President corrects ‘great injustice’ with clemency for military personnel ‘convicted simply for being themselves’

Joe Biden has moved to correct a “great injustice” by pardoning thousands of US veterans convicted over six decades under a military law that banned gay sex.

The presidential proclamation, which comes during Pride month and an election year, allows LGBTQ+ service members convicted of crimes based solely on their sexual orientation to apply for a certificate of pardon that will help them receive withheld benefits.

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It grants clemency to service members convicted under Uniform Code of Military Justice article 125 – which criminalised sodomy, including between consenting adults – between 1951 and 2013, when it was rewritten by Congress.

That includes victims of the 1950s “lavender scare”, a witch-hunt in which many LGBTQ+ people employed by the federal government were viewed as security risks amid fears their sexual orientation made them vulnerable to blackmail. Thousands were investigated and fired or denied employment.

  • snooggumsEnglish
    132·
    6 months ago

    …it’s blackmail leverage ignoring the fact that it’s only blackmail material when the government considers it verboten…

    …it’s smoking with a clearance…

    Smoking with a clearance is only possible blackmail material because the government makes it verboten. Their point stands.

    • credo@lemmy.world
      13·
      6 months ago

      Can’t get a security clearance if you’ve smoked pot within the past 7 years because it’s blackmail leverage

      Their point doesn’t stand. Just report it.