Steve Marose is a Gay veteran from Renton, WA, who is seeking a pardon from Pres. Biden before the 82-year-old incumbent leaves office.

In 1993, Marose, an Air Force officer, was arrested under Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice on charges of sodomy for having sex with men and spent two years incarcerated. Like many other LGBTQ veterans, he continued to suffer from the discriminatory policies and practices of the US military and Department of Veterans Affairs.

The enforcement of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" from 1994 to 2011 resulted in the discharge of more than 13,000 service members. It is only since two months ago that the Department of Defense has decided to allow "proactive" reviews for veterans dismissed under the DADT policy to obtain honorable discharges and qualify for VA services.

But the VA has also been a popular stomping ground for presidential administrations to enact anti-LGBT policies. Transgender veterans have become the new subject of ridicule for incoming President Trump. He has promised in interviews that he will not only ban Transgender Americans from serving in the US armed forces but also prevent any Transgender veterans from using their VA benefits to obtain gender-related healthcare.

The current VA mission statement regarding LGBTQ+ veterans under the Biden administration has been "...working to reduce minority stress and engage sexual and gender minority veterans in order to provide healthcare that addresses their needs." VA Puget Sound Health Care's website page on LGBTQ+ veterans contains a list of services, including referrals for surgeries, hormone replacement therapy, and legal name and sex marker change support, among others. But these may now be under serious threat.

The SGN reached out to Bridget Reposa, the LGBTQ+ veteran care coordinator and patient advocate at VA Puget Sound Health Care to comment but did not receive a reply; however, Robin Lang, the LGBTQ+ veterans outreach coordinator at the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs did respond. Regarding the upcoming change in federal leadership, she wrote that "nothing has changed about the way we are serving and plan to serve LGBTQ+ veterans. We are implementing legislation passed during the 2024 Legislative Session which updated our state's definition of veteran and partnering with other agencies who provide veterans benefits at the state level to answer questions and assist in developing their internal processes."

In the next four years, obtaining VA healthcare for LGBTQ service members may well result in a similar situation to US abortion access: the level and quality of care received may unfortunately be dependent upon which state you reside in. In Washington state, LGBTQ servicemembers can rely on the state DVA to be able to access care, while those who live in more conservative states will be less fortunate.