Veterans dismissed from the armed forces for being gay have claimed that the UK government is providing insufficient compensation, with the total amount available capped at £50 million. It is estimated that up to 4,000 veterans will be eligible, meaning an average payout of £12,500 each. The Royal British Legion and other charities have written to the Prime Minister to demand that the cap be raised. The Ministry of Defence has promised to provide more details of the compensation scheme later this year.
Compensation was one of over 40 recommendations made in July 2023 by an independent review which investigated the experiences of 1,145 veterans. The review was led by Lord Etherton, Britain’s first openly gay judge. It exposed decades of bullying, assaults and expulsions of LGBT servicemen and women, often leaving them without income or pensions. On the release of the report, then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised in Parliament and called the ban “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. Those who were – or were considered – gay could be subjected to lengthy investigations before being discharged from the military. Some were still being imprisoned in 1995. Stephen Close, now aged 62 years old, was convicted of the sexual offence of gross indecency after kissing another man while he was stationed in Berlin in the 1980s. He was discharged from the Army and sent to military prison for four months. Mr Close from Salford lived as a convicted sex offender for 30 years before being pardoned in 2013.
Leading veterans’ charities argue that £12,500 is “inadequate and unacceptably low” and “does not bring about the sense of justice these veterans deserve”. Some LGBT veterans, including Mr Close, recently awarded a special badge by the Ministry of Defence to recognise the injustice they experienced, have stated that they will refuse to wear it until compensation is paid. Despite this, various recommendations such as the return of medals and berets have been put in place. The building of an LGBT veterans memorial and the clarification of pension rights are among several others in progress. Campaigners have warned that elderly and ill veterans require prompt payment of compensation. Craig Jones from the campaign group Fighting with Pride said, “This is the moment for the government to do the right thing”. The Ministry of Defence has said it is “fully committed to ensuring this issue receives parliamentary scrutiny”
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