The Pentagon has reached a historic legal settlement with more than 35,000 gay and lesbian military veterans who were discharged because of their sexual orientation, according to CBS News.
The terms of the agreement state that veterans whose discharge papers show that sexual orientation was a reason for dismissal can now avoid a cumbersome legal process and be re-issued paperwork that eliminates any reference to their sexuality. If the veterans were denied an honorable discharge, they will also be eligible for an immediate upgrade review.
In August 2023, veterans filed a federal civil-rights suit over the Defense Department’s failure to grant them honorable discharges or remove biased language specifying their sexuality from their service records following the Obama administration’s repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2011. The lawsuit claimed the Pentagon’s failure to correct this “ongoing discrimination” represents a violation of constitutional rights.
“This proposed settlement delivers long-overdue justice to LGBTQ+ veterans who served our country with honor but were stripped of the dignity and recognition they rightfully earned due to discriminatory discharge policies,” said Legal Aid at Work Senior Staff Attorney Elizabeth Kristen. Legal Aid at Work filed the suit, along with the Impact Fund and the law firms King & Spalding LLP and Haynes & Boone LLP.
CNN noted that the settlement comes months after the Pentagon announced more than 800 veterans were having their discharges upgraded to honorable as part of the Defense Department’s effort to proactively review the records of those discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”