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Slain Houston sailor to be laid to rest
Family of Provost, who was gay, calls death a hate crime

HOUSTON (AP) | Rebecca Armendariz | Jul 10, 11:19 AM

A gay sailor whose death is being called a hate crime by his family is being buried in Houston on Friday.

Seaman August Provost III was found shot multiple times on June 30 as he stood guard at Camp Pendleton north of San Diego.  Investigators are calling his death a random act unrelated to the 29-year-old’s sexuality.

But Provost’s family says he had complained a year before about being harassed for being gay and the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy discouraged him from asking for help. The Houston native joined the Navy in March 2008.

Democratic Rep. Bob Filner of San Diego has called for a Defense Department probe into the death, after leaders of the city’s gay community asked him to intervene.

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