Until 2013, same-sex sex was a criminal offense for U.S. military personnel. President Biden has now pardoned all those who were punished for this offense. He said he wanted to “right a historic injustice.”
US President Joe Biden has pardoned potentially thousands of former military personnel who were punished for consensual same-sex sex. “Some of these patriotic Americans were court-martialed and have borne the burden of this great injustice for decades,” he said. They were punished for being themselves. With the pardon, he now wants to “right a historic wrong.”
“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.
What does LGBTQI+ mean?
LGBTQI+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, trans and intersex people. The term queer is a collective term for everyone who is not heterosexual or does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. The plus at the end of the abbreviation is a placeholder for other identities and genders.
Law was in effect from 1951 to 2013
This affects members of the armed forces who were discharged from the military and deprived of their salary 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.
Biden’s move is not only symbolic: Those pardoned can also have their military records subsequently changed and thus apply for an adjustment to their discharges and a refund of lost benefits. The president is using his pardon powers during the so-called Pride Month – when Christopher Street Day parades take place in many countries around the world.
Modern Military – the largest US organization for military personnel who identify under the collective term LGBTQ+ – spoke of a “historic step towards justice and equality” and called on the US military to implement the pardons quickly.