The Pentagon will ramp up efforts to identify service members discharged because of their sexual orientation during the “don’t ask/don’t tell” era, with the goal of helping them correct their military records, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday.
Mr. Austin said that troops who were discharged because of their sexual orientation during that 17-year period — which began under President Clinton in 1994 and lasted until 2011, when the policy was repealed by President Obama — may not have access to health benefits and other services they deserve.
“For decades, our LGBTQ+ service members were forced to hide or were prevented from serving altogether,” Mr. Austin said in a statement Wednesday. “Over the past decade, we’ve tried to make it easier for service members discharged based on their sexual orientation to obtain corrective relief,” he said. “While this process can be difficult to navigate, we are working to make it more accessible and efficient.”
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