SOCIAL JUSTICE BLOG
Read and share the extraordinary stories from the frontlines of social change
Impact Fund & Allies File Class Action Seeking Justice for LGBTQ+ Veterans
Discharge paperwork has significant long-term effects on the lives of veterans. A veteran’s DD-214 serves as their primary record of service. For these LGBTQ+ veterans, proving their military service – for instance, in applying to jobs or applying for veterans’ benefits – effectively amounts to “outing” their sexual orientation. Veterans who received discharges characterized as something other than “Honorable” are also barred from accessing many of the critical benefits available only to veterans with Honorable discharges. This includes healthcare through the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, funding for higher education, home loan financing, job benefits, and more.
LGBTQ+ Veterans Still Suffer Harms From “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Ten Years After Repeal
The repeal of DADT was a cause for celebration, but those service members subject to it still must contend with a loss of valuable benefits, bureaucratic intransigence, and stigmatization. Today, tens of thousands of LGBTQ-identifying veterans are still foreclosed from receiving the benefits they deserve. As the tenth anniversary of DADT’s repeal approaches, there is new movement to address these harms. If you or someone you know is a former service member who served in any branch of the U.S. armed forces, were separated from service for being openly LGBTQ—or because others thought you were—and received anything less than an honorable discharge, please contact us.