How many gays in military
The Military Gay Ban: Why Don't Ask, Don't Say Don't Work
In the months of controversy since President Bill Clinton pledged to end the military's ban against homosexuals, this ill-considered idea has been widely rejected. It is clear that the campaign to allow homosexuals to serve openly in the armed forces is failing. Last week, following an exhaustive study, the Pentagon once again concluded that "homosexuality is incompatible with military service."
The same review nevertheless proposes a policy that allows homosexuals to serve if they hold their lifestyle private. Dubbed "don't ask, don't tell," it is unclear if the policy has the support of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn, who is holding hearings to determine whether the current ban should be upheld, altered, or abolished. "Don't ask, don't tell" is a compromise that would prevent recruiters from screening homosexuals at the point of enlistment, and might restrict the services' ability to inspect evidence of homosexuality. Either way, the armed services would be disrupted as commanders scrambled to deal with a fundamental contradiction: a policy that claims that "homosexuality is in
New figures shared exclusively with CBS News are offering a detailed look at the scope of decades of discrimination by the U.S. military against lgbtq+ and lesbian service members, revealing that more than 29,000 individuals kicked out because of their sexuality were denied honorable discharges.
There have long been estimates suggesting about 14,000 service members were separated from the military under "don't ask, don't tell," the policy that banned queer men and women from serving openly from 1994 to 2011, but the military has never before shared a detailed breakdown of how many individuals were denied honorable discharges during and before "don't ask, don't tell," when gays and lesbians were prohibited from serving at all.
The new data, which the nonprofit legal services organization Legal Aid At Work obtained through a Freedom of Information Perform request and shared with CBS News, covers the three decades from 1980 until the federal courts lifted the ban against gay and lesbian soldiers, sailors and airmen in 2010.
According to the information, 35,801 individuals "received a discharge or separation because of real or perceived homosexuality, homosexual conduct, sexual perversion,
The Pentagon has reached a historic legal settlement with more than 35,000 same-sex attracted and lesbian military veterans who were dismissed because of their sexual orientation, and in many cases denied an honorable discharge and the array of services they had earned, CBS News has learned.
Under the terms of the agreement, veterans whose discharge papers reference their sexual orientation as a reason for their separation from the military can now avoid a cumbersome legal process and be re-issued paperwork that eliminates any reference to their sexuality. If they were denied an honorable discharge, they will also be eligible for an immediate upgrade review, the agreement says.
"When I was discharged because of my sexual orientation, I felt that my country was telling me that my service was not valuable – that I was 'less than' because of who I loved," said Sherrill Farrell, a U.S. Navy veteran who was a plaintiff in the case. "Today, I am once again proud to have served my country by standing up for veterans appreciate myself, and ensuring our honor is recognized."
The settlement, which still must accept approval from a federal judge, would resolve the claims from a team of LGBTQ+ vetera
LGBT+ rights in the Armed Forces
A History of Injustice: LGBT+ Veterans and the Armed Forces Ban
Until the year 2000, it was illegal to be openly gay in the British Armed Forces.
You could combat for your country. You could lay down your life. But you couldn’t love someone of the same sex.
The ban on LGBT+ people serving in the military didn’t just deny people the right to serve with dignity—it ruined lives. Veterans were criminalised, dismissed without honours, stripped of medals, missing their pensions, and their reputations. Some were imprisoned. Many more suffered in silence.
This shameful chapter in British military history lasted far too long. But thanks to the bravery of those who stood up and spoke out—often at great personal cost—the tide began to turn.
The Red Arrows fly over Trafalgar Square London during London Pride 2019 - Cpl Adam Fletcher
From Discrimination to Legal Battle
The forbid was rooted in outdated criminal laws, dating advocate to the 1885 Labouchère Amendment, which made male homosexual acts a criminal offence. Despite changing attitudes and partial decriminalisation in 1967, the military exemption remained.
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