The Fight to Clear Dishonorable Discharges

While Don’t Ask Don’t Tell has been repealed for a while now those who received dishonorable discharges when it was in effect still have that blight on their records. Most of these men and women who were discharged just wanted to fight for their country and were rewarded with the worst punishment you could have in the army simply because of whom they loved. 82-year-old military veteran Donald Hallman wishes to clear his name and all of those who were wrongfully charged before and after him.

He was released after being classified as a “Class II homosexual.” The reason why he wants to change this after so many years is because of all of the difficulties it has presented. People who are dishonorably discharged from the military have that stain on their name for the rest of their lives. It impacts social circles and professional pursuits. If they want to put the military on their resume they have to put down that they were discharged for being homosexual.

However the biggest problem that comes with being dishonorably discharged is that you no longer receive benefits. Many join the military because of these benefits and with elderly benefit options shrinking by the day these veterans need all the help they can get.

Right now the process to fix this is on an individual basis and can sometimes take years to fix, if it’s ever fixed at all. So while there is a possibility to be cleared it’s highly unlikely. Hallman wishes to persuade congressmen to finish the job they started when they repealed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

New Aussie Prime Minister is Pro LGBT

After facing the fear of getting a Prime Minister who is fiercely homophobic, Australia now has a Prime Minister who’s working to make equal opportunities in his country. However, he’s sticking to Tony Abbott’s past plan to have the people vote. Many activists in the country see this as a negative thing. They believe that this will lessen the chance of marriage equality laws being passed. Malcom Turnbull, however, sees this as a way to make sure that all of the people’s voices are heard.

Turnbull goes on to say that if the voting reflects the polls that there will be no problems in passing the law. If the majority votes for marriage equality in the next referendum then the parliament will pass the law. This would also be a way for people to vote against their political parties and not be penalized for it.

However many activists still fear that this is a tactic to discourage voters and is a costly endeavor that will ultimately result in the bill being turned down. It’s unclear whose intentions are right. All that’s known at the current moment is that the Prime Minister is sticking to what he believes to be the most ethical and democratic approach to this issue.