Senator Tammy Baldwin joins Senator Tim Kaine in introducing a resolution addressing the historical discrimination and mistreatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S., focusing on the military, Foreign Service, and civil service sectors.
On December 8, 2022, Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) attended an enrollment ceremony for the Respect For Marriage Act at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Recently, alongside Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Baldwin introduced a resolution that addresses and apologizes for the historical discrimination and mistreatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. military, Foreign Service, and civil service. This resolution acknowledges past injustices from the 1940s through the 1990s, including the “Lavender Scare” and the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era, which resulted in the dismissal of thousands of LGBTQ+ federal employees.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, enacted in 1994 and repealed in 2011 by President Barack Obama, barred openly LGBTQ+ individuals from serving in the military. The Obama administration also issued an executive order in 2014 prohibiting discrimination based on LGBTQ+ identity among federal employees and contractors. The Department of Defense announced in 2021 a review of service records for those discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to potentially grant discharge upgrades.
Senators Baldwin and Kaine have previously collaborated on LGBTQ+ rights legislation, including the historic Equality Act and the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act.
