As the UK prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of Pride, a Liverpool MP has called for justice for LGBTQ+ veterans.
Dan Carden has been working alongside the charity Fighting With Pride as their ambassador. In line with his role, the Labour representative for Walton dedicated his speech to LGBTQ+ veterans during a Pride debate in the House of Commons and has made repeated calls on the government to ensure that all those who were affected by the inhumane ban receive reparations.
On Saturday, 2 July, as the LGBTQ+ community begins its march through the country’s capital to mark the anniversary of Pride, a group of veterans will with “quiet dignity, have their moment of inclusion when they join and march with our uniformed Armed Forces.” This act of unison will be the first of its kind, but as an ambassador for the leading LGBT veterans’ charity Mr Carden argued this should have happened before now.
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He said: “I am proud to work alongside Fighting With Pride to deliver justice for all those veterans who endured such brutal treatment for simply, being themselves. For decades LGBT veterans, and those simply suspected or accused of being gay, have needlessly lived with unimaginable shame and trauma. They had their careers and livelihoods destroyed with many being registered as sex offenders.
“The LGBT veterans who will march in the capital on Saturday are not shameful – despite what the historic ban would have them believe - they are some of our dearest and best and today I and so many others are immensely proud of their courage, both on the battlefield and in the battle to be themselves.”
Mr Carden has worked closely with the organisation on a campaign calling on the government to conduct a review into the number of people who have been dismissed or forced to resign from the armed forces due to their sexual orientation or gender identity and to restore ranks and pensions, and provide other forms of financial compensation to LGBT veterans who were grossly mistreated.
During the ban, LGBT service personnel and those perceived to be LGBT were subjected to “harrowing investigations, degrading medical inspections and repeatedly humiliated.” Many were ‘dismissed with disgrace’ or forced to resign. If found guilty of the military criminal offence of being ‘homosexual’, a minimum of 6 months in prison was served. These people were also stripped of their rank, given criminal convictions and in some cases, placed on the sex offenders register, which “culminated in lasting trauma, shame and financial struggle.”
Mr Carden added: “I sincerely hope they (the veterans) hold their heads high and despite the rigours, they have faced in their lives, are as proud of themselves as we are of them. The Government’s Independent Review will, for the first time, assess the number of people affected and must lead to appropriate reparations that restore medals, ranks, pensions, and other forms of financial compensation.
“Until the government delivers appropriate reparations, including pensions and financial compensation, this will remain a national disgrace. These terms are the absolute minimum of what is owed to these long-suffering veterans who deserve to live their lives with the same Pride, honour and comfort as all other veterans.”
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