The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Bill aims to restore state benefits to LGBTQ vets
A new bill aims to support gay, lesbian and transgender veterans who were expelled from the military.
The legislation would restore state benefits for Connecticut service members discharged for no other reason than their sexual orientation or gender identity.
“The brave Americans who served this nation deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and deserve the benefits they earned,” said state Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, D-Bethel, one of the cosponsors of the bill.
“Who you are or who you love shouldn’t have an impact on the care you receive. Our bill will correct an incredible injustice.”
The number of Connecticut veterans affected
by this is unclear because their discharges could have been logged under mental health or a slew of other categories, AllieBrennan said. It’s hard for these veterans to come forward because they have been “shamed” by military, he said.
“It’s going to be a small group of people in the state, but obviously the effect and what it’s going to do for these veterans is going to be big,” AllieBrennan said.
About 100,000 service members across the country were discharged from the military due to their sexual orientation between World War II and the 2011 repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act, according to the American Psychoanalytic Association.
“Many LGBTQ service members were subjected to public and long-lasting humiliation, resulting in lingering trauma,” the association wrote. “In addition, many who would have served their country never had the chance to do so, for fear of being rejected or receiving less than honorable discharges.”
These veterans also were ineligible for benefits, including insurance, employment and education assistance, and the right to be buried in a military cemetery, the legislators said.
This hurt veterans as they tried to get jobs and “reintegrate into the civilian world,” said Steve Kennedy, an Iraq war veteran.
“This bill is an important step in recognizing the service of all veterans, regardless of their sexual orientation and
gender identity or expression, and helping them to build their lives here in Connecticut,” said Kennedy, Connecticut team leader for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
A federal bill that died in Congress in 2019 would have helped correct
the record of these veterans to ensure they were considered honorably discharged.
This bill focuses on Connecticut veterans who were “discharged other than honorably” due to their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
“I am eager to work collaboratively with my colleagues to bolster and restore protections for our LGBTQ+ neighbors who served,” state Rep. Jeff Currey, D-East Hartford. “Inclusivity brings strength to our community and armed forces and will help mend the fractures
strained by the discriminatory policies of our past. This is an important opportunity and we must not let it pass.”
The bill was proposed Tuesday, the day after President Joe Biden signed an executive order reversing the Trump-era policy that largely prevented transgender individuals from serving in the military.
“I look forward to the day when the law of our land recognizes that all people are equal,” said Sen. Alex Kasser, DGreenwich, another cosponsor. “Until then, I will continue to advocate for laws like this that mandate equal treatment and grant every individual the dignity and respect they deserve.”
The Committee on Veterans Affairs is studying the bill, which is one of several recently proposed legislation supporting veterans.
A bill sponsored by state Rep. Bill Buckbee, R-New Milford, seeks to eliminate service in time of war as an eligibility criteria for state veterans' benefits.
Buckbeee also proposed exempting veterans’ pension benefits from the calculation of income when determining eligibility for state and municipal benefits.
Another Buckbee bill would provide a tuition waiver for public colleges and universities to the children of veterans who did not use these waivers.