Biden to Pardon Service Members Convicted in Lavender Scare Era

President Joe Biden will issue a proclamation giving mass clemency to US service members convicted of charges under a Cold War-era purge of gay and lesbian people, reversing a decades-long policy of discrimination that forced an estimated 100,000 people from the military.

The pardons will be effective with the signing of the proclamation Wednesday, but individual veterans would need to apply to the Department of Defense for a certificate confirming the decision, according to administration officials familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to detail them.

Joe Biden during a Pride Month celebration event at the White House in June 2023.

Photographer: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg

The action coincides with Pride Month. White House officials ...