LGBT veterans urged to share experience of treatment before MOD lifted gay ban
Veterans and their families who were affected by the pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces are being encouraged to share how they were treated.
The hope is that what is learned will inform recommendations to ensure that the service of every LGBT veteran is understood and valued.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) says it is attempting to address "with compassion, the historic hurt or disadvantage that sections of the veteran community have experienced", including those who were banned from serving openly between 1967 and 2000.
In 1967, the Sexual Offences Act decriminalised homosexual acts in England and Wales, but homosexuality was still an offence in the Armed Forces until 2000 when the ban was lifted.
Everyone affected by the ban who served in the UK Armed Forces between 1967 and 2000, and their families, are encouraged to share their experiences.
In addition, responses are welcome from academics and organisations with an interest in the UK Armed Forces and the LBGT community.
The call for evidence has been designed to be user-friendly, quick to fill in and easily accessible.
Individuals will be able to respond via an online survey here or via Freepost.
Regardless of where they live, veterans affected by the UK Armed Forces pre-2000 ban will be able to provide their testimony to the call for evidence.
This call for evidence follows the recent appointment of The Right Honorable The Lord Etherton PC QC as the chair of this review in June 2022.
Lord Terence Etherton PC QC said: "The object of the review is to provide evidence-based recommendations to the Government as to how best the Government can meet its commitment to ensure that all veterans' experiences are understood and their military service valued, and how best to acknowledge and remedy the injustice of dismissal of LGBT service personnel prior to 2000 on the grounds of their sexual orientation.
"This call for evidence will ensure that veterans can share their experiences.
"I encourage all those affected by the ban to come forward with testimony in this safe environment, to shape the review's recommendations," he added.
The review was announced by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Steve Barclay as part of the Veterans' Strategy Action Plan in January 2022.
It stated: "We will deliver an independent review into the impact of pre-2000 practices on LGBT veterans in 2022.
"We will explore ways to enable veterans with convictions for service offences relating to their sexual orientation to apply to the Home Office for a disregard."
The independent review will provide the opportunity for the Government to better understand the lived experience of LGBT veterans who served prior to 2000, including how being discharged from the military because of their sexuality affected their life.
It will also consider the experiences of LGBT veterans and their families in the context of the ban, including the nature of dismissal and the long-term impact.
From these testimonies, the review team will be able to make evidence-based recommendations as to how the Government can meet its commitment in the Veterans' Strategy Action Plan and ensure the service and experience of every LGBT veteran is understood and valued.
The call for evidence for the independent review is expected to last for 17 weeks.
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