A battle for love
For much of the 20th Century, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender personnel were excluded from serving openly in the UK Armed Forces. Policies, rooted in outdated views of morality and discipline, regarded homosexuality and gender dysphoria as incompatible with military service and an inherent security risk.
“Whilst the policy at the time prohibited homosexuality in the UK Armed Forces, it is important to note that no distinction was made between transgender and gay, lesbian and bisexual personnel. The view adopted in the enforcement of the Ban was that, if a person was or declared themselves to be transgender or was experiencing gender dysphoria, they were either a gay man, bisexual, or a lesbian. For this reason, although the Ban was concerned with homosexuality and therefore with sexual orientation, it also encompassed gender identity.”
Ministry of Defence
Thousands of individuals were investigated, discharged, or forced to leave their careers behind, simply because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
The Government regrets the historic mistreatment of personnel impacted by the Ban, recognising it as wholly unacceptable and not reflective of today’s Armed Forces.
The memorial, funded by the UK Government and delivered by Fighting With Pride, comes from Lord Etherton’s recommendations in the LGBT Veterans Independent Review.
This memorial serves as a place of reflection, recognition, and remembrance – ensuring that the stories of those who served, and those who suffered, are never forgotten.
The LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial
A Flyby
The memorial is a beautiful installation and we wanted to capture it’s beauty with some drone footage. A huge thank you to the Royal British Legion for funding the filming. Also a huge thanks to the skills of the team at Indigo Blue Media who filmed this incredibly emotional piece.
Visit the memorial
The LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial proudly stands inside the National Memorial Arboretum – a 150-acre site on the edge of the National Forest in Staffordshire.
The National Memorial Arboretum is a living tribute to those who have served, suffered, or died in the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and other organisations that serve the nation.
A tribute to
Lord Etherton
The LGBTQ+ Armed Forces community has lost a voice that didn’t just speak out for the the community, it changed lives.
Lord Etherton’s clear focus, and brilliant legal mind, created a report which is readable and powerful, and it changed the future for the thousands of people who were sacked under a policy which he described as, “A unique record of what, to the modern eye, is an incomprehensible policy of homophobic bigotry in our Armed Forces.”
His compassion, eagerness to understand, and obvious personal empathy very quickly earned the confidence of a community of veterans with little faith and confidence in the machinery of government.
