It was 25 years ago on 12 January 2000 that LGBT people were finally allowed to serve in the UK armed forces, ending a long-standing ban on their presence. Veteran campaigners have now secured another significant victory with the unveiling of a sculpture intended to commemorate those affected by the ban. Designed by Norfolk-based art collective Abraxas Academy, the monument will take the form of a bronze model of a crumpled letter: its identity determined from words taken from evidence given by LGBT personnel impacted by the ban. The ambition is to commemorate their struggles and achievements.
The memorial was among 49 recommendations contained in a report from Lord Etherton published in 2023 that examined the ban’s impact on LGBT veterans. From the 38 designs submitted, five were shortlisted before the successful winner was selected last week. Pte Carol Morgan, who was forced out of the Women’s Royal Army Corps in 1982 because of her sexuality, called the winning design “a fantastic piece of art…It shows that we exist, when we’ve always existed…And now they acknowledge that we exist.”
Recalling the policy prior to the lifting of the ban, LGBT veterans report being subjected to intrusive interrogations, dishonourable discharges and criminal convictions that impacted their lives for years afterwards. While the decriminalisation of homosexuality began in the UK in 1967, it was another 33 years before the armed forces lifted the ban. LGBT veterans who fought for its repeal never imagined that they would one day see a monument in their honour.
For Lt Cdr Duncan Lustig-Prean, the reality of hiding his sexuality from colleagues was painful and involved deceit that extended even to signing his letters with initials rather than his name. When his ship left its base, he was unable to have his partner among those waving them off. He recalls: “When you are lying to people who will die for you and you know that you will die for them – that bond is very close, and it is a very difficult and painful thing to lie about your whole existence.”
Fellow veteran Lt Cdr Craig Jones experienced similar difficulties, including lying to his colleagues to avoid being ostracised. Following the lifting of the ban, some hostility persisted within his unit. The Rank Outsiders group of veterans are credited with driving the campaign for recognition and reparations, including the forthcoming monument. Fighting With Pride continued the campaign, which now also includes £70,000 in compensation for veterans and a public apology from then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
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