Current:Home > ScamsExclusive: Pentagon to review cases of LGBTQ+ veterans denied honorable discharges under "don't ask, don't tell" -Prime Capital Blueprint
Exclusive: Pentagon to review cases of LGBTQ+ veterans denied honorable discharges under "don't ask, don't tell"
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:48:04
Thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans who were kicked out of the military because of their sexuality could see their honor restored under a new initiative the Defense Department announced Wednesday, on the 12th anniversary of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning gays and lesbians from openly serving in the military.
Before the repeal of the ban, tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ service members were forced out of the military "under other than honorable conditions," rather than with an honorable discharge.
As CBS News documented in a nine-month investigation, many LGBTQ+ veterans found that without an honorable discharge, they were deprived of access to the full spectrum of veterans benefits, including VA loan programs, college tuition assistance, health care and some jobs.
In a statement commemorating the anniversary of the repeal, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged the military fell short in correcting the harms of its past policies against LGBTQ+ service members.
"For decades, our LGBTQ+ Service members were forced to hide or were prevented from serving altogether," Austin said. "Even still, they selflessly put themselves in harm's way for the good of our country and the American people. Unfortunately, too many of them were discharged from the military based on their sexual orientation — and for many this left them without access to the benefits and services they earned."
Since the ban was lifted, the military has allowed these LGBTQ+ veterans to try to secure an honorable discharge, but CBS News also found in its investigation that the military's existing process for this is complicated, emotionally taxing and places the burden on the veteran to prove there was discrimination.
To help ease that burden, the Defense Department plans to conduct a review of veterans' records who served under "don't ask, don't tell" for a possible recommendation of a discharge upgrade. This means that these veterans would not have to apply for the upgrade themselves, a process that both veterans and experts have said is often unsuccessful without the help of a lawyer. The department is also launching a website Wednesday with resources dedicated to LGBTQ+ veterans who believe they were wrongfully discharged for their sexuality.
Once the military completes its initial review of veterans' records who served during "don't ask, don't tell," a senior Pentagon official told CBS News it plans to begin looking at the records of veterans who served before that policy — by many accounts, a time of even greater discrimination against gay and lesbian service members.
"Over the past decade, we've tried to make it easier for Service members discharged based on their sexual orientation to obtain corrective relief," Austin also said in his statement. "While this process can be difficult to navigate, we are working to make it more accessible and efficient."
And he said that in the coming weeks, the military will start outreach campaigns to encourage service members and veterans who believe they suffered an injustice because of "don't ask, don't tell" to try to get their military records corrected.
While the full scope of past discrimination remains unknown due to the opaque nature of military records and the widespread use of cover charges to drum out gay and lesbian troops, figures obtained via Freedom of Information Act and shared with CBS News earlier this year revealed that more than 35,000 service members from 1980 to 2011 "received a discharge or separation because of real or perceived homosexuality, homosexual conduct, sexual perversion, or any other related reason." According to the most recent data available from the Pentagon, just 1,375 veterans have been granted relief in the form of a discharge upgrade or correction to their record.
- In:
- LGBTQ+
veryGood! (9983)
Related
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Go inside Hub City Bookshop in South Carolina and meet mascot cat Zora
- Oxford-Cambridge boat racers warned of alarmingly high E. coli levels in London's sewage-infused Thames
- The pool was safety to transgender swimmer Schuyler Bailar. He wants it that way for others
- Louvre will undergo expansion and restoration project, Macron says
- Women's March Madness Elite Eight schedule, TV, predictions and more for Monday's games
- Caitlin Clark delivers again under pressure, ensuring LSU rematch in Elite Eight
- Virginia Seeks Millions of Dollars in Federal Funds Aimed at Reducing Pollution and Electrifying Transportation and Buildings
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Trump’s immigration rhetoric makes inroads with some Democrats. That could be a concern for Biden
Ranking
- A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
- Easter weekend storm hits Southern California with rain and mountain snow
- Bus in South Africa plunges off bridge and catches fire, killing 45 people
- What kind of dog is Snoopy? Here's some history on Charlie Brown's canine companion.
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Go inside Hub City Bookshop in South Carolina and meet mascot cat Zora
- The Black Crowes soar again with Happiness Bastards, the group's first album in 15 years
- Police fatally shoot Florida man in Miami suburb
Recommendation
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Roll Tide: Alabama books first March Madness trip to Final Four with defeat of Clemson
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's impressive rebound puts positive spin on Dodgers' loss
Newspaper edits its column about LSU-UCLA game after Tigers coach Kim Mulkey blasted it as sexist
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
You Won't Hate These 10 Things I Hate About You Secrets Even a Little Bit—Or Even At All
Kraft Heinz Faces Shareholder Vote On Its ‘Deceptive’ Recycling Labels
Stock market today: Asian shares are mixed and Shanghai gains on strong China factory data