Jonathan Spence

This is the burial site of Leonard Matlovich. Following three deployments in Vietnam, Matlovich earned both the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. On March 6, 1975, after a dozen years of service, he handed a letter to his commanding officer, disclosing his homosexuality. Despite his commendable achievements and outstanding military record, Matlovich was declared unfit for service and promptly discharged. He initiated a legal battle to regain his position, swiftly becoming a prominent figure in the gay rights movement during a period when LGBT advocacy was still striving for recognition in the United States. Here's an excerpt from Matlovich's conversation with Studs Terkel, just a few months following his discharge: "My philosophy now is that everyone in the world should be allowed to do what they want, when they want, where they want to do it, as long as what they're doing does not violate the rights of another human being.” "What two consenting adults do in their bedroom is their business and no one else's. And for someone to put them down or... Just that two men can touch and love and have feelings of to want and be wanted and to need and be needed and to desire and be desired and just to love and be loved, I think is very, very beautiful. And that parents growing up today will give our little children guns, and we are very proud of them when they play Cowboys and Indians and run around. But when they show emotions and, and love, and two little boys touch, people get uptight, and they're so afraid that their child may, may love. It's very sad."