President Joe Biden is expected to pardon around 2,000 veterans who were convicted by the United States military of engaging in gay sex over a 60-year period, CNN reported Tuesday.
Biden's pardon proclamation, the first step of a lengthy bureaucratic process, is expected to be announced Wednesday, according to CNN.
Biden's pardon allows those vets to then apply for a certificate of pardon, which, if granted, could be used to apply for a change or upgrade to their discharge, which could result in them receiving withheld benefits or an expansion of benefits, according to the report.
The respective military branches decide if those pardoned by Biden are eligible for a certificate of pardon. If granted, vets use the certificate of pardon to apply to their respective branch's board of corrections to have their record corrected, according to CNN.
Biden's pardon targets service members who were convicted under Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 125 between 1951 and 2013, according to CNN. The article, rewritten in 2013, criminalized sodomy even if between consenting adults, CNN reported.
Non-consensual acts will not be pardoned.