Fighting With Pride has signed the Armed Forces Covenant at an event at the Queer Britain Museum this week.
As well as signing the Covenant the event included speeches from the Ministry of Defence’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Samantha des Forges, Craig Jones MBE, Executive Chair and Caroline Paige, Chief Executive of Fighting With Pride. The signing of the Armed Forces Covenant represents FWP demonstrating its commitment as an employer which values and supports members of our Armed Forces family.
This was witnessed by representatives from across Government including, the Armed Forces charity sector as well as some of those LGBT+ veterans who served during the ban.
Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families, Dr Andrew Murrison said:
“We are immensely proud of all our LGBT+ personnel and are truly grateful for the significant contributions they continue to make to our security, national interests and safeguarding our prosperity. We are committed to furthering equality and ensuring our personnel feel valued, and are celebrated after they leave, which is why I am so pleased to see Fighting With Pride sign up to the Armed Forces Covenant and expand our support for our LGBT+ veterans.”
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:
“Fighting with Pride is an important organisation and I’m pleased that their commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant is deepening. I look forward to continuing to engage with them on key issues affecting the LGBT+ veteran community.”
Samantha des Forges, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Ministry of Defence said:
“The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served in the armed forces, and their families, are treated fairly. So, I particularly want to pay tribute to the role Fighting with Pride have played, and continue to play, supporting our LGBT+ veterans’ community and their families. We have been missing a vital part of our Defence family for too long and today is another step to embracing those veterans impacted by those injustices, of whom we are so proud and for whose service Defence, and the nation, are eternally grateful. “
Chief of Defence People Vice Admiral Philip Hally CB, MBE said:
“I am really delighted that Fighting With Pride has signed the Armed Forces Covenant. Their tireless campaigning for fairness and respect for our LGBT+ Service personnel, veterans and their families is synonymous with the values which the Armed Forces Covenant represents.”
Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory, KBE, CB, DL, Patron of Fighting With Pride and CEO of SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity said:
“I am delighted to see Fighting With Pride signing up to the Armed Forces Covenant. It is another hugely important and historical moment in the evolution of this amazing charity of which I am proud to be Patron.”
Fighting With Pride is a lived experienced LGBT+ military charity and is campaigning to support the health and wellbeing of LGBT+ Veterans, serving personnel and their families. Their focus is to raise awareness and recognition of those most impacted by the historic ‘gay ban’ on LGBT+ military service, before it was finally lifted in January 2000.
The charity has been working with the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) to achieve the aims of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-2024, which seeks to make the United Kingdom the best place in the world to be a veteran by 2028. FWP is also working alongside the LGBT Veterans’ Independent Review team, led by Lord Terence Etherton who was a previous Master of the Rolls and Head of Civil Justice from 2016 to 2021. Fighting With Pride have been instrumental in assisting LGBT Veterans submit their testimony during the ‘Call for Evidence’ stage of the Independent Review.
The Armed Forces Covenant is the pledge to acknowledge and understand the needs of the Armed Forces community, building a more open and honest relationship between employers, the Ministry of Defence and reservists.
