British Armed Forces celebrate 20th Anniversary of lifting the ban on gay people in the Services

It’s a proud day in the UK today as the Armed Services are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the lifting of the ban on LGB people serving openly in the Military.. And they are rightly marking the occasion with a weekend long celebrations.

In London the Ministry of Defence lit their building in rainbow colors . as they did too at the Victory Building at the Royal Navy’s headquarters in Portsmouth. Navy bases and Royal Marines units are flying rainbow Pride flags, and flags will also be raised at Edinburgh Castle which will also be lit in rainbow colors.

The Ministry of Defence also hosted a special reception in the British Parliament on January 9, paying tribute to former and current LGBTQ service members (the British military has allowed transgender people to serve openly since 2014).

The Defence Secretary BEN WALLACE said “This anniversary is a timely reminder of the fantastic contribution the LGBT community makes to the military, and our commitment to creating a truly inclusive place to work.”

The British military is also celebrating a number of changes since 2000, including same-sex couples in civil partnerships — implemented in 2004, prior to full marriage equality in 2014 — receiving the same benefits as married couples, and same-sex couples now being able to co-habit in all Service Accommodation.

To get this all in perspective , the United States did not end its ban on gay and bisexual service members in 2011, when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was officially repealed. The Obama administration allowed transgender people to serve openly starting in June 2016, though that naturally came to an end last year following the implementation of a (yet another) ban by the Trump administration.

Posted

January 13, 2020

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2020, Anniversary, armed services, UK