LGBTQ+ Veterans Challenge Pentagon's Discriminatory Discharges

LGBTQ+ veterans have filed a federal civil rights suit against the Pentagon, claiming that the Defense Department's failure to grant them honorable discharges or remove biased language specifying their sexuality from their service records represents a violation of their constitutional rights. The lawsuit seeks to systematically upgrade the veterans' discharge papers and remove all indicators of sexual orientation, instead of placing the burden on the veterans to apply themselves. Thousands of LGBTQ+ veterans who were discharged under discriminatory policies like "don't ask, don't tell" are still carrying less than honorable discharges, depriving them of benefits such as VA loan programs, college tuition assistance, and healthcare.