Rishi Sunak has made a public apology for the past treatment of LGBT veterans who were forced out of the armed services, calling it an ‘appalling failure’ of the British state.
Homosexuality was decriminalised in the UK in 1967 but a ban continued in the armed forces until 2000, but a report into the treatment of gay people recommended they be given a financial reward and that the prime minister should apologise.
The PM told MPs: “Many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment, all while bravely serving this country.”
The LGBT Veterans Independent Review, led by Britain’s first openly gay judge Lord Etherton, began last year and heard about the experiences of 1,145 veterans between 1967 to 2000.
The review comes more than 20 years after four servicemen and women, who were sacked for being gay, won a case in the European Court of Human Rights and overturned the ban.
According to the report, the Ministry of Defence said at the time that justification for the policy included “maintenance of operational effectiveness and efficiency”. However, the review said there had been an “incomprehensible policy of homophobic bigotry” in the armed forces and listed accounts of bullying, blackmail, sexual assaults, medical examinations, and even conversion therapy.
The review recommended veterans be given financial compensation and clarification of pension rights. Medals that were handed back after dismissal or discharge should be restored. The government said it would respond in full after the summer recess.
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Among veterans who watched the PM’s apology was Emma Riley, 51. In the early 1990s, she was a Royal Navy radio operator but was arrested and discharged for being a lesbian after confiding her sexuality to a colleague.
She told the BBC: “Having our history, experiences and enormous pain acknowledged and apologised for, hearing that the armed services and government that perpetuated institutional bullying will now be held accountable to finally support LBGT+ veterans, is a relief.”
Olympian Dame Kelly Holmes, who served in the army and came out as gay last year, called the publication of the report a “historic moment”, while Catherine Dixon, a former army officer who is now vice-chair at LGBT rights group Stonewall, said it was “an important step towards justice” for those whose military careers were destroyed because of their sexuality.
She said: “Many were imprisoned, experienced corrective violence and lived with the stain of criminal convictions because of who they loved and which left some homeless and many unable to work.”
The report detailed that as recently as 1996 servicemen and women were being sent to prison for their sexuality with many still having a criminal record to this day. It details how some veterans faced a complete loss of income, while others were deemed ineligible to claim their pension because of their dismissal.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace responded to the review’s publication by saying said he was “deeply sorry” on behalf of the government and the armed forces.
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“I say again to the veterans’ community I’m deeply sorry for what happened to you. The very tolerance and values of Western democracy that we expected you to fight for, we denied to you – it was profoundly wrong,” he said in the House of Commons.
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