Their presence is a reminder of how far we’ve come since 2000. Before then, it was illegal to be gay in the UK armed forces – before Labour proudly lifted the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel serving in our military.
LGBTQ+ personnel bravely served our country, but as many as 20,000 were jailed, abused, publicly outed, or hounded out of the Forces because of their sexuality or gender identity. That is a mark of shame.
As we celebrate Pride, we must remember that for decades, LGBTQ+ veterans have waited for formal recognition of their mistreatment.
The stories I’ve heard are heartbreaking. Livelihoods and homes lost, family relations torn apart, medals and other insignia snatched away. Countless others lived in fear of being found out.
Some were even placed on sex offender registers or imprisoned, simply for being gay.
We cannot undo the past. But this Pride Month, the Prime Minister must make an official apology – recognising the historic mistreatment of LGBTQ+ veterans – and commit to help them rebuild their lives.
Yet Rishi Sunak seems to find ‘sorry’ the hardest word to say.
It’s been 18 months since the government commissioned a historic review into the ban, the Etherton Review. Why are we still waiting for it to be published?