Speaking in the debate on Wednesday, SNP MSP for Clackmannanshire and Dunblane, Keith Brown, said: 

“‘Fighting With Pride’ is a veteran’s charity which works closely with veterans’ organisations across Scotland and the rest of the UK to improve the support available to LGBT+ armed forces veterans.   

In my constituency, Fighting with Pride has worked with veterans’ organisations like the Wee County veterans, and LGBT organisations like the Forth Valley Lavender Rooms, as well as supporting LGBT+ education in schools in my constituency, such as Dollar Academy.   

“‘Fighting with Pride’ also works symbiotically with national veterans’ groups like the Royal British Legion Scotland, and Poppy Scotland, to better support LGBT+ veterans across the country. 

“It is my view that the so-called “gay-ban”, and the way it was implemented, put LGBT+ members of the armed forces into a specifically discriminatory situation in our society – notwithstanding the difficult social and legal situation faced by all LGBT+ people at that time – because, while homosexuality was decriminalised for civilians in 1967 – the ban on LGBT+ people being members of the armed forces remained in place for another 33 years.   

“I was particularly dismayed to read on Monday a BBC report which showed that the UK Government has now dropped a debate on the LGBT veterans independent review in the UK Parliament, which had previously been promised by the UK Defence Secretary not long after the publication of the report.   

This of course means that MP’s will not get a chance to scrutinise the Government’s response to the report, and their support for LGBT+ veterans.  

“Given that special obligation of the UK Government on this issue, I’d echo the words of Fighting with Pride’s open letter to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, also published on Monday, which urges the UK Government to allow this debate to be held, and lastly, and perhaps most importantly in this debate, calls – as the motion that’s up for debate today also does – for the UK Government to scrap the proposed £50 million cap on the fund for retribution for LGBT+ veterans affected by the gay-ban. 

“The way that those who were prepared to serve their country with loyalty and distinction were not met with that same loyalty in return, is something which cannot be justified, and which both Scotland and the UK must atone for – and I’d urge the UK Government to do so.   

“As a Parliament, we must stand united behind our LGBT+ Veterans, and call on the UK Government to do the same – support fighting with pride and the immense work they do to support LGBT+ veterans, implement the recommendations of this report, and lastly and most importantly, scrap the cap.

You can read the motion in full here: https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-11225