“Sacred obligation”
Biden pardons queer military personnel
26.06.2024, 19:04
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It took more than 60 years for a defamatory military law to be changed in the USA. Only since 2013 have soldiers from the LGBTQI+ community been allowed to live freely and openly. Before that, they were punished for it. The US President now wants to undo this injustice.
US President Joe Biden has pardoned potentially thousands of former military personnel who were punished for consensual same-sex sex. He is correcting a historic injustice, the 81-year-old said. Military personnel were punished for being themselves. “We have a sacred obligation to all of our soldiers – including our brave LGBTQI+ soldiers: to adequately prepare and equip them when they are sent into harm’s way, and to care for them and their families when they return home,” Biden said. “Today we are making progress in that endeavor.”
Those affected are members of the armed forces who were discharged from the military and deprived of their pay and other benefits under a now amended article of a military law that criminalized same-sex sex. The law, which has been in place since 1951, was amended in 2013 and since then only forced acts have been prohibited. Those pardoned can request proof that their convictions have been expunged, request an adjustment of their discharges and request reimbursement of lost benefits.
The president is using his pardon powers during the so-called “Pride Month,” when Christopher Street Day parades are held in many countries around the world. Modern Military, the largest US organization for military personnel who identify under the collective term LGBTQ+ and their families, spoke of a “historic step toward justice and equality” and called on the US military to quickly implement the pardons.
LGBTQ+ stands for sexual minorities such as lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans people, queer people and intersex people. The plus sign is a placeholder for other identities and genders.