UK unveils powerful new memorial to honor LGBTQ military veterans

Campaigners in the UK unveiled a landmark memorial yesterday to LGBTQ military veterans. The guest of honor at the unveiling was King Charles III.

The LGBT+ Armed Forces Community Memorial sits in England’s National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The 150-acre site, around a 45-minute drive from Birmingham, holds around 400 different memorials to those lost in the armed forces or in service to others.

It’s no longer illegal to be gay in the armed forces in the UK following a law change in 2000. However, before that time, many gay service members found themselves subject to intrusive interrogations, kicked out of the military, or even sent to jail, despite having exemplary service records.

For many, the devastation of leaving a career they loved has been long-lasting. Besides the loss of income, many struggled to find new work. There was also the stigma of a dishonorable discharge and the subsequent loss of a pension.

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In recent years, the UK has re-examined the way it treated LGBTQ members of the armed forces. It recognizes that simply changing the law in 2000 was not enough. This included an independent review that made several recommendations. This included the creation of the memorial. Other recommendations included compensation. Veterans impacted by the ban can now apply for a financial redress payment of up to £70,000 ($93,000).

“An Opened Letter”

An LGBT+ veterans support charity, Fighting With Pride, oversaw the new memorial. It held a competition for potential designs. The winning entry, “An Opened Letter”, is created by the Norfolk and Suffolk artists’ collective Abraxas Academy. The free-standing sculpture is made from aluminium bronze.

“The design represents ‘An Opened Letter’ of love and devotion, which was once used to shame individuals, containing words from personal testimony and evidence collected from those who experienced discrimination, exclusion, or even loss of life, due to their true identities,” says Fighting With Pride. “Some words, tragically, were expressions of love from loved ones, while others became tools of persecution, ending careers.”

It’s the sort of letter that might have been used in a court martial against an individual, but is reclaimed here as landmark of remembrance.

“The memorial honours all those who served and who serve today, especially those who suffered under unjust and cruel policies,” says Fighting With Pride.

It’s a place where LGBTQ service members can sit and reflect on the progress that has been made.

The stone base carries three dedications.

“For all veteran, serving and future members of hm armed forces’ lgbt+ community”

“In recognition of all lgbt+ veterans, who served, suffered and sacrificed”

“For all who serve proudly today and tomorrow, regardless of who they are or who they love”

Besides King Charles, many of those who attended yesterday’s unveiling were veterans. Some told the BBC the memorial offered a form of “closure” over the mistreatment they experienced.

The National Memorial Arboretum lies on Croxall Road, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 7AR.

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