Democrats to Investigate Military Discrimination against LGBTQ Service Members and Veterans

WASHINGTON D.C. — (09-20-23) — Democrats revive an investigation into discrimination committed by the US Military against the LGBTQ service members and veterans. The DNC marked the 12th anniversary of the repeal of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on Wednesday by relaunching their efforts into investigating the lasting impacts of military policies that discriminated against LGBTQ service members and veterans between 2017 – 2021.

The proposal which as brought forth by Reps. Mark Takano (D-CA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), would create a 15-person commission to study former Department of Defense actions “policing sexual orientation and gender identity in the uniformed services, from the beginning of World War II and onward.”

According to the authors of the proposal, the commission’s job would include investigating the lasting psychological, financial and professional impacts of policies including “don’t ask, don’t tell” that prevented LGBTQ people from serving openly in the military and recommending “appropriate ways” to educate the public about “institutionalized and government-sanctioned discrimination.”

The 15-person commission would be required to issue a report detailing its findings to Congress within one year of its first meeting, including how discharge updates and amendments to military records can be streamlined and how the federal government “may offer an apology” to LGBTQ veterans and their families.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday their new efforts to contact former service members discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” to correct their records.

The legislation proposed Wednesday aims to “forge a more welcoming future in the military and at VA,” Takano, ranking member of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and co-chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said in a statement.

“For decades, Americans made impossible choices of hiding their identity in order to serve our country,” he said. “We are reintroducing this legislation on the anniversary of the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ – a reminder that the wounds of our nation’s history of discrimination against LGBTQ people are still fresh and require remedy.”

Additional members co-sponsoring the proposal are Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Wash.) co-sponsoring the bill in the Senate. The measure has been endorsed by the American Legion, Equality California and the Human Rights Campaign.

“Our country has never made amends for official discriminatory policies like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and the transgender military ban – and that failure still haunts today’s service members and veterans,” said Jacobs, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and vice chair of the Equality Caucus.

Article by: Paul Goldberg, Staff Writer

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