A new war memorial in the United Kingdom will honour LGBT service personnel who served in the armed forces.
LGBT veterans charity Fighting with Pride have been awarded a £350,000 grant to create the memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The organisation has been at the forefront of efforts to get justice for veterans affected by the UK’s ban on gay and lesbian people serving in the military. The ban was in place until 2000, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak only delivered a formal apology last year.
Craig Jones, Chair of Fighting with Pride, has welcomed the funding and outlined that an in-depth consultation will now take place to ascertain the best form of memorial.
“In the coming weeks Fighting with Pride will invite the views of the community to ensure the memorial is representative and a place for peace and reflection for today’s Armed Forces family.
“We are delighted and proud to have the opportunity to create this important memorial, our work on it will start quickly.
“We’re committed to delivering a fitting memorial, but a great deal of work remains to be done to lift the veterans most affected by the ban from the poverty inflicted upon them after the loss of careers.” Jones told British newspaper The Telegraph.
A review handed to the British government last year recommends financial rewards for those affected by the ban against gay men and women. Establishing a memorial was also one of its 49 recommendations.
Australia was way ahead of both Britain and the US in allowing LGBTIQA+ people to serve in the military. Australia’s ban was dropped in 1992 under the Keating Labor government.
The USA implemented its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy under President Bill Clinton in 1993, before finally repealing the directive in 2011 under President Barack Obama.
