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Army law which allowed soldiers to be sacked for being gay finally thrown out

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By OLI SMITH

 
 
 

AN outdated legal ban which forced gay men out of the armed forces is set to finally be officially removed from armed forces legislation.

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The law, which prohibits gay men, lesbians and transgender personnel from the forces, was put into force in 1994.
Existing rules state homosexuality is incompatible with military service and engaging in a homosexual act can constitute grounds for discharging a member of the armed forces

The ban was written into law in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 yet has been disregarded since the European Court forced the British government to allow homosexuals to serve in 2000.As such it has been ignored in practice since 2000, yet technically remains in force.

ncompatible with military serviceGETTY

Existing rules state homosexuality is incompatible with military service

MPs have now agreed a new Armed Forces Bill, which legislates for the UK during peace time. The law cleared its final House of Commons hurdle yesterday.The Government amendment to get rid of the sexuality discrimination laws was added to the Bill unopposed.
The Bill, which also deals with changes to armed forces pensions, will now proceed to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

laws was added to the BillGETTY

The Government amendment to get rid of the sexuality discrimination laws was added to the Bill

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said the existing rules were “inconsistent with the department’s current policies and the Government’s equality and discrimination policies more generally”.Mr Lancaster said when the provisions were originally put in place it was government policy that homosexuality was “incompatible with service in the armed forces” and therefore people who “engaged in homosexual activity were administratively discharged”.
But since 2000, he said the rules “have had no practical effect and they are therefore redundant”.

The Bill also deals with changesGETTY

The Bill also deals with changes to armed forces pensions

He added: “These provisions in no way reflect the position of today’s armed forces.“We are proud in defence of the progress we have made since 2000 to remove policies that discriminated against homosexual men, lesbians and transgender personnel so that they can serve openly in the armed forces.”
“This amendment is a practical step which shows that this Government is serious about our commitment to equality in this area.”
Shadow defence minister Toby Perkins welcomed the move.He said: “Removing this from the statute book will be a welcome step forward so that the explicit refusal to discriminate against homosexual service men and women is expunged from the service book just as it has in practice been outlawed.
“It is very clear that this is an important step forward and it is one we welcome very strongly.”

Military chapels ordered to allow gay marriages after 18-month stand-off

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Harry Readhead for Metro.co.uk
Monday 21 Dec 2015Military chapels ordered to allow gay marriages after 18-month refusal
(Picture: PA)

Church heads have been ordered to permit same-sex marriages in military chapels following an 18-month stand-off.
In 2014, regulations were passed to allow same-sex marriages in the 190 military chapels in England and Wales, despite opposition from some Conservative MPs. No such marriages have taken place since then, however, due to the employment of a ‘veto’ by church leaders.
Defence minister Penny Mordaunt today said she had a duty to ‘consider the rights’ of gay military personnel, and had asked military chaplains how ‘Parliament’s sanction’ will be enforced, effectively ordering them to permit same-sex marriages.
‘The Ministry of Defence allows same-sex marriages in military chapels, but none of the Sending Churches using the chapels currently allows same-sex marriages to be conducted there,’ she said.

C2PWR7 Dover Castle. The Upper Chapel in the Keep.
(Picture: PA)

‘I have asked the Chaplaincies of the three Services to advise me on how Parliament’s sanction of same sex-marriages may be fully implemented.’
The Ministry of Defence declined to expand on Ms Mordaunt’s remarks, but it is understood the defence minister, who is also the MP for Portsmouth, has posed a series of questions to teach sending church about their stance on the marriages.
The sending churchs include the Church of England, the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, United Reformed and Congregational churches.
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2015/12/21/military-chapels-ordered-to-allow-gay-marriages-after-18-month-stand-off-5579184/#ixzz3wvp3S1Vl