SERGEANT MATLOVICH VS. THE U.S. AIR FORCE (TV)

Summary

This made-for-television film depicts Technical Sergeant Leonard "Mat" Matlovich's 1975 fight to remain in the United States Air Force after coming out as gay.

The program begins as Mat heads to an official hearing, having challenged the statute that requires the discharge of "practicing homosexuals" from the Air Force, surrounded by reporters and friends. The government representative, Lieutenant Colonel Applegate, requests a voir dire to determine the board members' impartiality; he questions each one in turn about their religious, moral and personal feelings about gays and their ability to serve efficiently in the military. At the same time, Mat recalls his experience coming out to his mother, who reacts with disapproval and then tells him that he must tell his father the truth in person, as well as his attempts to date women. After the voir dire, Mat's co-counsel Susan Hewman states that the case should be dismissed as un-Constitutional, as he has the right to privacy and equal protection under the law; the judge denies her claim. Over lunch, Hewman and the other counselors, Addlestone and Captain Larsen Jaenicke, discuss the need to change only three of the five judges' minds in order to win their case.

Later, Sgt. Gilmore testifies that he is good friends with Mat and believes that he makes a particularly good race relations instructor because of his personal experiences with prejudice. In the past, Mat spends time with a black couple, Collins and Amy, and admits that he previously believed in "negro inferiority" but is now working to expand his mind. He tells them about his longtime love of the Air Force, and while serving in Vietnam, Mat gets into a conflict with a fellow soldier who brings two underage girls back to the barracks. He talks with a priest, Father Veller, upset that he did not do more to stop the incident, though Veller guesses that something deeper is troubling him. While out at a bar, Mat's good friend Jason attempts to entice him into a double date with two women, though Mat seems deeply uncomfortable and tells Jason that he has "his own standards." The other men discuss their sexual exploits in crude terms, and Mat complains to Veller about their behavior, suggesting that their "disgusting" antics are intended to hide their homosexuality, which Mat says he finds intolerable. Mat then tells Jason that he has applied for a transfer to become an instructor stateside. Back in the courtroom, several other Air Force members comment on his leadership skills and abilities. Applegate grows annoyed with the "amateur" line of questioning and demands a closed session. Two of the judges, Colonel Grand and Major Holloway, are deemed insufficiently impartial and kicked off the board.

Lt. Col. Teasdale explains how Mat developed an interest in race relations while working as a drug counselor, and describes how he received a letter from Mat openly acknowledging his homosexuality and comparing his conflict with the military to "Brown vs. the Board of Education." Captain Marsh, refusing to believe that a gay man could have such an esteemed record, accuses Mat of "kidding around" and then offers to ignore the letter entirely, though Mat stands firm. Teasdale states that he restricted Mat to office duty after the letter, declaring that he has "no place in the Air Force." At home, Mat deals with hate mail and his parents' discomfort with the media attention to the case, though Dr. Money from Johns Hopkins then testifies that homosexuality is no longer considered an "illness" and that Mat has proven himself able to handle pressure. In Vietnam, Mat is seriously injured by a landmine, though when his parents visit him at the hospital, he explains that he has had time to do some profound thinking and has decided to reenlist. He denies having "homosexual tendencies" on the required form, though Money suggests that he was celibate at the time and had not yet accepted his orientation. In an attempt to "unlearn" past prejudices, Mat takes his race-relations class to a drag club, where he nervously chats with one of the performers; he later encourages his class to consider people as individuals rather than in broad stereotypes. Later, he counsels a young addict, Diego, and reflects uncomfortably on his own self-loathing and internalized homophobia.

