In 1991, a small group of Portland residents, under the leadership of Ron McClinton and Lois Galgay Reckitt, created the Matlovich Society. The Matlovich Society was named in honor of the decorated Vietnam-war veteran Leonard Matlovich who had faced administrative discharge from the armed forces in 1975 for homosexuality. When Matlovich died of AIDS in 1988, his tombstone read: “When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.” Three years later, the Matlovich Society of Portland was born.

The purpose of the Matlovich Society was to build community through bi-weekly lectures offered by locally and nationally prominent figures. The offices of the Society were located here at 72 Pine St., though the lectures organized by the group took place at the Holiday Inn by the Bay on Spring Street.

Matlovich speakers included novelists, scholars, and activists. Community member Scott Hanson observes that “The Matlovich Society connected Portland to national gay activism and started educating our local community about gay history in a way that hadn’t been available before.” According to another community member, Mike Blanchard, some of the topics discussed proved controversial: “Ron McClinton had presentations on difficult things and started to get resistance. The MLGPA (the Maine queer civil rights organization) felt threatened and sent him a letter firing him from their board. One of the things we learned was that, around some political issues, we weren’t all in alignment.”

Still, the Matlovich Society provided an important new opportunity for queer people in Maine to come together. As Scott Hansen observes, “Matlovich was one of the first times in Portland there was a gay community gathering point outside of bars and sobriety meetings. You could be a drunk and be a member, you could be sober and be a member, you could be neither and be a member. Anyone was welcome. It was a place to gather and to learn.” Mike Blanchard echoes that sentiment recalling that “Ron McClinton was gay, sober, and happy. And I couldn’t get those three things in the same zip codes, you know? He was an incredible influence.”

During its 8 years of operation, the local impact of the Matlovich Society was considerable. As one young woman wrote to the organizers, “I was 22, new to the city, very closeted, and extremely afraid when I attended my first Matlovich Society meeting. My life started changing for the better since that day.”

Sources

Kerins, Joel, “Hanson, Scott” (2024). Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection. 122. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/querying_ohproject/122

Matlovich Society. (1995). Matlovich Society brochure [brochure advertising a calendar of events, featuring the Society’s statement of purpose]. Larry Bliss Collection (LGMS 22, box 5, folder 35). Special Collections, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

Matlovich Society. (n.d.). Matlovich Society mail. Larry Bliss Collection (LGMS 22, box 5, folder 36). Special Collections, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

Our Paper. (1992). In Memorium: K. Ronald McClinton. [obituary of K. Ronald McClinton]. Larry Bliss Collection (LGMS 22, box 5, folder 35). Special Collections, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME.

Wert, Micaiah, “Blanchard, Mike” (2022). Querying the Past: LGBTQ Maine Oral History Project Collection. 86. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/querying_ohproject/86

Winthrop, Barbara. “The Phenomenon of the Matlovich Society: Ron’s Gift” (1992). Our Paper, June, Vol. 9, No. 10. Special Collections, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/our_paper_sac/103/