Military Murders

Navy’s August Provost Murdered on Base. Because He Was Gay?

augustprovost

There’s a bizarre story circulating that a gay soldier was murdered in a hate crime attack at Camp Pendleton in Southern California. Houston’s August Provost, 29, was found dead at 3:30am Tuesday morning in a guard shack. Investigators say they’ve detained a “person of interest” and at least one local gay activist (Ben Gomez, head of the San Diego chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights), citing unnamed sources, says Provost — who joined the Navy last year — was killed during an argument with another soldier over Provost’s sexuality. An autopsy has been performed; toxicology test results are forthcoming. The Navy isn’t commenting on whether Provost being gay had anything to do with his death, but Provost was open about his sexuality, at least when it came to his family and his MySpace page. And what’s most interesting? Provost’s murder just happens to coincide with Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying the Pentagon is looking in to how to be more lenient with Don’t Ask Don’t Tell laws for those who are involuntarily outed. Preemptive damage control?

MORE:

Provost’s boyfriend, Kaether Cordero, said yesterday that Provost was openly gay but kept his private life quiet for the most part.

“People who he was friends with, I knew that they knew,” Cordero said from Houston. “He didn’t care that they knew. He trusted them.”

Provost had recently complained to his family that someone was harassing and bothering him, and they advised him to tell his supervisor, said his sister, Akalia.

“He’s the type that if someone comes at him, he walks away. He never stands and argues,” she said. “He didn’t deserve anything but a good life.”

Family described Provost as a well-mannered, humble and goofy guy who strived to make sure his mother was well-taken care of. Provost was assigned to Assault Craft Unit 5 on the base.

He had completed three years of college before joining the Navy in March 2008 to help finance his education. He was studying to become an architectural engineer, his uncle said.

(Photo via Rod 2.0)

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated