The Navy Gave a Gay Man a Home—and a ‘Bad Paper’ Discharge

Contents:

• RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. PRO LEAGUE TO E OUT AS GAY
• LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?
• THE U.S. NAVY HAS CHRISTENED A SHIP NAMED AFTER SLA GAY RIGHTS LEAR HARVEY MILK
• THE NAVY GAVE A GAY MAN A HOME—AND A ‘BAD PAPER’ DISCHARGE THAT HNTED HIM FOR DES
• US NAVY LNCH SHIP NAMED FOR GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST HARVEY MILK
• 'I DON'T FEEL PART OF THE MILARY ANYMORE': OPENLY GAY PILOT LEAV AFTER HARASSMENT

RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN

Image source, Emma RileyImage ptn, Rad operator Emma Riley was discharged om the Navy for beg a lbian the 1990sRishi Sunak has apologised for the historil treatment of LGBT veterans who were sacked or forced out of the ary for beg PM lled the ban an "appallg failure" of the Brish was illegal to be gay the Brish ary until 2000 - wh thoands of veterans thought to be affected.

Addrsg MPs, the prime mister said: "Many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment all while bravely servg this untry. "The LGBT Veterans Inpennt Review, led by Bra's first openly gay judge Lord Etherton, began last year and heard about the experienc of 1, 145 veterans between 1967 to 2000. Homosexualy was crimalised the UK 1967 but a ban ntued the armed forc.

Acrdg to the report, the Mistry of Defence said at the time that jtifitn for the policy clud "matenance of operatnal effectivens and efficiency" - but the report said there had been an "prehensible policy of homophobic bigotry" the armed forc.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH MAJOR U.S. PRO LEAGUE TO E OUT AS GAY

It heard shockg acunts of homophobia, bullyg, blackmail, sexual asslts, "disgraceful" medil examatns, and nversn mak 49 remendatns to the ernment cludg:Affected veterans to be given an "appropriate fancial reward" pped at £50m overallThe rtoratn of medals that had to be hand back on dismissal or dischargeThe clarifitn of pensn rights The prentatn of a special veterans' badgeThe ernment said would rpond full after summer of the veterans affected watched the PM's public of them, Emma Riley, 51, was a Royal Navy rad operator for three years before she was arrted and discharged for beg a lbian after tellg a lleague her sexualy the early told BBC News she weled the report, and hoped would be put to place "swiftly. Carol Man, who was dismissed after tellg her boss she was gay 1978, kept her sexualy secret for another 30 years and said she had been "robbed" of her life. "Olympian Dame Kelly Holm, who served the army and me out as gay last year, lled the publitn of the report a "historic moment", while Cathere Dixon, a former army officer who is now vice chair at Stonewall, said was "an important step towards jtice" for those whose ary reers were "ed" bee of their sexualy.

Many still have a crimal rerd to this also tails how some veterans faced a plete loss of e, while others were emed eligible to claim their pensn bee of their report more than 20 years after four servicemen and women, who were sacked for beg gay, won a se the European Court of Human Rights and overturned the armed forc chary Royal Brish Legn lled on the ernment to accept the report's remendatns chary's director general Charl Byrne weled both the report and Mr Sunak's "landmark apology", sayg many people who had dited their liv to the untry were "forced or felt prsured to leave the armed forc, and this mistreatment stroyed or shortened their reer". Michael Sam beme the first openly gay player to be drafted when the then-St. What is the orig of the "gay sailor" stereotype?

In the US there is a stereotype/myth/whatever that sailors the Navy tend to be gay. Congrswoman Mary Gay ias of Binomics and promotg unn work are rnerston of the print's reelectn mpaign.

LGBT RIGHTS AI: WILL KENYA BE THE LATT TO PASS ANTI-GAY LAW?

It was towards the end of his terview for a place at the prtig Brannia Royal Naval College that Craig Jon was asked if he had ever had ntact wh homosexuals.

No, he said, he had never knowgly met a homosexual his life.

Then, for good measure, “I said somethg like: ‘If I saw anybody who was gay, I’d walk the oppose directn. Back 1987, there was a ban on gay, bisexual and trans people jog Bra’s armed, then 20, was tellg the naval officers what they wanted to hear.

THE U.S. NAVY HAS CHRISTENED A SHIP NAMED AFTER SLA GAY RIGHTS LEAR HARVEY MILK

“I thought: ‘Fuck, I bought that bee I fancy him, and therefore I’m gay.

Over the past 21 years, sce the ban on gay personnel was repealed, he has mpaigned vociferoly for gay rights the armed forc - damagg his own advancement the week, the home secretary, Pri Patel, announced that all nvictns for nsensual homosexual activy will be wiped om the rerds.

“It was the first time I had any notn that I was part of anythg bigger – a gay muny – and was stctive to protect them. “That night, I walked to my first gay bar and sat next to the man who would bee my hband and partner of the past 27 years. “When we met 1995, if we’d been ught, I’d have been arrted and sent to prison for six months for the crimal offence of homosexualy.

THE NAVY GAVE A GAY MAN A HOME—AND A ‘BAD PAPER’ DISCHARGE THAT HNTED HIM FOR DES

It was a toxic environment and people were actively enuraged to report those who might be gay. ” On one ocsn, when a lleague vised, he had to “-gay” their home. ”Craig and Adam at a gay bar Key Wt, Florida, people nfsed to beg gay unr durs, he says.

US NAVY LNCH SHIP NAMED FOR GAY RIGHTS ACTIVIST HARVEY MILK

” Today, Jon is touch wh three of 17 former lifeguards who were sacked for beg gay a sgle day, the 1970s. “One of them is gay, two are straight. “The litenant lonel terviewg me leaned forward and said: ‘Jt before you go, I haven’t spoken to you about homosexualy but, based on the answers you’ve given me, I don’t believe ’s somethg I need to worry about, is ?

I’m que a happy homosexual, ’ so I said: ‘No sir, I don’t thk so, ’ and he shook my hand and I left. It stated that the gay ban was to be lifted bee had been found to be unlawful by the European urt of human rights.

”From then on, Jon fought ceaselsly for gay rights.

'I DON'T FEEL PART OF THE MILARY ANYMORE': OPENLY GAY PILOT LEAV AFTER HARASSMENT

“It went to the Royal Navy’s head of personnel and I got a reply sayg: ‘Homosexualy is a private matter for the dividual and not somethg for the service to be volved wh.

Image source, Getty ImagIn the latt sign of risg homophobia different Ain untri, a Kenyan opposn MP is leadg a mpaign for parliament to further crimalise the untry's small LGBTQ muny.

Gee Peter Kaluma's move after neighbourg Uganda adopted a tough new anti-gay law, rejectg threats by US Print Joe Bin to impose sanctns and travel rtrictns on "anyone volved ser human rights ab". "We want to prohib everythg to do wh homosexualy, " Mr Kaluma tells me, addg that his bill will be much broar than the legislatn passed by Uganda's parliament and approved by Print Yoweri Meveni May. The Ugandan law is regard as one of the harsht anti-LGBTQ laws the propos life imprisonment for anyone nvicted of homosexualy, and the ath penalty for so-lled aggravated s, which clu havg gay sex wh someone below the age of 18 or where someone be fected wh a life-long illns such as the other si of the ntent, MPs Ghana earlier this month unanimoly voted favour of amendments to the untry's anti-gay legislatn, phg closer to beg enacted to law.