Decades Later, Gay Veteran Convicted For Consensual Sex Now Eligible For Pardon
Steve Marose, a gay veteran from the USA, served his country with distinction in the Air Force. His great leadership saved time and money but, at just 24, he was kicked out, tried, convicted, and jailed. His crime? Being gay and having consensual sex.
“I had to stand up in court and give intimate, gory details of everything that happened… All this in front of my friends. I started to cry, not over what I did, but of having to describe it in front of other people. I felt like dirt,” Steve Marose told to the BBC.
Despite testimony from two supervisors, Marose was convicted and jailed for nearly two years. When released, a felony hung over him, impacting travel, jobs, and finances. He had to repay college fees to the military.
“They do background checks every time I’ve changed jobs, and I have to dig it all up again… It kind of just hangs over me.”
On June 26, President Joe Biden announced pardons for Marose and an estimated 2,000 other LGBTQIA+ veterans discharged or convicted due to their sexuality. Between World War II and the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” around 100,000 LGBTQIA+ service members faced this fate.
The pardon doesn’t automatically change records. Veterans must apply for a certificate of pardon to get their discharge status amended. For many like Marose, the damage is done.
“I can pretend that ‘Oh, I’m resilient,’ you know, ‘I got this,’ but in the end, it’s trauma.”
Biden acknowledged a “sacred obligation” to all service members, including the LGBTQIA+ community, vowing to “right a historic wrong.” Marose, while glad the day has come, noted Biden could have acted three years ago.
The path to justice for these patriots remains long. But with the President’s pardon, a first step is finally being taken to restore honor to those who served with it.
