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The MoD pays for its actions towards gay service personnel
RAF
ã4million for gay people unfairly dismissed from the military
"many of the cases referred to actions carried out before 2000, when regulations made homosexuality 'incompatible with service in the armed forces'"
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence has confirmed that in the past four years the government has paid out £4million to gay ex-service personnel.
The payments were made to 65 individuals who had been unfairly dismissed from the armed forces because they were gay. Many of the cases referred to actions carried out before 2000, when regulations made homosexuality 'incompatible with service in the armed forces'.
When the ban on gay men and lesbians serving in the British military was lifted it was replaced with the Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct which was sexual orientation-free.
A report from the MoD has revealed that £3.7m was paid out for 57 claims made between 2007 and 2008, although it also stated that no further payouts were expected as a direct result of unfair dismissal on the grounds of being gay.
In 2007 the MoD issued an apology over the persecution and discrimination that gay service personnel had suffered prior to 2000. In response to the recent report, an MoD spokesman reiterated this:
"It is the right of each and every member of the armed forces to work in an environment free from harassment, intimidation and bullying.
"Over the past few years the MoD has made strenuous efforts to reach amicable settlements in relation to those legal claims which remained outstanding, and we are pleased that compensation has now been awarded in all these cases."
Peter Tatchell of Outrage!, a campaign group for LGBT rights, said:
"Although this monetary compensation package is welcome and long overdue, what's really important is the official recognition that a grave injustice was done to these people, and to hundreds of other dismissed lesbian and gay soldiers, sailors and air crews."
