The sculpture takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter bearing words from personnel who were affected by the ban on gay and transgender people from serving in the armed forces.
King Charles dedicated the UK’s first national memorial to LGBTQ+ troops on Monday, 25 years after the country ended a ban on homosexuality in the armed forces.
The king, who is the ceremonial head of the armed forces, laid flowers at the monument in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire at a service attended by scores of serving troops and veterans.
The sculpture takes the form of a crumpled bronze letter bearing words from personnel who were affected by the ban.
Between 1967 and 2000, soldiers, sailors and air force personnel who were or were thought to be gay or transgender were labelled unfit to serve and dismissed or discharged from the forces.
Some were stripped of medals or lost their pension rights and many struggled with the stigma for decades.
The government lifted the ban after a 1999 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights.
In 2023 then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak formally apologised for what he called “an appalling failure of the British state.”
A compensation programme was established, with veterans who were dismissed from the military because of their sexual orientation or gender identity receiving up to £70,000 (around €80,000) each.
LGBTQ+ military charity Fighting with Pride said the new monument represents a “powerful step forward in recognising and honouring the service and sacrifices” of the gay and transgender troops.
