Deputy leader Zack Polanski: “The ban on LGBTIQA+ people serving in the military was wrong 20 years ago, and it is unacceptable that it has taken over 20 years to address the harm done to people serving before that.”
Cade Hatton, Co-Chair of LGBTIQA+ Greens: “It’s Pride Month. This is the time to act.”
The Green Party has demanded that the Government immediately release the report it commissioned [1] into the experiences of LGBTIQA+ veterans who served in the Armed Forces before 2000 - the year the ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces was finally lifted.
The call comes during Pride Month, with the completed report - commissioned by the Government in 2021 - now with ministers. [2]
Green Party deputy leader Zack Polanski said:
“If the Government is serious about addressing this historic injustice, it must release the report immediately. The ban on LGBTIQA+ people serving in the military was wrong 20 years ago, and it is unacceptable that it has taken over 20 years to address the harm done to people serving before that.
“The Government was absolutely right to finally commission this review in 2021, but there is now no reason to delay publishing a report that has been completed and is sitting on the Minister’s desk.
“Let’s listen to the testimonies of the LGBTIQA+ people who served in the Armed Services under the ban, and hear from the government about what it will do to address the report’s recommendations in full.”
Cade Hatton, Co-Chair of LGBTIQA+ Greens, said:
“The pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces is just one example of the shameful and targeted discrimination of the LGBTIQA+ community by successive governments.
“This review was long overdue, but I am pleased the report is now complete. We need it published immediately, so that we can read the testimonies of LGBTIQA+ service personnel and finally put on public record their experiences under the Government’s discriminatory ban on homosexuality in the military.
“While we cannot ignore the harm done by the military industrial complex of the west to the rest of the world, we also cannot ignore the harm done to those who have served under a discriminatory organisation that has caused people to hide who they are or risk unemployment or worse. This report must be made public.
“For the sake of transparency, the Government must release the report and its full recommendations without any further delay, and commit to taking the action needed to restore justice for our community.
“It’s Pride Month. This is the time to act.”
ENDS
Notes
1
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/lgbt-veterans-independent-review/about
2