A new law in California will help military service members who were discharged under 'don't ask, don't tell' policies reestablish their eligibility for Veterans Affairs benefits.
SAN FRANCISCO -- A new law in California will help military service members who were discharged under"don't ask, don't tell" policies because of their sexual or gender identities to reestablish their eligibility for Veterans Affairs benefits, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Saturday.
Gays and lesbians were banned in the military until the 1993 approval of"don't ask, don't tell," which allowed them to serve only if they did not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. Rather than helping, advocates say, the policy created more problems. In its entire history, the military dismissed more than 100,000 service members based on their sexual or gender identities — 14,000 of them during"don't ask, don't tell.
The Department of Defense subsequently created a path for veterans who had been discharged under the policy to receive the full range of veterans' benefits.
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