[bright brass music]
- Jeff Dupre: I don't know a lot of people
that called him Leonard.
Everyone called him Mat.
I met him at a Thanksgiving dinner.
We were sitting in the living room and we were watching
Macy's Day Parade on Thanksgiving Day.
He didn't say too much at all until, um,
someone started saying, "Mat, what are you up to?"
And that's when Mat opened up.
He said, "Well, you know, they're looking for a candidate
"to challenge the gays in the military laws.
"They're looking for an officer preferably,
"someone who has a good record
"to make it legal to be in the service and be open.
"I've got these awards from the service.
I think I can do it."
And the guy said, "Mat, no way.
"You're too quiet, you're not out.
You're not ready for that."
Well, the subject changed,
and that was about it for that day.
- David Phillips: Tell me about the day you saw him
on the cover of Time magazine.
- Jeff: I mean, it was pretty wild.
There it was on the rack.
He was glancing up, shiny eyes, curly hair,
with the headline: "I Am a Homosexual."
And I just stared at it.
I just couldn't believe it.
I think even the NBC and the CBS news put that cover
on their TV that night.
And when he called,
all I could do was tell him how proud I was of him.
And then I didn't hear from him for a while.
And he died of AIDS.
He was young, 44 years old.
I didn't even know he was sick.
Before he died, he was discharged.
He lost everything, you know.
No benefits, no nothing.
He was buried in D.C., and, uh,
his headstone does not have his name on it.
It strictly says, "A gay Vietnam veteran."
And the inscription on it is,
"When I was in the military,
"they gave me a medal for killing two men
and a discharge for loving one."
He was the epitome of a perfect soldier.
One of those people that stuck his neck out.
And he was proud to be the person to challenge that law.
["Nirvana" by Chris Zabriskie]