Ex UK Military Dismissed Because Of Their Sexuality Demand Apology From David Cameron For Their Treatment
Three members of the gay and lesbian community are seeking to get an apology from both the Queen and the new Prime Minister, David Cameron, following the negative treatment they received whilst in the military and the long lasting impact that it has had.
Leading the campaign for this apology are Jacqui De La Maziere, (ex-Royal Navy), Roger Garford (ex-Royal Air Force) and Jean MacDonald (ex-Army), all dismissed prior to the lifting of the ban of gays serving openly in the military back in 2000, who are looking for it not only for their experiences of being interrogated and dismissed from the armed forces because of their sexual orientation, but also the many others who suffered the same treatment.
Originally writing to the Queen for an apology, the trio were informed that it is not something that she is able to intervene in due to her position as a constitutional sovereign and that she had requested Senior Correspondence Officer to send their letter to Prime Minister David Cameron MP, in order for him to consider their approach and the points raised.
The move to ending the ban on gays in the military in the UK occurred back in 2000 when gay naval officer Duncan Lustig-Praen won a landmark case in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) concerning his dismissal from the Navy due to his sexual orientation. Alleging that this and the intrusive manner of the investigation was a violation of his right to privacy, the winning of this case saw the government immediately suspend the ban and then remove it totally.
Speaking about the relevance this case has to their plight for an apology, De La Maziere said:
“…because Duncan and his three colleagues were the first test case they got good settlements, but for many of us who followed the damages were pitiful considering we were being dismissed from what would have been a twenty two year career.”
“It’s not about the money, it’s about recognising the long lasting effects of the dismissals and the interrogations.”
Prior to the ban interrogations focused on discovering whether you were gay or not could last between 2 to 18 hours and would be undertaken by the same trained officers that interrogated terrorists, something which De La Maziere says has unsurprisingly had a long term impact on those involved which included:
“… having to come out to parents prematurely, to self harm, to loss of career and ongoing work prospects, to homelessness. Some people were given electric shock therapy and sent to military prison. Yet, we’ve never been offered any counselling or support.”
Whilst the group are looking to see if there are any other avenues open to them to take the case further, De La Maziere says that it is however a formal apology which is most important to them stating:
“an apology would be a mental healing and a chance for people finally to put it to rest and move on.”
Via The Lesbian & Gay Foundation Photo credit: Theodore Scott
