The pentagon announced Tuesday that more than 800 service members who were kicked out of the military under its former “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy have had their records upgraded to honorable discharges, which is the latest round of pardons issued under President Joe Biden’s administration’s and the military’s motions to address the convictions of LGBTQ+ veterans.
President Biden announced in June that he would be issuing pardons to service members convicted under repealed military policies, including the former policy which discriminated against LGBTQ+ soldiers and personnel.
Last year, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of cases of former service members who might have been affected by the policy.
In 1951, the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s Article 125 criminalized consensual gay sex. Former President Bill Clinton modified the military’s policy to “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 1993, which allowed LGBTQ+ troops to serve in the armed forces if they didn’t disclose their sexual orientation.
The policy was repealed in 2011 when congress passed legislation decriminalizing the open service of LGBTQ+ members in the military. In 2013, the 1951 UCMJ code was modified to be limited to nonconsensual gay sex.
Under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” thousands of service members were removed from military service without an honorable discharge, meaning they did not receive the military benefits they would have otherwise, including education benefits, and their ability to apply for jobs or loans.
Following the most recent review and upgrades, the Pentagon has said about 96% of the estimated 13,500 personnel affected by the policy have now received an honorable discharge. While not every case of the 13,500 needed review, some of those personnel reportedly either did not serve long enough to qualify for benefits, they were released with an honorable discharge at the time, they already had their discharges upgraded through other means, or they did not qualify for an upgrade due to other violations.
“We will continue to honor the service and the sacrifice of all our troops — including the brave Americans who raised their hands to serve but were turned away because of whom they love. We will continue to strive to do right by every American patriot who has honorably served their country,” Defense Secretary Austin said in a statement.
Historians estimate at least 100,000 service members were forced out of the military due to their actual or perceived sexuality between World War II and 2011.
