President Joe Biden is issuing a proclamation pardoning thousands of U.S. veterans who were convicted under a military law that banned gay sex, making them eligible to apply for previously withheld benefits.
In a statement early Wednesday announcing the clemency actions, Biden said he was "righting an historic wrong" to pardon former service members "who were convicted simply for being themselves."
The ban held for more than six decades until Congress in 2013 amended the Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 125, which had criminalized consensual sodomy, after the repeal of "don’t ask don’t tell."
"Despite their courage and great sacrifice, thousands of LGBTQI+ service members were forced out of the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Some of these patriotic Americans were subject to court-martial, and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades," Biden said.
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