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.

  • Chaotic Entropy
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    6 months ago

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

    • ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one
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      6 months ago

      Have you ever joined a British mob? They are quite orderly. The British will line up in a queue to take turns with goals of the mob.

      • Chaotic Entropy
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        6 months 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.