U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) has joined Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and 17 other senators in introducing a resolution to recognize September 20, 2025, as “National LGBTQ+ Servicemembers and Veterans Day.” The resolution aims to honor the resilience and service of LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. military.
The date commemorates the anniversary of the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2011. According to estimates, more than 100,000 servicemembers were discharged from the Armed Forces due to their sexual orientation or gender identity between World War II and 2011.
The resolution highlights ongoing challenges faced by LGBTQ+ servicemembers, including bans on military service for transgender people and restrictions on gender-affirming care. These issues are currently being litigated in federal courts, with the Supreme Court allowing implementation of certain bans that affect thousands serving in national security roles.
Former Pentagon officials have stated that permitting transgender servicemembers to serve openly “fosters openness and trust among team members, thereby enhancing unit cohesion.”
Senators cosponsoring the resolution include Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
Organizations endorsing the resolution include the Human Rights Campaign, Modern Military Association of America, Minority Veterans of America, Advocates for Trans Equality, and PFLAG National.
“Allowing transgender servicemembers to openly serve fosters openness and trust among team members, thereby enhancing unit cohesion,” former Pentagon officials testified.
The full text of the resolution is available online.
