Honouring the vets failed by forces' gay ban

KING Charles laid a wreath at the UK's first national memorial commemorating LGBTQ+ Armed Forces yesterday, meeting veterans who spoke movingly of the damage inflicted on them by the military's former “gay ban”.

- BY MIKEY SMITH

(Pictures ANDY STENNING)

It is the first time Charles has taken part in an LGBTQ+ event in an official capacity.

The ban, which remained in place until 2000 - decades after homosexuality was decriminalised - saw thousands dismissed from the Army, Royal Navy and RAF.

Many were bullied, outed or even imprisoned because of their sexuality. People who served their country with distinction lost their careers, ranks and medals - and many were left struggling with lifelong mental health trauma.

It was an emotional day for the more than 100 current and former members of the Armed Forces attending the dedication, titled An Opened Letter, alongside the monarch, and the culmination of years of campaigning by veterans backed by organisation Fighting With Pride.

Claire Ashton, a trans woman who served as a gunner in the Royal Artillery, was bullied throughout her career, before being kicked out on unspecified medical grounds back in 1972.