A special comic has been released featuring stories from those who served in the military under the so-called gay ban 25 years ago.
Craig Jones MBE, Executive Chair of LGBTQ+ veterans charity Fighting With Pride, served in the Royal Navy both before and after the ban on lesbian and gay service personnel was lifted in 2000.
Now his story of hiding his sexuality from the chain of command has been told in the comic, alongside Flight Lieutenant Steve Purves, who was dishonourably discharged from the Air Force in 1985 when he was found to be in a relationship with a man, and Lieutenant Caroline Paige, who knew she was trans from a young age, but had to hide who she was to serve in the Air Force.
Craig explained: “There was a moment in my life which had a profound impact upon me.
“I was in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and I went to do an armed boarding on a potter [a type of fishing boat] that seemed to be a little bit too quiet.
“We couldn’t see anybody on deck, so I got on a Rigid Raider with a police officer… and we heard some scurrying.
“So, I stuck my head down the hatch, and I saw two young men on a mattress in each others’ arms, clearly a relationship, and I felt instantly protective.”
Craig now describes this event as a watershed moment in his life, forming the officer and man he went on to become.
He said of the two young men: “Not only did they give me the courage to find the person that I was, in some respects, I look back on that and think that they gave me the courage to become the champion that I hope that I’ve been over the last decades for this amazing community of veterans.
“And literally two months later, when my tour in Northern Ireland finished, I walked into my first gay bar and, with the efficiency you’d expect of a Royal Naval officer, sat down on a bar stool next to my husband.”
Steve Purves, who was court marshalled and dismissed with disgrace, lost all his financial benefits and served six months in prison. He told ITV news: “I was so angry about it all because I didn’t feel it should be happening.
“I kept thinking someone would intervene and quash it, but they never did.
“It took a long time to come to terms with what had happened and to face it. Years and years and years and years for me.”
Lieutenant Caroline Paige knew she was trans from a young age, but had to hide who she was to serve in the Air Force.
“I would go to work and be the person that everybody expected me to be and do this ‘Top Gun’, amazing job. But I’d go home, lock the doors, close the curtains and then I would relax and just be myself, be Caroline.”
After years of service, Caroline decided to leave the Air Force, knowing they would likely throw her out.
“I had this brilliant job, but I was missing my life and I needed to do something about it,” she said.
With support from a medical officer, Caroline was eventually allowed to stay in the service and transition.
“The ban was still in place and all of the opinions were against me being in service,” Caroline said.
“They said I was a danger and a liability. It wasn’t for a short while until people started standing up for me and saying, hang on a minute, Caroline’s not the one who is the problem, you are.”
The comic, Coming Home, can be purchased online.
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