On September 8, 1975, Matlovich appeared on the cover of TIME magazine with the headline, “I Am a Homosexual.” Listen to one of his friends describe seeing the issue on newsstands here. Read early New York Times coverage here and watch Matlovich’s first televised interview from May 26, 1975, here. Matlovich’s case quickly garnered national attention. Credit: Leonard Matlovich Papers (1988-01)/Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society, San Francisco. Letter in which Leonard Matlovich outed himself to Air Force command, March 6, 1975. Matlovich declared his homosexuality to his commanding officer in a letter he hand-delivered on Mayou can read it below. Learn more about Kameny in this episode from Making Gay History’s first season. After 12 years of service, he purposely outed himself, inspired and guided by gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny, who had been looking for a test court case to challenge the military’s ban on homosexuals.

Learn more about Leonard Matlovich on this website dedicated to his memory and in this tribute video. Hear the LGBTQ rights pioneer-and startlingly frank one-time racist-in conversation with Studs Terkel. It was 1975 and it was the first case of its kind.

When Leonard Matlovich was thrown out of the Air Force for being gay, he sued for reinstatement. Credit: Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen, The New York Public Library.