Frank views of judge who led LGBT military ban probe finally heard – months after his death

Actor Michael Cashman delivered a lecture written by Lord Etherton before his death last May – describing the “institutional homophobia” and “shocking evidence” he discovered while preparing his report

The frank views of the trailblazing judge who probed Britain’s LGBT armed forces ban were revealed last night – nine months after his death.

Actor and peer Michael Cashman delivered a lecture written by Lord Etherton before his death in May last year at the Imperial War Museum.

In it, he described the “institutional homophobia” and “shocking evidence” he discovered while preparing his report into the ban, which was in place until 2000.

He described “a culture of homophobia and bullying, blackmail and sexual assaults, abusive investigations into sexual orientation and sexual preference, disgraceful medical examinations, including conversion therapy, peremptory discharges, and appalling consequences in terms of mental health and well-being, homelessness, employment, personal relationships and financial hardships.”

He continued: “The institutionalised homophobia of the policy of the [ Ministry of Defence ] and senior ranks of the Armed Forces in effect gave a free hand to obsessive and usually abusive, brutal, and bullying investigations by the Special Investigations Branch’.

The speech comes as concerns remain about the slow pace of compensation payments to those affected by the ban.

Some 1,312 people have applied for financial reparations.

Of those there were 986 applications for discharge payments. As of December 15th only 667 had been decided. And less than a third of the 1053 applications for impact payments has been decided.

Lord Cashman, whose Eastenders character had the first on-screen same-sex kiss to be broadcast in a soap in 1989, read Lord Etherton’s lecture at an event hosted by Being Human star Russell Tovey. Lord Etherton’s husband, Andrew, was present at the event.

Peter Gibson, CEO of Fighting With Pride: “Too many have suffered unimaginable horrors and pain under a brutal policy brutally implemented by the British State. After decades of waiting, it is imperative that the Ministry of Defence lives up to its words of apology and delivers reparations as quickly as possible. Our Veterans have relived their trauma throughout this process- they’ve waited long enough. It’s time to get everyone paid.

“At Fighting With Pride, we’ve supported hundreds of Veterans. We’re now seeing cases being rejected, in some instances for no apparent reason. As the only specialist LGBTQ+ Armed Forces charity, we offer established routes to legal advice to secure justice. We urge any Veteran who has received a rejection to their claim to make contact with us and avoid missing the opportunity to appeal.

“No one wants to look back and see that Lord Etherton’s wishes were not followed both to the letter and in spirit. The delivery of that legacy rests with the Ministry Of Defence. They know what they need to do.”