“Wild in Love”
The first story I listened to was a love story. It was Bud interviewing his wife, Jackie. It was 1954, and Bud was working as a taxidermist. When Jackie got into his car Bud told her that his pet snake was loose and asked if that was ok. She said, “Of course!” Since then, he knew she was the one. Jackie and Bud worked together during their marriage and were together for 68 years.
This was just a little tale about two people who loved each other for so long and had a lovely life. It was so fun to hear about.
“A Time to Speak”
The story I listened to was bout Sgt Leonard “Mat” Metlovich. He was the first openly gay man to appear on the cover of a national publication, TIME, and he was challenging the military’s ban on gay service members. The story was narrated by his friend, Jeff Dupre. He met Mat at a Thanksgiving dinner. Mat was talking about how they’re looking for people to challenge the gays in military laws. He is an officer, has a good record, and has awards; he wants to do it. His friends were skeptical. Dupre hadn’t heard from him in since and one day he saw Mat’s face on the cover of TIME magazine. Later, Mat died of Aids. He was discharged from the military. On his grave in DC it says “A gay Vietnam veteran.” The inscription is “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
Listening to this story made me realize how many stories like that are out there. I have never heard of him before, nor have my roommates. It is unfortunate that this hate still goes on today for the queer community. I’m interested to know how many graves may be marked like Leonard Metlovich.
A Community Audio Journal