Why Are We Compensating People For This In The First Place?

An MP has raised alarm at the slow pace of a scheme to compensate LGBT service personnel dismissed or discharged from the forces because of their sexuality, saying that at the current rate it could take more than a decade to complete the process.

It was illegal to be gay and in the military back then - I undertand we are more 'enlightened' now, and it's no longer illegal (some might wonder if it's going to be made complusory!) but why on earth does this attract compensation?

Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat MP for Chichester, said she began examining the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme, formally launched in December, due to the experiences of a constituent, who is one of just 69 people to have been compensated, of more than 1,200 who have applied.

Brown-Fuller used a parliamentary question on Thursday to highlight Stead’s case and to push the government to make sure claims were processed more quickly.

There are other government compensation schemes ewually, if not more, deserving of a hurry up than this one - the Post Office compensation scheme, the infected blood scheme, for instance. Why is Parliamentary time not used on genuine victims of injustice, not people who knew full well that they were breaching regulations going in?

“It will take years to settle all of these applications, and veterans in their 60s, 70s and 80s potentially don’t have years for those payments to be settled,” Brown-Fuller said. “My frustration is shared by the LGBTQ+ veterans, because they’re angry, they’re frustrated and they’re disappointed that they’re still experiencing these delays. “I think the government is totally aware of the issue, because there is cross-party support for this scheme. What it is not fully grasping is that the minister needs to get a handle on how quickly those payments are going out and the process.”

Of course, the modern MoD is happy to roll over and show it's belly to the least threat these days, even the displeasure of a LimpDumb MP: 

An MoD spokesperson said: “We deeply regret the treatment of LGBT serving personnel between 1967 and 2000 which was wholly unacceptable.

 But was the law then, for good reason, and no-one turned a hair. It's only that it's now viewed with modern day sensibilities that this reflexive crinnging takes place.

“While we don’t hold comprehensive records of personnel discharged due to sexuality, we’re working with organisations like Fighting with Pride to ensure that we reach as many LGBT veterans who may have been affected. “We also encourage anyone who may think that they’re affected to contact us so that we can see if we can help, and the Home Office also runs the disregards and pardons scheme for people wishing to have historic ‘offences’ wiped from their records.”

Why is 'offences' in inverted comments? - according to the law and custom back then, that's what they were.