Introduction

Until 2000, the UK Armed Forces implemented a “gay ban” that led to the investigation and discharge of thousands of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) veterans. Yet, the experiences of those who served during the ban remain unknown. According to the minority stress model, individuals may face specific stressors related to both their gender and sexual minority status. Thus, the present study investigated the military experiences of female veterans who identify as LGB and who served during the ban.

Methods

Female LGB veterans (N = 10) were recruited from a larger cohort of female veterans who previously took part in a survey with a UK national veteran mental health charity. Participants were interviewed online using MS Teams between March and May 2022. A semi-structured interview method was employed to explore participants’ experiences of being LGB within the military as well as perceived differential treatment. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to identify key themes.

Results

Three overarching and seven subthemes were identified, reflecting the risk of being found out, the experience of negative treatment, and possible buffering factors.

Conclusions

Female LGB veterans who served under the “gay ban” faced negative experiences, including fear and distress, sexism, and interpersonal and institutional discrimination related to their (perceived) sexual orientation. In addition to experiencing negative treatment during service similar to non-LGB female veterans, LGB female veterans may face an elevated risk of being targeted and additionally experience sexual orientation discrimination. Findings of the current study are in line with the minority stress model.

Policy Implications

The current findings correspond with US evidence of ongoing negative treatment of LGB serving personnel. Together, this should encourage further investigation of ongoing negative treatment of LGB females within the UK Armed Forces, adaptations of veteran services to address unmet needs of female LGB veterans, and appropriate training to combat negative differential treatment of LGB female serving personnel.

中文翻译：

---

“同性恋禁令”期间女同性恋退伍军人的服役经历：一项定性研究

介绍

直到 2000 年，英国武装部队实施了一项“同性恋禁令”，导致数千名女同性恋、男同性恋和双性恋 (LGB) 退伍军人受到调查并被解雇。然而，禁令期间服役人员的经历仍不得而知。根据少数压力模型，个人可能面临与其性别和性少数地位相关的特定压力源。因此，本研究调查了被认定为 LGB 并在禁令期间服役的女性退伍军人的军事经历。

方法

女性 LGB 退伍军人（N = 10）是从更大的女性退伍军人群体中招募的，这些女性退伍军人之前参加过英国国家退伍军人心理健康慈善机构的一项调查。2022 年 3 月至 5 月期间，参与者使用 MS Teams 进行了在线访谈。采用半结构化访谈方法来探讨参与者在军队中作为 LGB 的经历以及感受到的差别待遇。主题定性分析用于确定关键主题。

结果

确定了三个总体主题和七个次主题，反映了被发现的风险、负面待遇的经历以及可能的缓冲因素。

结论

在“同性恋禁令”下服役的女同性恋退伍军人面临着负面经历，包括恐惧和痛苦、性别歧视以及与（感知的）性取向相关的人际和制度歧视。除了在服役期间经历与非 LGB 女性退伍军人类似的负面待遇外，LGB 女性退伍军人可能面临更高的成为攻击目标的风险，并且还会遭受性取向歧视。目前的研究结果与少数族裔压力模型相符。

政策影响

目前的调查结果与美国关于男女同性恋、双性恋和变性者服务人员持续遭受负面待遇的证据相符。总之，这应该鼓励进一步调查英国武装部队中 LGB 女性持续受到的负面待遇，调整退伍军人服务以解决女性 LGB 退伍军人未得到满足的需求，并进行适当的培训以打击 LGB 女性现役人员的负面差别待遇。