The Pentagon recently announced that over 800 military personnel have had their service records upgraded to honorable discharges after being discharged under the former 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy. This move is part of ongoing efforts to rectify past discrimination against LGBTQ service members.
Historically, the 1951 Uniform Code of Military Justice's Article 125 criminalized consensual gay sex. In 1993, President Bill Clinton introduced the 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy, allowing LGBTQ troops to serve as long as they kept their sexual orientation private. This policy was repealed in 2011, granting LGBTQ individuals the right to openly serve in the military. Subsequently, in 2013, the UCMJ code was amended to focus solely on nonconsensual gay sex.
