Andrea SannaLGBTQIA veterans of the US military have been given justice.
The controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law – introduced in 1994 by the Clinton presidency and repealed eight years later by the Obama administration – denied LGBTQIA veterans many rights once they left the US military.
A law that required LGBTQIA people who wanted to join the military not to discuss their sexual orientation and LGBTQIA issues with their peers and superiors. If they did, they would be expelled or forced to leave the military, with the consequence that once they left, they would not be able to access various benefits such as assistance with home loans, medical care and even retirement.
In 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed and after almost two years, the Pentagon reached a settlement with over 30,000 LGBTQIA veterans discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
Now, thanks to the settlement, veterans will be able to easily update their records to remove any reference to their sexuality in order to receive an honourable discharge and all the benefits they were previously denied.
This is a historic victory against a homophobic law, but Donald Trump’s election to the White House could have a negative impact on the entire LGBTQIA community in the US. The fight for civil rights continues.
