Oct. 27 (UPI) — British King Charles III unveiled a memorial to LGBTQIA+ members of the military Monday, 25 years after the government lifted a decades-long ban on the community’s service.
The monarch laid flowers at the bronze sculpture — named An Opened Letter — installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It was his first official event supporting the LGBTQIA+ community, the BBC reported.
The title of the memorial refers to personal letters written by LGBTQIA+ service members that the military used as evidence against them. The sculpture mimics a crumpled piece of paper made up of words from actual letters.
The artist collective Abraxas Academy — comprising Charlotte Howarth, Nina Bilbey, Sue Aperghis, James Spedding and Kate Homes — designed the sculpture.
The LGBTQIA+ veterans support organization Fighting With Pride led the campaign to establish the memorial. It honors those who were emotionally impacted by Britain’s military ban and at times, physically persecuted for their sexuality.
The British armed forces made it illegal to be gay in the military from 1967 until 2000, during which time there were thousands of dismissals, forced exits and cases of discrimination, reported Attitude, a British LGBTQIA+ magazine.
Claire Ashton, a member of the Army Royal Artillery who was discharged in 1972, told Attitude the memorial unveiling was “a moment full of meaning and, finally, of pride.”
“I’m in my 70s now and have forever lived with the psychological scars of being kicked out — ‘medically discharged,’ as it was labeled on my records,” she said. “That was in 1972 when I was just 21 years old — my dream career and lifetime plans ruined just like that.
“I was punished for being myself.”
Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg told the BBC she was kicked out of the Women’s Royal Navy after a colleague saw her kissing a woman. She had served for nearly a decade.
Rághillíg said she faced intrusive questioning about her sex life and was sexually assaulted by a male service member.
“Apparently, there was some kind of sweepstake, some of the guys were betting on who could ‘sort me out,’ which was terrifying,” she said.
Fighting With Pride’s chief executive, Peter Gibson, told the BBC he hopes the memorial will encourage service members impacted by the ban to apply for up to $93,000 in reparations.
“We know there are more veterans who suffered under the ban who are owed justice and reparations,” he said.
“It’s a deeply emotional moment, expressing in physical form that what happened to them should never have taken place.”
The British government lifted the ban in 2000, and in 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak formally apologized for the ban. The apology came after former master of the rolls, Lord Etherton, issued a report examining the experiences of LGBTQIA+ British service members during the time of the ban. He recommended the formal apology and up to $64 million in compensation.
“As today’s report makes clear, many endured the most horrific sexual abuse and violence, homophobic bullying and harassment, all whilst bravely serving this country,” Sunak said.
“Today on behalf of the British state, I apologize. And I hope all those affected will be able to feel proud parts of the veteran’s community that has done so much to keep our country safe.”
