Oliver Sipple

Oliver Wellington Billy Sipple was a decorated US Marine and Vietnam War veteran. On September 22, 1975, he bumped Sara Jane Moore as she fired a pistol at US President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, causing her to miss. The subsequent public revelation that Sipple was gay turned the news story into a cause clbre for LGBT rights activists, leading Sipple to unsuccessfully sue several publishers for invasion of privacy.

Oliver Wellington Sipple was born in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the United States Marine Corps and fought in Vietnam. Shrapnel wounds suffered in December 1968 caused him to finish out his tour of duty in a Philadelphia veterans hospital, from which he was released in March 1970. Sipple, who was closeted in his hometown of Detroit had met Harvey Milk back in New York and had participated in San Franciscos gay pride parades and gay rights demonstrations. Sipple was active in local causes, including the historic political campaigns of openly gay City Council candidate Milk. The two were friends and Sipple would also be later described as a prominent figure in the gay community who had worked in a gay bar and was active in the Imperial Court System.

Source: Wikipedia