RAF Veteran Denied LGBT Compensation Feels 'Punished for a Second Time'
An 80-year-old RAF veteran who was discharged in 1966 for being gay has expressed feeling "punished for a second time" after being denied compensation under a government reparations scheme. Chris Dennis was deemed ineligible because his court-martial and dismissal occurred in 1966, just one year before the scheme's eligibility window begins.
Scheme Excludes Pre-1967 Discharges
The compensation programme, which has paid millions to LGBT veterans affected by the ban on gay people serving in the armed forces, applies only to personnel who served between 1967 and 2000. Mr Dennis received a standardised rejection letter stating his discharge date fell outside this period.
He told The Sunday Mirror: "Because I was discharged in 1966, following a court martial, I was denied any access to reparations. I got a refusal that was just a boiler plate letter, they hadn't even bothered to clean it up, saying sorry you were discharged in 1966, that's prior to the scheme."
Historical Context and Personal Impact
The ban on LGBT individuals serving in the British armed forces remained in place until 2000, long after homosexuality was decriminalised, leading to thousands of dismissals from the Army, Royal Navy, and RAF. Mr Dennis, originally from London, joined the Royal Air Force as an air radar mechanic in 1961 straight from school.
He highlighted a symbolic injustice: "The one thing that I've never been allowed to do, if I go to a Remembrance ceremony, I'm not allowed to wear a beret with an RAF badge on it. It feels like I'm being punished for a second time, having to go through and remember all that happened."
Campaigners and Politicians Voice Support
Peter Gibson, Chief Executive of Fighting With Pride, which campaigns for LGBT veterans, criticised the government's approach as "not merely a box ticking exercise." He said: "Chris misses the window for reparations which thousands of other LGBTQ+ Veterans are receiving by just a few months. It is grossly unfair that the Ministry of Defence will not simply extend even the non-financial reparations to people like Chris."
Liberal Democrat MP Al Pinkerton, who raised the case at Prime Minister's Questions, called it "a profound betrayal." He stated: "Christopher served his country with pride, only to be dismissed due to his sexuality. The Government made a promise to restore the medals and dignity of our LGBT+ veterans, and yet Christopher has been met with nothing but a cold, impersonal dismissal."
Government Response and Ongoing Scrutiny
An MOD spokesperson responded: "We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 which was wholly unacceptable as it does not reflect today's Armed Forces. We are looking very closely at this issue. LGBT veterans have the same right to wear their medals and berets as other veterans."
This case underscores ongoing debates about justice and fairness for veterans affected by historical discrimination, with calls to broaden the compensation scheme's eligibility criteria.
