Tim Kaine: “Senator Baldwin and I are pleased to introduce a resolution that acknowledges and apologizes for the mistreatment of and…”

“Senator Baldwin and I are pleased to introduce a resolution that acknowledges and apologizes for the mistreatment of and discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT) individuals who have served our nation as civil servants or members of the Armed Forces and Foreign Service. This systemic mistreatment and discrimination of members of the LGBT community began as early as the 1940s and continued well into the 1990s and is often termed as the Lavender Scare by historians. During this time, it is estimated that 100,000 service members were forced out of the Armed Forces between World War II and 2011. In addition, more than 1,000 State Department employees were dismissed due to their alleged sexual orientation, and many more were prevented from serving due to discriminatory hiring practices. Policies such as the 1949 decree by the Department of Defense mandating that ``homosexual personnel, irrespective of sex, should not be permitted to serve in any branch of the Armed Forces'' led to the mass discharge and systemic screening of gay, lesbian, and bisexual military service members. Similar policies within the State Department followed led to mass dismissals and terminations of Foreign Service and civil service employees. Subsequently, policies were enacted across the Federal government targeting members of the LGBT community. To this day, historians do not know the exact number of people impacted.…”