Clinton floats idea of altering military files of ousted gays

She backs their honorable discharge; NEA endorses her in party primary

Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the gay-rights organization Human Rights Campaign on Saturday and got in a few digs at Republicans, including Mike Huckabee.
Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the gay-rights organization Human Rights Campaign on Saturday and got in a few digs at Republicans, including Mike Huckabee.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton proposed Saturday that the military amend dishonorable-discharge records for gays and transgender people who were expelled from military service because of their sexual orientation.

Those people should be able to get their records changed to reflect an honorable discharge, Clinton said.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell is over, but that doesn't change the fact that more than 14,000 men and women were forced out of the military for being gay, some long before Don't Ask, Don't Tell even existed," Clinton said, referring to the 1993 policy that allowed gays to serve in the military if they did not reveal their sexual orientation.

"They were given less than honorable discharges," Clinton said. "I can't think of a better way to thank those men and women for their service than by upgrading their service records."

Addressing the gay-rights organization Human Rights Campaign in Washington, Clinton thanked gay-rights activists for their strong support over the course of her political career and was frank about her change of heart about gay marriage.

"You helped change a lot of minds, including mine," Clinton said to applause. "I personally am very grateful for that."

Clinton pledged Saturday to build on the Supreme Court ruling that guarantees marriage equality and got in a few digs at Republicans for opposing the expansion of gay rights and legal protections.

She spoke in a crowded ballroom Saturday morning, hours before Vice President Joe Biden -- a potential challenger to Clinton for the 2016 Democratic nomination -- was to give the top-billed address at the group's annual political-rallying meeting. Clinton did not mention Biden, whose support among gay-rights activists is also strong.

She endorsed proposed legislation that would guarantee job, housing and other protections for homosexual and transgender people, and pointed to what she called gaps in legal protections, despite the universal right to marry.

Clinton did not identify Kim Davis by name, but she denounced the Rowan County, Ky., clerk and Davis' backers for flouting the law by refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Progress is not secure, Clinton said, "especially when you turn on the TV and you see a Republican candidate for president literally standing in the courthouse door in Kentucky, calling on people to join him in resisting the Supreme Court ruling. ... Celebrating a county clerk who is breaking the law by denying other Americans their constitutional rights."

Former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee stood with Davis last month when she was released from jail for refusing to issue gay-marriage licenses. Clinton also criticized U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, another GOP candidate, who calls the Supreme Court ruling issued in June "tyranny."

A process for changing military records is already available on a case-by-case basis to former gay service members. Clinton was not specific about what she would do differently.

However, she appeared to support a more comprehensive or automatic change for those who were expelled under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. That policy was instituted in 1993 by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. She also supported new government action to clear the records of service members kicked out of the armed services before 1993.

Legislation proposed by Democrats in Congress would make that process simpler.

OutServe-SLDN, an activist group that pushed for the 2011 repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has estimated that 100,000 service members were forced out for being gay before 1993. The group is now working to obtain honorable discharges for people as far back as World War II, said interim executive director Matt Thorn.

"The onus is on the service member to provide documentation they were kicked out because they are gay or lesbian," Thorn said. "It would be great if that got switched a little bit and the process was made easier."

Education endorsement

Also Saturday, the National Education Association, the nation's largest labor union, formally endorsed Clinton.

With 3 million members, the NEA's support will help Clinton in her primary bid against U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont who is running for president as a Democrat.

"We chose Hillary Clinton because she chose kids. She's had kids in her heart from preschool to graduate school," said NEA president Lily Eskelsen Garcia in a phone interview. She said Clinton addressed the 175-member NEA board Saturday for more than an hour, answering questions about testing, special education and college affordability.

Many rank-and-file union members have backed Sanders and pressured labor leaders not to endorse Clinton.

Four months remain until the first contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Eskelsen Garcia said 75 percent of the union's board supported Clinton and felt that the union would carry more influence in the 2016 elections if it endorsed candidates for the primaries. In 2008, the NEA declined to endorse anyone in the primaries, waiting until Barack Obama had secured the Democratic nomination before offering its support.

Sanders did not address the NEA board, but -- like Clinton and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, also a Democratic presidential primary candidate -- was interviewed by Eskelsen Garcia, submitted a questionnaire and recorded a video statement that aired during the union's summer convention.

Clinton, a former U.S. secretary of state, has been endorsed by eight labor unions, accounting for about 7 million members, including both of the nation's teachers unions. The American Federation of Teachers was the first labor union to endorse Clinton, during the summer.

Information for this article was contributed by Ken Thomas of The Associated Press.

A Section on 10/04/2015

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