Lord Etherton’s independent review into the treatment of LGBT veterans

Background

Prior to 2000, being LGBT was considered to be incompatible with service in the armed forces. The government has explained this meant that those serving who were or were perceived to be gay, lesbian or trans could be dismissed or otherwise forced to leave Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.

The government apologised to LGBT veterans in 2020. In early 2022 the Conservative government pledged to commission an independent review into the “impact that the pre-2000 Ban on Homosexuality in the armed forces has had on LGBT veterans today”. The government appointed Lord Etherton to chair the review in June 2022.

The review looked specifically at veterans who served between 1967 and 2000. These dates reflect the time between the decriminalisation of “homosexual acts” in private between men aged over 21 in England and Wales in 1967 and the lifting of the ban on gay people in the armed forces in January 2000. The review did not examine the experience of those who served outside of that timeframe, or other minorities besides LGBT veterans.

Lord Etherton submitted his report to the government in May 2023. On publication of the review on 19 July 2023, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised on behalf of the country to veterans who were affected by the policy.

The government has subsequently implemented 38 of the 49 recommendations made by the review. 

The government also accepted in principle the need for a financial redress, or compensation, scheme, which Ministers have said is “exceptionally complicated to design”. At the end of October 2024, Al Carns, the Minister for Veterans and People, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to deliver an LGBT financial recognition scheme and said the government is continuing to finalise the details of the scheme and committed to providing an update as soon as possible.

A note on terminology

Lord Etherton explained in his report he used the term LGBT rather than, for example, LGBTQIA+, because LGBT is the acronym used in the review’s terms of reference. This briefing reflects this usage.