LONDON – Britain’s LGBT members have been systematically fired and stripped of their medals for decades. Now, after years of campaigning by those targeted by the policy, the government has paved a way for them to get their medals back.
The Ministry of Defense, which acknowledged that the practice was ‘wrong, discriminatory and unfair’, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was taking a further step to address the injustice.
Annabel Goldie, a state secretary of defense, said it was “regrettable” that some members of the military were “treated in a way that would not be acceptable today” because of their sexual orientation. “I am now very pleased that I am able to deal with this mistake and to invite affected staff, or in some cases the families of those who have died, to apply for their medals back,” she said in a statement.
The military has not released figures on how many people were affected before Britain lifted a ban on gay people in the military after the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2000 that the policy violated basic human rights.
Until then, military personnel could be dishonorably discharged from service and stripped of their medals because of their sexual orientation.
Some have also been convicted under legislation banning homosexual acts. Although the laws in the country gradually changed, gay military personnel could still receive imprisonment until 1994. Homosexual acts were only decriminalized in the country in 1967.
“Today, LGBT + veterans are finally embarking on their journey back to the military family,” Fighting With Pride, a group campaigning for military personnel, said in a statement.
The group added that they were “looking forward to a better future for them, where they are recognized for their service, their health needs are supported and they are compensated for the injustices of the past.”
The turnaround comes after Joe Ousalice, a war veteran in Falkland, campaigned for the return of a medal taken from him when he was forced out of the Royal Navy in 1993 because he was bisexual.
Mr. Ousalice was a naval radio operator for 18 years and also served in the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
He remembers the moment when an officer cut his medal for long service and good behavior with large scissors from the chest of his uniform.
“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 he would win ‘over the moon’ in his battle, he said it was ‘unfortunate that it took 27 years to get it’.
However, his struggle paved the way for the new policy, which was set out in detail on Tuesday.
The policy will allow anyone who has been dismissed from service due to sexual orientation and withdrawn their medals to consider their case through the Ministry of Defense. Families of deceased veterans who have been discharged from military service on that basis may also apply to return the medals.
Military personnel convicted of sexual offenses that have since been decriminalized can apply to the government to have the charges officially dropped and then they can apply to recover their medals. This avenue does not apply in the case of deceased veterans.
Rights groups have welcomed the new policy, saying it is important to ensure that the government addresses broader discrimination against LGBT veterans.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the change was a “historic injustice”.
“Those who serve in our Army deserve every recognition for their service,” he wrote on Twitter. “It was a great injustice that some members refused it just because of their sexuality.”