The LGBTQ+ community recently earned themselves a victory through the recent reforms offering VA benefits to veterans who were kicked out of the military on suspicion of their sexuality. The relationship between the American military and sexual orientation and identity has been a complex one. Beyond just the military, homosexuality was considered a mental disease that could be fixed in psychiatric hospitals that neither “worked” nor complied with humane regulations.

The military exhibited this homophobia as well. For fear of interfering with military activities, it was deemed unlawful to serve in the military if someone was discovered to be homosexual. The 1957 Crittenden Report, which looked into homosexuality in the military and found that homosexuals posed no more of a security danger than heterosexuals, formally debunked this concept. Despite this, policies prohibiting members of the LGBTQ+ community remained in place, citing homosexuality as "morally wrong."

These anti-gay policies remained in place without significant reform until the Bill Clinton administration in 1993, when he passed the infamous law, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). It wasn’t a complete reversal to homosexuality in the military, but it offered a level of freedom for people who identified as homosexuals, as it prevented investigations into the sexuality of military members. Still, it barred individuals who were supposed “openly gay” nevertheless. DADT remained in place until 2011 when former President Barack Obama rescinded the law. It marked a historic reversal of homophobic policy, allowing members of the LGBTQ+ community to freely join the military.

That brings us to today, where despite the openness of military recruitment, the decades of damage dealt with gay members of the military were never been fully reconciled. They were often dishonorably discharged, leading to an unfair denial of access to veteran benefits for their service. On September 20, the 10th anniversary of DADT’s reversal, the Biden administration announced a policy change to create a chance for veterans to receive VA benefits

This policy change marks an important milestone for the LGBTQ+ community in rectifying the historical wrongs of the American government. This, along with the addition of openly transgender individuals to the military, serves as testimony to the potential of reform that minority voices are capable of achieving in the modern era. Creating effective social change starts within the government and its extensions. Hopefully, the future entails the further expansion of equal opportunity, regardless of gender, sex, or sexual preference.

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