LONDON – For decades, LGBT members of the British army have been systematically fired from their ranks and stripped of their medals. Now, after years of campaigning by political targets, the government has traced a path for them to retrieve their medals.
The defense ministry, which acknowledged that the practice was “wrong, discriminatory and unfair”, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was taking another step towards addressing this injustice.
Annabel Goldie, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defense, said it is “deeply regrettable” that some members of the Armed Forces have been treated “in a way that would not be acceptable today” because of their sexual orientation. “I am very pleased now that I am in a position to correct this error and to invite any affected employee or, in some circumstances, the families of the deceased to request the return of their medals,” she said in a statement.
The military did not release figures on how many people were affected before Britain lifted the ban on gay men serving in the army after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2000 that the policy violated basic human rights.
Until then, the military could be dishonoredly discharged from service and deprived of their medals for their sexual orientation.
Some were also convicted under legislation that outlawed homosexual acts. Even with laws in the country gradually changing, gay military men could still be arrested until 1994. Homosexual acts were not decriminalized in the country until 1967.
“Today, LGBT + veterans are finally starting their journey back to the military family,” Fighting With Pride, a group that defends military personnel, said in a statement.
The group added that it seeks “a better future for them, where they are recognized for their services, their health needs are met and they are rewarded for the mistakes of the past”.
The reversal comes after Joe Ousalice, a veteran of the Malvinas war, campaigned for the return of a medal taken from him when he was forced to leave the Royal Navy in 1993 for being bisexual.
Mr. Ousalice was a radio operator in the Navy for 18 years and also served in the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
He remembered the moment when an officer cut his medal for a long period of service and good conduct on the chest of his uniform with large scissors.
“It was devastating,” he told the BBC last month.
The military returned its medal last year, after nearly three decades. And although he told the BBC that he was “in the clouds” for having prevailed in his fight, he said it was “a shame that it took 27 years to get it.”
His struggle, however, paved the way for the new policy that was outlined in detail on Tuesday.
This policy will allow anyone who has been dismissed from service for their sexual orientation and had their medal revoked to have their case heard by the Ministry of Defense. Families of deceased veterans who have been released from military service for these reasons can also request the return of their medals.
Military personnel who have been convicted of sex crimes that have already been decriminalized can request the government to officially revoke the charges and then request the restoration of their medals. This route does not apply in the case of deceased veterans.
Human rights groups welcomed the new policy and said it was important to ensure that the government addressed broader discrimination against LGBT veterans.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the change addressed an “historic error”.
“Those who serve in our Armed Forces deserve all recognition for their services,” he wrote on Twitter. “It was a great injustice that some members were denied this simply because of their sexuality.”