The SERVE Act: Protecting LGBTQ Veterans

The SERVE Act—Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned—is a law that would protect LGBTQ veterans’ rights to benefits, particularly those who were discharged from the military due to their sexual orientation or gender.

The bill was reintroduced by Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH), the state’s first openly gay member of Congress.

“LGBTQ veterans, whether they served during the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ era, in the years following, or more recently during the Trump administration’s transgender military ban, all face unique challenges after separation or retirement,” Pappas says.

The SERVE Act would protect the benefits of those discharged during DADT, Trump’s transgender military ban, and LGBTQ veterans discharged during WWII.

While DADT was repealed during the Obama administration, it’s important to remember that LGBTQ veterans are still suffering from the consequences of DADT and its discriminatory policies, a bill that was introduced by the Clinton Administration in December of 1993.

“A double standard continues to persist for LGBTQ service members and veterans who suffered from government-sponsored discriminatory policies simply because of who they are,” Pappas says. “As we near the tenth anniversary of the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ it’s long past time that these veterans are afforded the benefits they’ve rightfully earned defending our country.”

Veterans are already at a much higher risk when it comes to depression, substance abuse, and suicide. For LGBTQ veterans, the reality of this is twofold. By signing the SERVE Act into law, these veterans can begin to receive justice that is long overdue.

As LGBTQ Nation reported earlier this month, “The SERVE Act is supported by the Minority Veterans of America, the Modern Military Association of America, Equality California, For All Vets, Forge VFR, the Human Rights Campaign, the National Center for Transgender Equality/NCTE Action Fund, Student Veterans of America, Secure Families Initiative, Los Angeles LGBT Center, Cohen Veterans Network, and PFLAG National.”