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.

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.

  • @Madison420@lemmy.world
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    361 year ago

    My boss was talking about wanting them all investigated for sex crimes. Just like… How is that a good use of tax money? More funny is the fact that he doesn’t believe taxation should be a thing…

    • Chaotic Entropy
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      1 year ago

      He’d prefer to just form an orderly mob, I guess? Much cheaper and so traditional.

        • Chaotic Entropy
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          21 year ago

          A British mob in my eyes would be the sort that forms after a football game and smashes shit up. There would be an alternative name for the fancier kind.