King to attend first official LGBT event after veterans’ campaign

King III. Charles will unveil a memorial to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military personnel at his first official meeting in support of the LGBT+ community.

Until 2000, it was illegal to be gay in the British military, and those who were – or were perceived to be – faced intrusive investigations, dismissals and, in some cases, imprisonment.

The monument, called “open letter”, is dedicated to the LGBT+ community currently serving in the police force and the pain of those who serve within the scope of the ban.

Affected veterans say the memorial amounts to a “closure” after decades of campaigns, first to change the law and then to force the government to provide compensation.

The bronze sculpture, designed by Norfolk-based artist collective Abraxas Academy, will be officially unveiled today at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, the UK’s national site of commemoration.

It looks like a crumpled piece of paper with words from personal letters used as evidence to incriminate people.

The LGBT+ Veterans Memorial is one of 49 recommendations made by The Etherton Review, an independent government-commissioned report examining the treatment of LGBT+ veterans serving under the ban.

The report’s author, the late Lord Etherton, said it provided “shocking” evidence of the homophobic culture, bullying and sexual assaults suffered by those pursued under the ban, including Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg.

Ms Rághillíg, 69, did not realize she was a lesbian when she joined the Women’s Royal Air Force in 1976, but began to understand her sexuality when she developed feelings for a female friend.

After divorcing her husband, she was posted to RAF Gibraltar, where she worked as a telegrapher; this saw him working with morse code and being given high-level security clearance.

But when a colleague spotted him kissing a woman from the Women’s Royal Navy (WRN), it signaled the end of almost a decade of service.

He says he faced intrusive interrogations in which he was asked intimate questions about his sexual life, exposed it to friends and family, and lied to to give the names of other gay staff.

While awaiting deportation back to the UK, Ms Rághillíg says she was sexually assaulted by a male colleague who tried to make her heterosexual.

She said: “He was touching my breasts and trying to put his hand down my trousers. He said, ‘I’ll handle you.’

“Apparently there was some sort of raffle going on, some guys were betting on who could ‘untie’ me, which was very scary.”

Similar accounts from dozens of other LGBT+ veterans who were sexually assaulted after revealing their sexual identity are well documented in the Etherton Report.

Abraxas Academy, a collective of artists behind the LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial, was selected from over 35 submissions by a panel of current and former LGBT+ staff and groups including the Royal British Legion.

Nina Bilbey, the monument’s designer, told the BBC it was “humbling” to be involved in such an emotional project.

He said: “They waited so long for some kind of recognition that we didn’t want to disappoint them.”

According to Ms. Rághillíg, this monument signals the “closure” of the treatment she suffered in the name of the ban and will also help remember the ban and its effects for future generations.

“In another 20 or 30 years, none of us will be left, but the monument will be there and that’s really important,” he said.

The commemoration project was led by Fighting With Pride, an LGBT+ veterans support charity set up to campaign for justice and support those affected by the ban.

Peter Gibson, the company’s chief executive, said: “This is a deeply emotional moment that expresses in physical form that what happened to them should never have happened.”

Veterans affected by the ban can apply for financial compensation of up to £70,000.

Mr Gibson said he hoped the tribute would encourage veterans who have not yet come forward to apply for compensation or contact the charity for support.

“We know there are more veterans suffering under the law and who are owed justice and compensation,” he said.

Other measures already completed include the amnesty of criminal convictions, a special LGBT+ veterans ribbon for those affected by the ban, and the return of medals and berets.

A Ministry of Defense spokesman told the BBC it was “deeply saddened” by the treatment of those affected by the ban and that their experiences “do not reflect today’s values ​​or the inclusive culture of our armed forces”.

He added: “We appreciate the bravery of those who shared their experiences and are committed to ensuring all personnel feel valued, respected and successful in our armed forces.”