In 1981, the Department of Defense reaffirmed the ban, and during the 1980s the military branches discharged close to 17,000 men and women under the homosexual category. Air Force after admitting he was gay in 1975. The ban withstood challenges from the growing gay rights movement in the 1970s, including a high-profile lawsuit filed by Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, who was discharged from the U.S. Matlovich was discharged from the service because he was gay.ĭespite this policy, hundreds of thousands of gays and lesbians served in the military throughout the next several decades, keeping silent about their sexual identity for fear of being discharged, losing their veterans’ benefits or worse. Even after significant legal battles, Sgt. United State Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich holds his Honorable Discharge papers at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
