ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - On September 8, 1975, a veteran from Savannah, Georgia took a major stand against anti-gay military policies with a Times magazine cover.

The man was Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich. The headline of the decorated veteran’s magazine cover read “I am a homosexual.”

At the time, openly queer people were implicitly banned from serving in the military, and veterans were often discharged for “homosexual acts.”

Matlovich’s cover and his highly-publicized, winning lawsuit against the U.S. Air Force was a milestone for gay rights, especially for service members.

Just nine years before his death, Matlovich’s discharge was upgraded to honorable. He died in 1988 at just 44 years old and was buried with full military honors in Washington D.C.

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