LGBTQ veterans sue Department of Defense over discriminatory discharges

A group of LGBTQ veterans who were discharged because of their sexual orientation filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Defense seeking to end the discrimination they say they still have to face more than a decade after the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

DADT, a discriminatory policy adopted by the Pentagon in 1983, allowed for the discharge of openly LGBTQ service members and barred LGBTQ people from enlisting in the service.

The law was repealed in September 2011, but thousands of LGBTQ veterans still feel its effect to this day, according to the lawsuit.

“Over the decade following the repeal of DADT, the Government has taken no steps to correct this discrimination systematically,” argues the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of five veterans.

The complaint seeks to force the Pentagon to grant them honorable discharges and to remove their sexual orientation from their discharge papers.

Failure to do so has allowed discrimination “to live on in the discharge papers carried by LGBTQ+ veterans, denying them privacy, benefits and pride in their service.”

Many of the 35,000 service members kicked out under DADT received discharge papers that disclose their actual or perceived sexual orientation. Thousands of them also received discharges listed as “other than honorable,” which can bar veterans from receiving benefits including loans and healthcare.

According to the lawsuit, these discharge papers perpetuate discrimination by violating veterans’ constitutional rights to privacy, due process and equal protection under the law.

“Because of the circumstances and language of my discharge, which served as a painful reminder of the trauma I experienced, I was never able to proudly say that I served my country,” Steven Egland, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement shared with the Daily News.

Even though the 63-year-old U.S. Army Veteran said he was discharged with honorable status, his discharge papers identify his sexual orientation.

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“Our government and leaders have long acknowledged that the military’s discrimination against LGBTQ+ service members — and what was done to me — was wrong,” he added. “The time has come to rectify it by correcting our records. All of those who served deserve to have documents that reflect the honor in our service.”

Another plaintiff, 54-year-old Lilly Steffanides, said they joined the Navy in 1988. After facing months of harassment, they were discharged in 1989.

“Following my Other Than Honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, which was accompanied by terrible harassment on my ship, I experienced homelessness and shame,” Steffanides said. “I am joining this lawsuit because I want justice for my LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters, and I want my service to my country to be recognized as honorable.”

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