The President of the USA, Joe Biden, is pardoning military personnel convicted under an outdated law that prohibited homosexuality within the army, announces the White House.
Potentially, this could affect thousands of soldiers.
The pardon corrects a historical injustice, states Biden.
"Despite their bravery and great sacrifices, thousands of LGBTQI+ soldiers were forced out of the military due to their sexual orientation or gender identity", says the President in a statement.
The law in question was in practice between 1951 and 2011. Homosexual soldiers stopped being banned from the US army in 1994, but were still forced to keep their orientation secret.
Many soldiers have lost their right to economic compensation and benefits due to their convictions. Those who are pardoned will be able to apply to get back what they lost.
"Some of these patriotic Americans were court-martialled and have carried the burden of this great injustice for decades", says Biden.
The President has previously pardoned a large group of Americans convicted federally for cannabis possession.