Mat is crushed when Veller is killed in combat and in desperation comes out to Jason, though Jason reacts with discomfort. Seeing the suicidal depths of his friend's unhappiness, however, Jason apologizes and offers his support. Mat later talks to a psychiatrist about his long-hidden emotions, acknowledging that there are parts of him that "have never been nurtured." He begins visiting gay bars and making new friends, and he later tells his psychiatrist that he has decided to come out to the Air Force and fight for his right to stay in. He points out the irony of his teaching race relations while being denied equal treatment. Dr. Pomeroy states that Mat can serve as a positive role model to other soldiers, adding that he cannot "influence" young students' orientations with his mere presence. Mat then prepares to take the stand, knowing that he will be questioned harshly; he is surprised by a visit from his father, who acknowledges that Mat's actions have caused him to question his past beliefs, assuring his son that he still loves him despite his initial disapproval. On the stand, Mat explains that he accepted his sexuality at age 30 and wants to serve as a good example for the Air Force, though he is not interested in publicity. He refuses to abstain from all future "homosexual acts," stating that the same rules should apply to all soldiers. In their final summations, Applegate cites the Air Force's clear rules about homosexuals, pointing out that they differ from those for civilians. Addlestone counters that Mat's abilities are not remotely compromised by his sexuality and that he, too, has the right to "justice for all." Eventually, the board decides to "less-than-honorably" discharge Mat from the Air Force, though the judge adds that the military "needs to reappraise" its rules regarding sexuality in keeping with the changing times. Commercials deleted.

Details

• NETWORK: NBC
• DATE: 9:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:37:28
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:04523
• GENRE: Drama
• SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection - Drama; Drama; U S Air Force; Legal system and the courts
• SERIES RUN: NBC - TV, 1978
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Thomas W. Moore … Executive Producer
• Paul Leaf … Producer, Director
• Jean Anne Moore … Associate Producer
• John McGreevey … Writer
• Teo Macero … Music by
• Brad Dourif … Cast, Sgt. Leonard Matlovich
• Frank Converse … Cast, Captain Larsen Jaenicke
• William Daniels … Cast, Father Veller
• Stephen Elliott … Cast, Mr. Matlovich
• Rue McClanahan … Cast, Mrs. Matlovich
• Mitch Ryan … Cast, Lieutenant Colonel Applegate
• David Spielberg … Cast, David Addlestone
• Barra Grant … Cast, Susan Hewman
• Alfred Ryder … Cast, Colonel Grand
• Marc Singer … Cast, Jason
• Bill Duke … Cast, Sgt. Langford
• Ellen Holly … Cast, Amy
• Harrison Page … Cast, Collins
• Donald Moffat … Cast, Colonel Benton
• William Bogert … Cast, Major Holloway
• Edward Gallardo … Cast, Diego
• Charles H. Gray … Cast, Colonel McLean
• Rick Goldman … Cast, Sgt. Dunn
• Shaka Cumbuka … Cast, Airman Jones
• Tom Ormeny … Cast, Sgt. Marsh
• Ron McIlwain … Cast, Capt. Marsh
• Bill Dearth … Cast, Timmons
• Stuart Dillon … Cast, Needham
• Jack Bender … Cast, Allcott
• Jean Moore … Cast, Jean
• Gavan O'Herlihy … Cast, Art Stinson
• Steven Anderson … Cast, Reeber
• Michael Fuller … Cast, Money
• Birgit Winslow … Cast, Birgit
• David Milton … Cast, Joe Green
• Harv Selsby … Cast, Airman
• David Ogden Stiers … Cast, G-2 Captain
• Lawrence Howard … Cast, Airman #1
• Jane Ralston … Cast, Teenage Girl
• Roy West … Cast, Teenage Girl's Father
• David Dotson … Cast, Soldier #1
• Otto Felix … Cast, Soldier #2
• Sunya Molina … Cast, Tall Black Woman
• Arnold F. Soboloff … Cast
• Sandy Ward … Cast
• Alice Hirson … Cast
• William Wintersole … Cast
• James E. Brodhead … Cast
• Robert Burgos … Cast
• Jack Stauffer … Cast
• Sal Viscuso … Cast
• Barney McFadden … Cast