Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

New Memorial Honors Those Banned From Military

King Charles III unveiled a memorial dedicated to LGBT military personnel at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, marking his first official engagement in support of the LGBT community and honoring those who served during a time when being gay in the armed forces was illegal. Until the year 2000, gay service members or those perceived to be gay faced intrusive investigations, dismissal, and in some cases imprisonment, with shocking evidence revealing a culture of homophobic bullying and sexual assaults against those pursued under the ban. The bronze sculpture, designed by Norfolk based artist collective Abraxas Academy and named “an opened letter,” resembles a crumpled piece of paper containing words from personal letters that were used as evidence to incriminate people. Among those affected was Pádraigín Ní Rághillíg, who was kicked out of the RAF after nearly a decade of service when a colleague saw her kissing a woman, leading to intrusive interrogations about her sex life and a sexual assault by a male colleague who said he would “sort her out.”

The memorial is one of 49 recommendations from The Etherton Review, an independent report that documented the horrifying treatment of LGBT veterans and led to measures including financial redress payments of up to 70,000 pounds, pardons for criminal convictions, and the return of medals and berets. Veterans who attended the unveiling ceremony said the monument signified closure after years of campaigning first to change the law and then to push the government to make reparations for the injustices they endured. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the memorial stands as a lasting tribute to the bravery and service of these veterans, while the Ministry of Defence stated it deeply regrets the treatment of those impacted by the ban. For survivors like Ms Rághillíg, the memorial ensures that even when all the veterans are gone in 20 or 30 years, the ban and its devastating effects will be remembered for future generations.

PrevPreviousHe Put On Costume For Halloween Then Became REAL HERO
NextMAJOR Plan Announced To End Animal TestingNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

Fish Communication Finally Understood By Humans

February 5, 2026

Scientists have identified and matched underwater sounds to specific fish species living off the coast of British Columbia in a discovery that could help improve how fish populations are monitored and protected. This will finally answer the age old question of what noises fish make to speak to each other

Read More
Happy News

Cows Are Even Smarter Than We Thought

February 5, 2026

Veronika the cow has amazed researchers by using a broom to scratch specific areas of her body demonstrating tool use, a skill that was not previously known to be possessed by cattle and calling into question the previous assessment of the cognitive abilities of these farm animals. Study leader Alice

Read More
Happy News

An iPhone Photo Solved A 60 Year Botanical Mystery

February 5, 2026

A plant long presumed extinct in the wild has been rediscovered in Australia ending nearly six decades without a confirmed sighting. Researchers say the small slender shrub called Ptilotus senarius had not been recorded since 1967 and was effectively written off as lost until new evidence emerged last summer on

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.