U.K. Prime Mister Rishi Sunak has apologized for the treatment of gay veterans by sayg that a prev ban on LGBTQ+ people servg the U.K. ary was “an appallg failure of the Brish state.”
Contents:
- BRISH SOLDIERS SACKED FOR BEG GAY N GET THEIR MEDALS BACK
- I WAS GAY THE BRISH ARMY WHEN WAS ILLEGAL. IT DROVE ME TO DRK AND AN ATTEMPT ON MY OWN LIFE
BRISH SOLDIERS SACKED FOR BEG GAY N GET THEIR MEDALS BACK
The ary ban, which was lifted 2000, meant that gay people were dishonourably discharged and sometim, stripped of medals. * homosexuality in british army *
On 12 January 2000 the way the Brish ary treated homosexualy wh s ranks changed until then, gay, lbian and bisexual people had been banned om servg the Brish Army, Royal Navy and RAF. “As today’s report mak clear, that perd many endured the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic bullyg and harassment, all while bravely servg this untry, ” Sunak told MP.
Promisg the ernment would implement the “vast majory” of Etherton’s remendatns, Wallace said he would fully update the Commons a formal bate about the issue after the about pensatn, Wallace said he hoped to fd “an elegant solutn that match the need and the requirements of those dividuals”, promisg to set this out after Kelly Holm, who served the army and me out as gay last year, was among mpaigners who weled the apology. Starmer said one of his nstuents, Ken Wright, a former RAF service member who was “forced to leave the job he loved simply bee he was gay”, was the public gallery to hear the apology.
Thoands of Brish ary personnel who were dismissed on grounds of homosexualy will be able to have their service medals rtored if they had been taken away when they were kicked out of the armed rights mpaigners weled the move as the “first step on a journey” but said that issu such as endurg crimal rerds, lost pensn rights and still blemished service rerds now need to be alt wh by the Mistry of law, gay men and lbian women were banned om servg the Brish ary until 2000.
I WAS GAY THE BRISH ARMY WHEN WAS ILLEGAL. IT DROVE ME TO DRK AND AN ATTEMPT ON MY OWN LIFE
Brish Army veteran Trevor Skgle tells his story, two s after the UK's ban on gay, lbian and bisexual people the ary was lifted. * homosexuality in british army *
Those found guilty of beg homosexual sometim went on to a serve a prison term, typilly several months Mercer, the veterans mister, said the announcement “addrs a historic jtice”. Photograph: Yui Mok/PAThe last serviceman to be sent to prison for beg homosexual was David Bonney, who was found guilty at a urt martial Cornwall 1993.
Bonney had joed the RAF aged 17 1987 and said he had “learned and accepted I was gay” when he served durg the first Gulf said he was subject to a two-year vtigatn after a py of Gay Tim had been found his room. That clud, he said, “buggg my room, havg people follow me, placg officers outsi the lol gay bars to spy on people gog , g the lol police statns to take my iends to, to terview them and altogether create terror and fear among my iends and associat” urt martial sentenced him to six months prison, of which he served four cludg one month of solary nfement, and left him wh a crimal rerd – although followg an appeal his discharge was changed to honourable. The report examed the effect the historic policy prohibg homosexualy the UK Armed Forc has had on LGBT+ veterans and personnel who served between 1967 and 2000.