Biden Offers Gay Vets Clemency Following Green Light for DOD Lawsuit
after a magistrate judge ruled a lawsuit against the Department of Defense over the discharges of gay veterans could move forward.Biden issued a statement on X Wednesday morning announcing the decision.Despite courage and sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.I'm using my clemency authority to pardon certain former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves.
pic.twitter.com/KquoMizp1V— President Biden (@POTUS) June 26, 2024“Today, I am righting an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted for simply being themselves,” the statement read. “Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”READ MORE: After Six Decades, Lesbian Veteran’s Military Discharge Finally Upgraded to ‘Honorable’In this case, clemency only applies to those who were convicted or court-martialed.While in 1993, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy went into effect, LGBTQ service members could serve while in the closet.
Their superiors could not ask if they were gay, but they could not disclose it themselves, either. Those who came out would be discharged, usually with other-than-honorable discharges.However, sodomy was still criminalized in the U.S.
military, meaning that service members could be court-martialed and convicted if they had homosexual sex. Biden’s order affects these service members.The order will also apply to service members who have since died, according to NBC News.This follows the ruling on Friday from Magistrate Judge Joseph C.
