(CNN) — The Pentagon is launching a new outreach campaign to help LGBTQ service members who feel they “suffered an error or injustice” before the repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy to correct their military records. “For decades, our LGBTQ+ service members were forced to hide or were prevented from serving altogether,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement on Wednesday. “Even still, they selflessly put themselves in harm’s way for the good of our country and the American people. Congress repealed the military’s the policy, which prohibited openly gay, lesbian or bisexual people from serving in the armed forces, in September 2011. Not just in terms of the individual traumas wrought upon service members and family members, but also as tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines were expelled from the military,” Hicks said.

Source: CNN September 20, 2023 16:24 UTC