DADT: Discharge Papers Still Invite Roadblocks, Discrimination

from The Advocate

Three senators are asking the Department of Defense to expedite the process for veterans seeking alterations to their discharge documents, omitting information that they were discharged for being gay.

According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, many veterans discharged under DADT face roadblocks when applying for certain benefits. A discharge from the military for sexual orientation can also be a barrier to employment and requires veterans to 'out' themselves to future employers, says SLDN executive director Aubrey Sarvis.

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, and Mark Udall of Colorado, issued a joint letter to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, asking the department to deliver on a promise made to help discharged veterans in tandem with the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."

"Veterans that were discharged under DADT served our country courageously and with dignity and we need to give them the appropriate recognition immediately," Gillibrand said in a statement Wednesday.


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