A group of LGBTQ veterans who sued the Department of Defense last year for denying them honorable discharges because of their sexuality said Monday they had settled with the Pentagon.
The agreement, which still needs a federal judge’s approval, streamlines the process for veterans discharged under “don’t ask, don’t tell” and predecessor policies to eliminate references to their sexual orientation from their discharge paperwork.
Doing so can be a burdensome undertaking that under current standards can stretch on for years. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy and its predecessors prevented LGBTQ people from serving openly in the military.
Gay and lesbian veterans denied an honorable discharge because of their sexuality may be eligible for an expedited upgrade review, according to the agreement, the result of a yearlong legal battle.
Five former service members dismissed from the U.S. military because of their sexual orientation sued the Department of Defense last summer, arguing the agency violated their constitutional rights when it failed to grant them honorable discharges or remove language revealing their sexuality from their service records following the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in 2011.
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