Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) is proud to stand alongside the LGBTQ+ community at UK Pride 2025 on Saturday 7 June; to reflect on this significant milestone and to champion inclusion within the naval family.
In a major recognition of its impact, Portsmouth Pride will host UK Pride 2025 having been selected from over 260 community-run Pride organisations across the UK – celebrating not only its flagship UK Pride event but also the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on homosexuality in the UK Armed Forces.
Until January 2000, LGBTQ+ personnel were banned from serving and faced dishonourable discharge, criminalisation, and devastating personal consequences. Many were dismissed in disgrace, stripped of their medals and military identity, and forced into silence.
Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity began a key partnership in 2021 with Fighting With Pride (FWP), a charity founded to support the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Veterans, service personnel and their families, particularly those most impacted by the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel serving in the Armed Forces.
RNRMC’s funding contributes towards LGBT+ Veterans Community Workers for England and Wales. The role plays a vital part in reconnecting veterans with their service identity allowing them to feel recognised for their service and take their rightful place among other veterans at events, such as remembrance services. The outreach programme can also open a world of support services to veterans who may have issues around health, housing, wellbeing, financial circumstances or employment.
Anthony Knight MBE, FWP’s Veteran Community Worker for the South East region said:
“At Fighting With Pride, our close work with organisations supporting veterans is helping LGBT+ veterans feel truly seen and valued – replacing years of silence with visibility, dignity, and pride. Long-standing support from Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity enables us to keep building bridges across the Armed Forces community, making it more inclusive and welcoming every day. We’re especially proud to stand with RNRMC at Portsmouth Pride, celebrating the service and contribution of our LGBT+ veterans and serving personnel.”
Mandy Lindley, Director of Relationships and Funding at RNRMC said:
“RNRMC was one of the first organisations to get involved with Fighting With Pride and we are very pleased to see that we have paved the way for others. We hope that, together, we can help those who suffered so unfairly feel proud of their service and encouraged to access the support available to all our beneficiaries. Sexuality should never be a barrier to belonging in the Royal Navy veteran community.”
