As many as 20,000 armed forces personnel were jailed, dismissed or outed against their will before the rule on service was lifted
King Charles will visit the first memorial to LGBT armed forces personnel today, as it is dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The King will attended the unveiling of a bronze sculpture, titled “An Opened Letter”, marks the impact of the ‘gay ban’ in the UK military – which made it illegal to be homosexual in the forces as recently as 2000. As many as 20,000 armed forces personnel were jailed, dismissed or outed against their will before the rule on service was lifted.
And many suffered horrific bullying and lifelong mental health issues as a result.
The sculpture is shaped like an opened letter, which represents personal letters which were used to discredit and incriminate serving personnel – and in some cases led to prosecution and imprisonment.
Fighting with Pride, the LGBT Armed Forces charity, led the project to secure a permanent memorial for the community.
“Today’s new memorial helps go towards righting wrongs for many former sailors, soldiers and aviators we at Fighting With Pride support,” Peter Gibson, the charity’s CEO said. “It’s a deeply emotional moment, expressing in physical form that what happened to them should never have taken place – and equally, but crucially- must never be allowed to happen again.”
Claire Aston, who served in the Army’s Royal Artillery said: “This is a moment I never believed would happen, a moment full of meaning and, finally, of pride. I’m in my 70’s now and have forever lived with the psychological scars of being kicked out – “medically discharged”, as it was labelled on my records. That was in 1972 when I was just 21 years old -my dream career and lifetime plans ruined just like that. I was punished for being myself.
“It has been a cathartic experience seeing the LGBT+ memorial going through its various stages. Seeing the finished ‘Opened Letter’ sculpture is deeply emotional. It means so much to be with others who’ve been through similar nightmares to me and, like me, are making peace with the past; to be alongside today’s armed forces personnel from the LGBT+ community who can be themselves and serve with pride is incredible.”
Norfolk-based artist collective Abraxas Academy won a design competition to create the memorial – beating 38 other applicants.
As well as those who have served and their families, the memorial is intended as a year-round place of commemoration and reflection for serving LGBT+ military personnel, and those who will serve in the future.
In his scathing review of the scandal last year, Lord Etherington said it had been a “stain on the illustrious history of the Armed Forces.”
Then-PM Rishi Sunak offered those affected an official apology, and a compensation has been set up for people who suffered or lost their careers.
Carl Austin-Behan joined the RAF in 1991 at 19 years old. Six years later he was dismissed for being gay.
He said: “The significance of the LGBT+ memorial blows me away. ‘An Opened Letter’ takes me back to letters I wrote and received at a time of intense secrecy with hidden words and changed identity. I hope once again to walk tall and proud, remembering my service; the pilot I rescued after a crash, the promotion snatched away from me because of my sexuality.
“I’m hopeful the UK’s first LGBT+ armed forces memorial will stimulate important conversations with the public – it will open people’s eyes to how dangerous discrimination is.”