UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday made a formal apology for the “horrific” historic treatment of LGBT people who served in the military when homosexuality was banned.
“The ban on LGBT people serving in our military until the year 2000 was an appalling failure of the British state, decades behind the law of this land,” Sunak told the House of Commons.
“In that period many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment, all while bravely serving this country,” he added.
“Today, on the behalf of the British state, I apologise.”
The prime minister said he hoped those affected would now “feel proud parts of the veteran community that has done so much to keep our country safe.”
The apology was prompted by the findings of a government-commissioned independent review of LGBT veterans who served between 1967 and 2000.
The report detailed “shocking evidence of a culture of homophobia, and of bullying, blackmail, and sexual assaults, abusive investigations into sexual orientation and sexual preference, disgraceful medical examinations, including conversion therapy.”
Report author Terence Etherton recommended that Sunak deliver an apology and that an “appropriate financial award” should be made to veterans affected by the pre-2000 ban.
Former British Army Officer Catherine Dixon, now vice-chair at LGBT charity Stonewall, called the apology “an important step to achieving justice for those LGBTQ+ people who served in HM Armed Forces and, like me, experienced shame, humiliation, and a ruined military career because of our sexuality.”
“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,” she added.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told parliament that the report made for “miserable and distressing” reading and that the government had been working through the report’s recommendations.
“Today we want to say to all those ex-soldiers, sailors, and aviators, many now in retirement, you are one of us, you belong in our community and in choosing to put yourself in harm’s way for the good of your colleagues, your community and country, you have proven yourselves the best of us.”
