Most lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr service members are still reluctant to disclose their sexual orientatn or inty.
Contents:
- I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
- GAYS THE U.S. MILARY ARE NOW PROTECTED AGAST 'WCH HUNTS'
I'M A GAY ARMY OFFICER—QUEER TROOPS MT FIGHT BACK
It was illegal to be gay the UK ary until 2000 and Rishi Sunak has said sorry to those who were sacked or forced out. * gay allowed in the military *
Sce 2011, openly gay, lbian and bisexual men and women have been permted to serve the ary.
It wasn’t until 1982 that the ary enacted a policy explicly banng gay men and lbians om their ranks. And the early 1940s, was classified as a mental illns, disqualifyg gay men and lbians om service.
Eighteen years later, Congrs repealed the policy, allowg openly gay, lbian and bisexual people to serve the ary. It was illegal to be gay the UK ary until 2000 and Rishi Sunak has said sorry to those who were sacked or forced out.
GAYS THE U.S. MILARY ARE NOW PROTECTED AGAST 'WCH HUNTS'
Rishi Sunak has apologised on behalf of the Government for the 'horrific' historic treatment of LGBTQ+ people servg the ary. Servg personnel spected of beg gay, lbian, bisexual or... * gay allowed in the military *
“Durg this time, many have suffered the most horrific sexual abe and vlence, homophobic harassment, while urageoly servg this untry, ” he ntued. "Today, on behalf of the Brish state, I apologise, " Rishi Sunak a change the law 2000, lbian, gay, bisexual or transgenr people were not allowed to serve the Brish army.
Twelve years after repeal of the ban on gay and lbian troops servg openly, no one the ary or Veterans Admistratn knows how many vets are still whout the benefs they're owed. * gay allowed in the military *
“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. But as a gay man, I have been fightg my whole life to enjoy the very privileg I am entled to as both a beholr and protector of them. I was one of few soldiers who joed the service before graduatg high school, but the admistratn at the time, which I believe was homophobic, chose to act as if I never existed bee of my queer hate that I experienced growg up on Long Island was my first enunter wh how others would treat me as a queer soldier.
While the LGBT ary muny has seen creased reprentatn the past , stris are still beg ma to improve acceptance, tegratn and health for gay and transgenr service members. * gay allowed in the military *
But two years to his enlistment, Steffanis got spotted at a gay bar near his base. "They cut my locker open and found some gay magaz, " he says. Not only was agast the ary regulatns, gay sex was still illegal Virgia, and many other stat.
"They threw me the brig, put me on bread and water — was huiatg --for beg gay, " says Steffanis. " As long as they kept secret, gay and lbian troops uld serve.
Rumors sprouted about how he wasn't datg women or had reported on others for g homophobic slurs.
The Uned Stat ary stggled wh s stance on gay service members for s prr to the signg of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” 1993 by former Print Bill Clton., * gay allowed in the military *
In the years sce, the tegratn of gay and lbian troops has been herald as a huge succs wh no effects on un hn or bat reads, acrdg to the Pentagon. At the time was uncharted terrory, and Alexanr, by then a litenant lonel, sat a room full of senr officers talkg about how to handle gay service members.
"I said, you know what, 'I'm a gay service member, ' " he said. Alexanr's first project was wh the San Francis-based veterans chary Swords to Plowshar, tryg to help gay veterans wh other-than-honorable discharg.
* gay allowed in the military *
"I put up flyers all over the Bay Area the gay bars, plac I knew that the LGBTQ veterans would equent.
And that's where he met Stephan Steffanis, 20 years sce his discharge om the Navy for beg gay.
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.” * gay allowed in the military *
Ary the past , stris are still beg ma to improve acceptance, tegratn and health for gay and transgenr service members.
The ary ban, which was lifted 2000, meant that gay people were dishonourably discharged and sometim, stripped of medals. * gay allowed in the military *
Today, gay and transgenr ary service members enjoy far more rights than they did even five years ago—but the fight ntu to crease visibily and acceptance for this group the armed forc. Department of Defense (DoD) releas a policy statg that “homosexualy is patible wh ary service. 1988: The rults of a jot report nducted by the DoD and the Defense Personnel Secury Rearch Edutn Center rerce the fdgs of a 1957 report claimg that gay and lbian dividuals enlisted the armed forc pose no signifint risk to secury (which had prevly been the ratnale for barrg gay dividuals om enlistg the ary).
The announcement that gays will be protected om discrimatn the ary mak clear the old guard has lost the culture war. * gay allowed in the military *
1993: Print Bill Clton signs the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, barrg openly gay and lbian Amerin cizens om ary service—while prohibg harassment of all “closeted” ary service members. 2015: Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announc that the Milary Equal Opportuny policy has been modified to clu gay and lbian service members. 2016: The Senate nfirms Eric Fanng as secretary of the Army, makg him the first openly gay secretary of a U.