President Biden Pardons Military Members for Gay Sex Convictions
allow former service members convicted under Article 125 to request and receive proof that their conviction has been erased, petition to have their “other than honorable” discharges upgraded, and seek to recover lost pay or benefits.“Today, I am righting an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being themselves,” Biden said in a statement released on Wednesday, June 25. “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.“We have a sacred obligation to all of our service members — including our brave LGBTQI+ service members: to properly prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home.
Today we are making progress in that pursuit.”The White House estimates that several thousand service members will be covered by the pardon, with most of those receiving it having been convicted prior to the implementation of the 1993 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that allowed LGBTQ troops to serve — so long as they remained closeted.That policy was later repealed by Congress in 2011 and signed into law by then-President Obama.Wednesday’s pardon is the third such categorical pardon issued by Biden to grant clemency to a large group of people convicted of particular crimes.
He previously issued categorical pardons in 2022 and 2023 for individuals convicted federally for possessing marijuana.The timing of Biden’s announcement coincides with the celebration of June as Pride Month, coming just days prior to when he is to hold a high-profile fundraiser with LGBTQ donors in New York.It also comes during an election year, when Biden — whose is either even with or trailing former President Donald Trump in most polls — is attempting to shore up support among key Democratic constituencies.Lambda Legal, the organization that advocates.
