‘Keep the homosexual lobby at bay’: Homosexuality, the UK armed forces and the end to the ‘gay ban’, 1991 - 2000

Lomas, Daniel

Abstract

In January 2000, the UK government finally ended the ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) military personnel serving in the armed forces. The end of the so-called ‘gay ban’ was the result of a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights that the bar violated Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, protecting an individual’s right to family and private life. Whilst the effects of this ban on individuals before and afterwards have been examined in detail, the deliberations that led to this change using the records of the Ministry of Defence have not. Using material released under the UK’s Freedom of Information Act (2000) to go beyond the public statements of Ministers and service personnel, this article concludes that wider political and societal pressures put the Ministry of Defence on the backfoot, forcing attempts at evidence-based policy and the report of the Homosexuality Policy Assessment Team. While in public the MOD sought to make an evidence-based case for the ban to remain, the article reveals the frank discussions behind closed doors on the future of the ‘gay ban’ and the MOD’s robust response to calls for change.

Citation

Lomas, D. (in press). ‘Keep the homosexual lobby at bay’: Homosexuality, the UK armed forces and the end to the ‘gay ban’, 1991 - 2000. Contemporary British History, 36

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 23, 2025
• Deposit Date: Jul 23, 2025
• Journal: Contemporary British History
• Print ISSN: 1361-9462
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-7997
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 36
• Keywords: sexuality, UK armed forces, LGBT
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/51890817