Gay veteran receives formal apology for historic army dismissal

Linda Garnham, a resident of Guernsey and former member of the British Army, has received a formal apology from the UK government, along with a ceremonial beret and cap badge, more than four decades after her dismissal due to her sexual orientation. Garnham, who enlisted at the age of 17, expressed profound disappointment when she was discharged from service simply for being gay.

In a ceremony held at the National Arboretum Memorial in the UK, Garnham and 19 other veterans were presented with berets and cap badges, symbols of their restored honor and recognition of the injustices they endured under the former ban on openly LGBTQ+ personnel in the British military. She was also awarded the Etherton Veterans Ribbon, created by the late Lord Etherton to honor veterans and serving staff affected by the discriminatory policy, which was lifted in 2000, the BBC reports.

"Receiving these items back offers some solace, and the acknowledgement that the mistreatment we faced was wrong," Garnham stated. "This recognition of my five years of service means a great deal to me because when you were discharged, you were simply left at the train station to return home, feeling distraught and uncertain about how to explain the situation to your loved ones. I felt like a failure."

The restoration of berets and cap badges to discharged service members was a key recommendation in a government-commissioned report by Lord Etherton in 2023, the LGBTQ Independent Veterans Review. Prior to 2000, it was illegal to be openly gay in the British military, leading to intrusive investigations, dismissals, and forced resignations. Some individuals even faced imprisonment as recently as 1995, with convictions remaining on their criminal records.

Garnham expressed that wearing her returned beret would be a source of immense pride. "I have always attended the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in town, but now I will be able to march and wear my beret with pride. That is something I have always longed to do. I now feel like a part of the WRAC Veterans family."

The government's LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) was launched in December to provide financial compensation to those affected by the ban. A Ministry of Defence spokesperson stated that the government "deeply regretted the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000" and confirmed that those dismissed are now eligible to apply to the scheme.