Two former servicemen, Steven Stewart, 55, and Mark Shephard, 49, have initiated legal proceedings against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) regarding a compensation initiative for individuals affected by a previous ban on LGBT personnel in the military. Both veterans claim they were essentially coerced into resigning due to their sexual orientation, resulting in significant psychological and relational distress.<\/p>\n
The legal representation for Stewart and Shephard, the law firm Irwin Mitchell, announced on Tuesday that they have filed a claim, although a court date has yet to be established. Their case argues that the criteria set forth in the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme are fundamentally unjust.<\/p>\n
Until the year 2000, gay and lesbian individuals were prohibited from serving in the British armed forces. Estimates suggest that approximately 200 to 250 personnel were expelled annually due to their sexuality, although precise data remains elusive as comprehensive records were not maintained.<\/p>\n
In 2024, Labour government officials approved a \u00a375 million compensation program for those impacted by this discriminatory policy, which resulted in some military members facing imprisonment, while others had their medals revoked or were denied pension rights. This compensation scheme was one of many recommendations derived from an independent review led by Lord Etherton in 2023.<\/p>\n
The compensation framework includes a fixed payment of \u00a350,000 for individuals who were dismissed or administratively discharged under the ban, along with \u201cimpact payments\u201d that can reach up to \u00a320,000 for those who were affected.<\/p>\n
However, barrister Kate Gallafent KC, representing Stewart and Shephard, stated in the legal documents that the scheme’s stipulations exclude those who were \u201cconstructively dismissed\u201d or forced to resign, thereby preventing them from qualifying for the larger compensation amount. As a result, Stewart and Shephard received smaller impact payments of \u00a37,000 and \u00a35,000, respectively, as determined by an independent panel, but their requests for the larger compensation were denied, and their appeals were subsequently rejected.<\/p>\n
Gallafent emphasized that veterans who were compelled to resign under duress, like her clients, are set to receive significantly less compensation compared to those who were formally discharged.<\/p>\n
Stewart, who served as a corporal in the Royal Military Police from 1988 to 1995, recounted his struggles with his sexual identity during his service. He faced arrest and was interrogated, ultimately resigning after being threatened with court martial and possible imprisonment. He expressed the profound impact of his forced resignation, stating, \u201cLeaving under those circumstances was devastating. My military career ended overnight. The impact of that decision has stayed with me ever since.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shephard, who served in the Royal Air Force from 1995 until 2001, experienced ongoing severe bullying. In 1999, his commanding officer directly questioned him about his sexual orientation, to which he admitted being gay, unaware of the existing ban. Subsequently, he sought voluntary release to avoid being dismissed outright.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the MoD expressed regret over the treatment of LGBT service members between 1967 and 2000, acknowledging that it was entirely unacceptable and not reflective of the current military ethos. They clarified that while they empathize with the veterans who felt they had no choice but to resign, the compensation for those dismissed or discharged was specifically intended to acknowledge individuals who were dishonorably removed from military service.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two former servicemen, Steven Stewart, 55, and Mark Shephard, 49, have initiated legal proceedings against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) regarding a compensation initiative for individuals affected by a previous ban on LGBT personnel in the military. Both veterans claim they were essentially coerced into resigning due to their sexual orientation, resulting in significant psychological […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4626,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[865,726,1072,88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uk-lgbtq-rights","category-uk-military","category-uk-ministry-of-defence","category-uk"],"yoast_head":"\n