while atten were generally upbeat and optimistic about the future, they weren’t shy about discsg what they saw as ridual homophobia that hadn’t ught up wh the change Sgt.