British Military Gay Ban Survivors Call £50 Million Payout “A Slap In The Face”
Former service members are pushing back against the UK government’s £50m compensation plan for those kicked out of the military for being gay. The news came from BBC reports on 15 October 2024.
“No help to find a job, no help to find a home. I lost everything.”
— BFBS Forces News (@ForcesNews) October 24, 2024
Until January 2000 there was a ban on LGBT people serving in the UK Armed Forces. LGBT veterans who were removed from service have shared their memories of how they were impacted.
🔗 https://t.co/mhLg1KO4eV pic.twitter.com/jT88kXuf7X
Justice Denied for LGBTQIA+ Veteran.
Craig Jones, Chair of the LGBT Veterans Coalition, penned a powerful letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, co-signed by prominent charities such as Fighting With Pride, Help For Heroes, and The Royal British Legion.
Jones asserted, “It is the shared view of the LGBT Veterans Coalition and our supporters that payments of this scale will not bring about the sense of justice these veterans deserve.”
Today, in a remarkable show of solidarity between Civilian and Military charities, an open letter has been delivered to the Prime Minister, calling for urgent action surrounding the financial compensation scheme for LGBT+ Veterans.
— Fighting With Pride (@fightingwpride) October 23, 2024
Read below 👇🏻
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ pic.twitter.com/Eaho34LvpU
According to the BBC, the National Audit Office estimates that around 4,000 people may be eligible for compensation under the scheme. With £50m set aside, the average payout would be a mere £12,500 per person.
Jones emphasised, “We must not deny LGBT veterans the justice they are due, nor deny the defence establishment this watershed moment in which the values we share today, replace those of the past.”
The ban on homosexuality within the military led to the dishonorable discharge of countless LGBTQIA+ service members if their sexuality was revealed. Shockingly, some were even imprisoned until 1995.
In 2022, Lord Etherton, Britain’s first openly gay judge, spearheaded the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, exposing the decades of bullying, violence, and dismissals endured by gay and lesbian individuals in the military. Many were left without wages or pensions.
As the fight for justice continues, the LGBTQIA+ veteran community and their supporters remain steadfast in their demand for fair and adequate compensation for the wrongs of the past.
