“It Was a Complete Violation of Everything”: LGBT + Veterans’ Experiences of Discrimination and Oppression Through the Exemptive UK Military “Gay Ban” Policy

This is the first empirical study carried out in the UK to examine the devasting impact of the policy to ban all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender personnel under exemptive military laws and their resultant support needs as military veterans. The so-called “gay ban” policy was enforced with the rationale that homosexuality was incompatible with military service.

In the UK between 2021 and 2022, 15 LGBT + veterans took part in semi-structured interviews and 101 LGBT + veterans completed an online survey. The findings were triangulated to provide a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the “gay ban” policy.

Three key overarching themes were identified: Emotional Impact, Changing to Adapt and Adapting to Change and Aftermath: Barriers to Help-Seeking.

Social cohesion, established during military service, was limited upon leaving the Armed Forces and LGBT + veterans reported feeling a loss of their identity and the ability to foster social relationships. The policy ban facilitated discrimination and harassment, causing emotional distress, mental ill health, social isolation and limited access to appropriate support following transition.

Despite the lifting of the “gay ban” policy over 20 years ago, how inclusivity is represented in a historically heteronormative institution is unclear. The “gay ban” policy was weaponised with strategic power, leading to long-term, negative psychological consequences for those who were disempowered by the ban. Therefore, it is essential that confidence is restored, and that policy and institutional-level changes recognise the historical harm for the future of LGBT + military personnel and veterans. These findings will help to raise awareness and increase knowledge and, in turn, contribute to improving access and engagement with service provision and support.