Months After Biden’s Promise to Pardon Thousands of LGBTQ Veterans, Only 8 Have Applied
Advocates say the confines are too narrow and the process too cumbersome, dashing hopes that the president’s act of clemency would erase decades of stigma
September 26, 2024| Anne Marshall-Chalmers
The White House claimed that “thousands” of veterans could benefit when President Biden announced this summer he was issuing pardons to gay veterans who were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation “and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades.”
But three months later, only eight veterans have applied for pardons—six from the Air Force, two from the Army, and none from the Coast Guard, Navy, or Marines.
The dismally low numbers are disappointing advocates who say the promise of Biden’s pardons raised hopes that thousands of LGBTQ veterans would not only lose the stigma of courts-martial but also qualify for long-denied veterans benefits.
The War Horse discovered only eight veterans have applied for pardons since Biden’s June 26 announcement after reaching out over the last two weeks to each branch of the military. The White House did not respond to questions about the lack of applicants or whether it was doing anything more to promote the pardons.
https://thewarhorse.org/few-lgbtq-veterans-apply-for-bidens-promised-pardons/
