For more than thirty years, gay men and lesbians were barred from serving in the British armed forces despite the decriminalization of homosexuality. A quarter of a century after the end of this discrimination, the United Kingdom compensates its victims while a gay minister now leads its armed forces.
“Homosexuality is incompatible with service within the armed forces, as it may offend sensitivities and lead to a lack of discipline.” This doctrine prevailed in the British army until the lifting of the ban in 2000. Since then, nearly 60 million pounds sterling (about 70 million euros) have been paid to more than 1,800 former service members, the Ministry of Defence announced on 3 September, 100 days before the scheduled end of the compensation programme for discriminated military personnel.
The British government had announced at the end of 2024 this compensation scheme worth 75 million pounds. In addition to ending their careers and public humiliation, some veterans have been deprived of their military pensions, ending their lives in precarious circumstances. Their compensation can reach up to 70,000 pounds (about 80,000 euros) per person. Other forms of recognition, non-financial, are also possible, such as obtaining an official letter of apology, the reinstatement of medals, or organizing a rehabilitation ceremony.
Partial decriminalization
Yet the United Kingdom decriminalized homosexual relations in 1967 with the Sexual Offences Act, which legalized in England and Wales private, consensual relations between men over 21. But the armed forces remained excluded from this decriminalization. Homosexuality remained a military offense until 1994 and, even after this date, gays and lesbians were still considered unfit for service and could be discharged due to their sexual orientation.
Facing this discrimination, associative resistance organized in the early 1990s. Former service members discharged for homosexuality formed the Rank Outsiders collective and began a legal battle against the Ministry of Defence. They led the fight in British courts before taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In September 1999, the Court condemned the British Ministry’s policy, in that it rested on a “prejudice of the heterosexual majority against a homosexual minority”. The Court also held that investigations into the sexual orientation of service members and their discharge violated their right to respect for private life.
Apologies and cheques
A few months later, in January 2000, the ban was lifted. But while gays and lesbians were no longer excluded from the army, the state did not yet acknowledge the harms suffered. After 27 years of legal proceedings, Joe Ousalice, a Falklands War veteran discharged from the Royal Navy in 1993 because of his bisexuality, won his case in January 2020: he could retrieve his medals. A year later, the government extended this possibility to all affected veterans.
It would still be necessary to wait until 2023 for the British state to officially acknowledge its responsibility. An independent report then documented the consequences of the ban for LGBT service members who served between 1967 and 2000. During its presentation to Parliament, Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delivered official apologies “on behalf of the British state”: “I hope that all those affected can be proud to belong to the veteran community, which has done so much to ensure the security of our country.” The report paves the way for the rehabilitation and repair process.
A gay man at the head of the army
“No one should face persecution or be forced to hide their identity”, comments today the Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting (in photo), in the press release about the compensation process. “This ban has caused lasting harm to many brave personnel who served our country”, he adds, calling on all eligible veterans to come forward before the deadline, set for 12 December 2026.
Being gay himself, Wes Streeting recently told, in a LBC radio podcast, that he has faced more online homophobia since his appointment as Defence Secretary on 20 July than during his entire life. “People cannot bear the idea that a homosexual person could lead the United Kingdom’s armed forces”, he lamented. Before underscoring the symbol: in his lifetime, the country has moved from an army that barred homosexuals to a homosexual at the head of the Ministry of Defence.
