Winning design for LGBTQ+ veterans memorial unveiled

A memorial for LGBTQ+ veterans is to be built at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire, 25 years after the ban on queer service personnel was lifted in the UK.

The UK’s first memorial dedicated to LGBTQ+ veterans, which looks like a crumpled letter made of bronze, is created from words taken from evidence from military service members who were affected by the ban.

It was illegal for people serving in the British armed forces to be out as LGBTQ+ until 2000, with several queer veterans dishonourably discharged, stripped of their medals or convicted of a crime. Lesbian Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes, who served in the army between 1988 and 1997, has said it led to “30-odd years of trauma and fear” for her.

The memorial is being funded by

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