The Home Office has announced that women now have the opportunity to erase historical convictions for abolished offences linked to homosexuality. This expansion of the Disregards and Pardons Scheme comes 11 years after its initial launch, which only covered men.
Scheme Expansion Details
Under the scheme, individuals who were unjustly criminalised can apply for a pardon, with convictions removed from official records. However, critics argue that such erasure should not require a formal request. The Home Office describes this move as "a significant step forward in addressing the wrongs of the past."
Pardonable offences have been expanded to include service offences for veterans, as well as now-repealed crimes such as "solicitation by men." Homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967, but as recently as 2000, gay individuals in the Armed Forces faced dismissal, invasive medical examinations, loss of pension, and even imprisonment.
Reactions from Advocacy Groups
Robbie de Santos, director of external affairs at Stonewall, welcomed the extension, stating: "We welcome that the UK Government is finally extending the historic pardons scheme to include LGBTQ+ people who were convicted under archaic legislation while serving in the military." He emphasised the importance of publishing Lord Etherton's review into the treatment of LGBT+ veterans and acting on its recommendations.
LGBT+ veterans' charity Fighting With Pride also praised the extension, calling it "another small step in the right direction."
Application Statistics
Since the scheme began in 2012, 208 people have successfully applied for a pardon, while over 400 applications have been rejected. Application forms are available at gov.uk.
