Biden issues clemency for gay military service members despite voting for 'don't ask, don't tell' in 1993

President Biden on Wednesday pardoned former U.S. service members who were dishonorably discharged after their conviction for violating a now-repealed military ban on consensual gay sex.

Biden’s action grants a pardon to service members who were convicted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice’s former Article 125, which criminalized sodomy. The law, which has been on the books since 1951, was rewritten in 2013 to prohibit only forcible acts.

Those covered by the pardon will be able to apply to receive proof that their conviction has been erased, petition to have their discharges from the military upgraded and move to recover lost pay and benefits.