Washington, D.C. – Following the Pentagon reaching a historic settlement with LGBTQ+ veterans, Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley vowed to continue his longtime efforts to restore dignity to veterans and servicemembers who were unjustly discharged from the U.S. Armed Forces because of their sexual orientation.
It is estimated that more than 100,000 servicemembers were wrongfully discharged from the Armed Forces on the basis of their sexual orientation between WWII and the official end of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2011. The Pentagon’s settlement opens the door for many LGBTQ+ veterans to upgrade their “Other Than Honorable” discharges—a necessary step to access their benefits—and it will allow those who were honorably discharged to seek removal of discriminatory characterizations about their sexual orientations from their discharge form.
“Recognizing unjust discharges based on sexual orientation is an important step to bend the arc toward justice, but there is much work to be done to fully honor all of the LGTBQ+ veterans who have faced injustice while serving our nation,” said Merkley. “Everyone who serves and sacrifices for our country deserves the full measure of our appreciation—regardless of race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. To truly deliver on that promise, we must pass my legislation to restore full honor to LGBTQ+ veterans because these heroes—like all of America’s servicemembers and veterans—deserve nothing less than our utmost respect and recognition.”
While this settlement is a critical step toward justice, much work remains to honor all LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans, and those no longer with us who faced lasting impacts from discriminatory military policies. This includes late U.S. Navy veteran Martin Cerezo, who was on track to have a long military career until he was outed as gay in 1990 and given an “Other Than Honorable” discharge. With the help of Merkley’s office, Martin’s mother, Cheryle, was able to fulfill her son’s dying wish to be buried at Willamette National Cemetery in June 2023.
“I will always be thankful for any action toward restoring rights and destigmatizing those who have served our country in the military. Until the government takes full responsibility for the lives that were damaged and do the work they now require of the veteran, as far as I’m concerned, they just continue to put Band-Aids on a gaping wound,” said Cheryle Cerezo-Gardiner, Martin’s mother.
Merkley joins Cheryle’s call to fight for full justice for mistreated LGBTQ+ veterans and servicemembers. He is an original co-sponsor of the Commission on Equity and Reconciliation in the Uniformed Services Act, a bill to establish a commission to investigate the historic and ongoing impacts of discriminatory military policies on LGBTQ+ servicemembers and veterans. Merkley also leads a resolution to mark September 20th as National LGBTQ+ Veterans Day to honor the resilience and courage demonstrated by LGBTQ+ individuals who have served our nation.
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