Pentagon grants ousted LGBTQ vets full benefits

LGBTQ veterans say goodbye to the US military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 2011

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

published 16 October 2024

What happened

The Pentagon said Tuesday that more than 820 LGBTQ veterans kicked out of the military under the now-defunct "don't ask, don't tell" policy had been upgraded to honorable discharges following a yearlong review ordered by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. About 96% of the roughly 13,500 service members affected by the policy, in place from 1994 to 2011, have now received honorable discharges, the Defense Department said.

"Don't ask, don't tell" was former President Bill Clinton's compromise fix for "nearly eight decades of discrimination against LGBTQ members of the armed forces," The Washington Post said. "Up to that point, more than 100,000 people had been kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation," and Clinton's policy meant gay people could serve, "but only if they kept their sexuality a secret."

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Veterans Affairs Department spokesperson Terrence Hayes said the government is contacting the veterans upgraded to honorable discharges and "will work with each individual to ensure they are getting the full suite of health care and benefits they deserve." The Pentagon has "no formal plans to look into additional cases," The New York Times said, but officials said "anyone who was discharged because of their sexual orientation was still eligible to apply for a review to potentially have their status upgraded."

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.