Senate Democrats, led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), have introduced a resolution seeking a formal apology from the federal government for historic discrimination against LGBTQ government workers, dating back to 1949. The resolution highlights discriminatory actions during the “Lavender Scare” of the late 1950s and 1960s when LGBTQ individuals were unjustly linked to communism by figures such as then-Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wis.).
Kaine’s statement emphasized the resolution’s role in reaffirming a commitment to rectify past injustices and advance LGBTQ equality. Baldwin, the first openly LGBTQ person elected to the Senate, expressed pride in leading the effort to foster a more accepting and equal country.
The resolution notes more than 100,000 LGBTQ service members were forced out of the U.S. military due to their sexual orientation or gender identity between WWII and 2011. It also acknowledges the “countless others” compelled to hide their identities while serving. Despite the repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in 2011, LGBTQ veterans discharged dishonorably under the policy must still individually prove discrimination to have their records corrected.
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