As "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to an end, we sent Chris Heath to terview dozens of gay servicemen om the past and prent to fd out what life was really like as Ameri's ary stggled wh s last great inty crisis
Contents:
- THE NAVY GAVE A GAY MAN A HOME—AND A ‘BAD PAPER’ DISCHARGE THAT HNTED HIM FOR DES
- RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN
- TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
- JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
THE NAVY GAVE A GAY MAN A HOME—AND A ‘BAD PAPER’ DISCHARGE THAT HNTED HIM FOR DES
The first gay man I met was at the aid statn loted Dong Ha near the DMZ. We were noticed, and maybe regnized as gay, but no one bothered .
The OSI man said he wanted nam and ranks of other homos I knew, and that I was gog to have to subm to more tailed qutng by other agents. A shipmate Vietnam, David Monarch, had been arrted for beg gay and removed om the ship. I never learned how and why, but 1960s Ameri, we gay men served to die, acrdg to popular thkg.
Was the harassment for beg gay? All I knew was that I hated beg gay and that I felt like I didn’t serve to live. I was first treated wh strong psychotropic dgs and kept a padd cell to protect the other patients om the “homosexual.
RISHI SUNAK APOLOGIS TO LGBT VETERANS FOR PAST ARMED FORC GAY BAN
” Later, I was released to the general populatn but kept on dgs wh regular terviews and discsns wh a ary psychologist, all to treat my homosexualy rather than the PTSD I’d suffered bee of the war, which remaed undiagnosed. On my Milary Separatn Paper DD214 were three s: #265, unsuabily bee of a character disorr; #256, admissn of beg a homosexual, acceptance of discharge li of board actn and punishment; and a re-enlistment of RE4, unsuable for ary service. For gay and lbian people, the discharge has signatns showg you as a crimal for many s.
Surround by killg, we gay men need to protect our mds, and strengthen one another.
TELL: AN INTIMATE HISTORY OF GAY MEN THE MILARY
It took four years, the help of a young gay psychologist at the VA Hospal and a high-powered legal team, and changed my life.
Straight men who have engaged suatnal homosexualy (such as prison or the ary), what's your story? Gay Erotic Stori. Homosexualy was not jt forbidn the ranks, was seen as a natnal secury threat.
“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.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT STRENGTH ACH KEV MAXEN OUT PUBLICLY AS GAY
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. 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. 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.