Why did August Provost die?

OCEANSIDE, Calif.--About 150 people attended a vigil July 10 to call attention to the death of Seaman August Provost at the Camp Pendleton Marine base north of San Diego--and to call for an independent investigation into what happened.

Provost was shot to death on June 30--his body was found in a Camp Pendleton guard shack, which his attacker or attackers apparently attempted to burn down. Provost was 29 years old, Black and gay.

Although questions remain as to whether this was a hate crime, LGBT activists aren't waiting for the Navy to complete its own "investigation"--which, if it's anything like the investigations routinely promised after war crimes committed by U.S. forces overseas, will simply sweep this issue aside.

With its anti-gay "don't ask, don't tell" policy losing support, the military brass will be loathe to admit that they have fostered such a level of homophobia that the result can be fratricide.

One thing that is beyond a doubt is that Provost served a very difficult year as a semi-closeted gay sailor. On his MySpace page, he wrote that he longed for "the love of [his] life" back home in Austin, Texas.

After hearing of their son's death, Provost's parents commented that Provost was distressed by the harassment he received on base. Of course, he was unable to report any of this to his superiors for fear of exposure and discharge.

"'Don't ask, don't tell' needs to be completely obliterated," said Lisa Kove, director of DOD FED GLOBE, an organization seeking to end discrimination against LGBT employees at the Pentagon. Addressing the crowd gathered to hold candles and signs along a busy stretch of road near Camp Pendleton, Kove continued:

Had it not existed, this man might have had a chance of a decent last year of life. But instead, day in and day out, he faced harassment. What we should demand is not only an investigation into his murder, but also into his final year, where he was continually harassed for being an African American gay man.

It will take a determined and persistent movement to ensure that a legitimate investigation into this murder takes place. Fortunately, over the past months since the passage of the anti-gay Proposition 8, a groundswell of LGBT activism has led to a blossoming of organization in the San Diego area. Two days after the vigil, another LGBT rights march was dotted with signs remembering Provost, and activists marching in Saturday's Pride parade are making repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" a key demand.

The movement here won't forget August Provost. His murder is a reminder of the deadly effects of anti-gay policies, and of the urgent need to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." As Kove continued at the Camp Pendleton vigil, "President Obama asked us to make him do what he'd promised. Mr. President, what more do you want from us? We've been shouting for this repeal, but you waited, and now we lost one of our own."