LGBT Veterans Independent Review

The LGBT Veterans Independent Review has been published. 

If you have been affected by the Review there are various sources of support available:

Veterans in England who wish to access mental health support can contact Op COURAGE The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, and the guide also refers you help in available in other UK locations.

Also, Sexual Assault Referral Centres can support people who have experienced both recent and historic sexual assault. 

Veterans were previously invited to share their experiences with the review.

Lord Etherton PC QC said:

The object of the Review is to provide evidence based recommendations to the government as to how best the government can meet its commitment to ensure that all veterans’ experiences are understood and their military service valued, and how best to acknowledge and remedy the injustice of dismissal of LGBT service personnel prior to 2000 on the grounds of their sexual orientation.
This call for evidence will ensure that veterans can share their experiences. I encourage all those affected by the ban to come forward with testimony in this safe environment, to shape the review’s recommendations.

Family members, academics and organisations, with an interest in the armed forces, were also welcome to participate in the research.

The testimony of LGBT+ veterans fed into the review to examine the treatment of those affected by the ban. And to ensure the service and experience of every LGBT+ veteran is understood and valued. This included evaluating the nature of their dismissal, and the impact that this had on their subsequent lives.

See support for LGBT+ veterans on Veterans’ Gateway