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Homosexuals who had faced discrimination in the German military before 2000 will have their records cleared from cases and will be given financial compensation, the German Cabinet agreed on Wednesday.
Two months ago, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer issued an official apology for decades of discrimination and published a study which documented "systematic discrimination" in the armed forces from 1955 to 2000.
The legislation will lift military court verdicts imposed for consensual gay sex with a symbolic sum of €3,000 (around ₹2.65 lakh) in compensation being paid for each of those verdicts. Those who were dismissed, passed over for promotion or stripped of responsibility will also be eligible for compensation. The defense ministry estimates that around 1,000 people will apply.
Homosexuality was illegal in Germany until the 1960s and gay servicemen and women in the armed forces could legally be discriminated against on the grounds of their sexuality until 2000.
Some current and former soldiers welcomed this step but said that to there is need for improvement. Some said that those affected were no longer promoted, partially dismissed or deprived of their pension ,and these financial damages exceeds the proposed amount. Some also said that lump-sum compensation will not do justice. Rehabilitation and compensation of lost earnings and pension claims would be appropriate.
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