King dedicates UK’s first memorial to LGBTQI troops
King Charles III dedicated the United Kingdom’s first national monument to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender soldiers, 25 years after the country lifted its ban on homosexuality in the armed forces.
The King, who is the chief of ceremonies of the armed forces, laid flowers at the memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in central England, at a ceremony attended by many soldiers and veterans.
The sculpture takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter bearing the words of staff affected by the ban.
Between 1967 and 2000, soldiers, sailors, and air force personnel who were or were perceived to be gay or transgender were labeled unfit for service and discharged or expelled from the forces.
Some were stripped of their medals or lost retirement benefits, and many struggled with the stigma for decades.
The government lifted the ban following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in 1999.
In 2023, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak formally apologized for what he called “the appalling failure of the British state.”
A compensation scheme has been established under which veterans dismissed from the army because of their sexual orientation or gender identity will be paid up to 70,000 pounds ($A142,500) each.
LGBTQI military charity Fighting with Pride said the new monument represents “a strong step forward in recognizing and honoring the service and sacrifice” of gay and transgender troops.
Claire Ashton, who was forced to leave the Royal Artillery in 1972 at the age of 21, said it was “a moment I never thought would happen, a moment full of meaning and ultimately full of pride”.
“I am now in my 70s and have forever lived with the psychological scars of being expelled from school (“medically discharged,” as my records say),” he said.
“It means a lot to me to be with people who have experienced similar nightmares and who, like me, have made peace with the past.”
Brigadier Clare Phillips said at the ceremony: “As a gay woman serving 30 years in the British Army, my career has taken me from a life of secrecy, fear and darkness to a career of pride, openness and joy.
“For the serving community, today’s unveiling of this incredible monument is about remembering that we stand on the shoulders of giants—people who fought discrimination and oppression and ensured that we can now serve openly and proudly,” he said.
