UK's Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has apologised to LGBTQ veterans for the treatment they received after being fired or forced to leave the military for being gay.
Addressing MPs in Parliament, the Prime Minister said: “Many endured the most horrific sex abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment all while bravely serving this country. Today on behalf of the British state I apologise.”
Being gay in the British military was illegal until 2000, something which is believed to have affected thousands of veterans.
Many were imprisoned, experienced corrective violence, and lived with the stain of criminal convictions because of who they loved and which left some homeless and many unable to work.
The apology came after a long-awaited report into the treatment of LGBTQ veterans was published. The LGBT Veterans Independent Review heard evidence from 1,145 people impacted by the ban.
Read the report here
No comments:
Post a Comment