Brett Mathews, Utah man who fought ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ in court, dies at 49

Mathews’ conflict with his Latter-day Saint family was chronicled in a documentary that played at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

(Deepfocus Productions) Brett Matthews, as an Air Force ROTC student at Utah State University in the 1990s. Matthews, who fought the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy when he was discharged from the U.S. Air Force in 1998, died Aug. 24, 2021, in his home in Tooele, Utah, at age 49.

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Sean P. MeansCulture, Food & Business Editor

Sean P. Means has been reporting and editing for The Salt Lake Tribune since 1991 — including 25 years as movie critic. Since 2018, he has reported on arts and culture reporter, and breaking news — and was part of The Tribune’s COVID-19 reporting team. He reviews movies for MovieCricket.net and X96’s “Radio From Hell” program.