President Biden pardons veterans convicted of same-sex relationships
During Pride week, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has made a historic decision that affects veteran soldiers who were convicted of having homosexual relationships in the military. This measure, announced this Wednesday, affects about 2,000 members of the army who were sentenced for 63 years for the application of an old military law that prohibited relations between people of the same sex. The American president has assured that this pardon corrects a historical mistake and reflects the values ​​that make the United States an exceptional nation.
The Context of Pardon
President Biden, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, has announced that he is granting pardons to service members convicted under Section 125 of the former Uniform Code of Military Justice, which took effect on 1951. This law criminalized sodomy and was rewritten in 2013 to ban only forced intercourse. The pardon shall also apply to those who were convicted of attempting to transgress this article. However, no person convicted of a non-consensual act such as rape will be pardoned.
Reactions and Procedure
The White House has expressed support for the rights of the LGBTQI+ community and affirmed that the Joe Biden administration will never stop fighting for full equality for Americans who belong to this group. In addition, those affected by this pardon can request that these convictions be removed from their records and access pay and benefits to which they were entitled as veterans, but which had been denied to them due to their status as convicts.
Application of Pardon
According to CNN, those affected will have to complete an online application that will be sent to the military service department to change their records under the pardon. The military service will then review the individual’s war council and service history and determine whether he or she is eligible for a pardon, a decision that will be forwarded to the attorney general. A person’s discharge status will not automatically change the pardon certificate. If a certificate of pardon is issued, the service member must apply to the correctional board of their respective military department to have their military records corrected.
