Sacked gays and lesbians still awaiting MoD payouts
Lesbian and gay military recruits who were dismissed from the forces when their sexuality became known are still awaiting compensation, a newspaper investigation claims.
The RAF, army and navy members who were told to leave prior to January 2000 when the UK’s ban on lesbian and gay personnel was lifted, have not received payment from the Ministry of Defence, despite the government accepting the actions taken were illegal.
The department promised compensation to sacked members after the law was changed, but according to The Observer, settlements have still not been finalised and are often as low as £3000, far less than they would have earned if they were still in the force.
Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group, Stonewall, told The Observer,
“It is shocking that almost a decade after Stonewall took the MoD to the European Court of Human Rights these cases haven’t been settled.
An MoD spokesman told the paper it was trying to reach “amicable settlements.”
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) members of The Royal Navy were allowed to march in their uniforms for the first time at EuroPride last weekend.
A spokesman told PinkNews.co.uk: “We are proud to be members of the Royal Navy, it’s a service that accepts every kind of person.”
However LGBT army and the RAF recruits were not allowed to appear in their uniforms after it was decided sexuality should be a private issue.
