Former Royal Navy officer Craig Jones is leading a campaign for justice for LGBT+ veterans who were mistreated due to their sexuality while serving in the armed forces. Through his charity Fighting With Pride, Jones is pushing for compensation and recognition for these veterans, likening their struggle to the Post Office Horizon scandal, where wrongful accusations devastated lives.
Jones, who served from 1989 to 2008, had to hide his sexuality because of the military’s ban on homosexuality, which wasn’t lifted until January 2000. “People lost their careers, their homes, they were vilified in their communities,” Jones said, adding that many were also “imprisoned” simply for being gay.
During his naval career, Jones was deployed to the Persian Gulf and Northern Ireland. But he said meeting his now-husband, Adam, in the 1990s felt more dangerous than his missions. “Meeting Adam at a gay bar in Exeter felt a lot more courageous than going into Belfast,” he recalled. The relationship, he said, was “exciting but also frightening,” because if his secret got out, he risked being arrested and jailed.
Jones was the first to come out to his superiors when, the day before the ban ended, he decoded the message informing the Navy that it would be lifted. Later, he campaigned for LGBT+ personnel to march in full uniform at London’s Pride parade and set up support networks for LGBT members within the military.
Now, Jones is fighting to secure reparations for veterans who were interrogated, dismissed, and ostracized. “The circumstances, particularly compared to Horizon, are incredibly similar,” he said. Many veterans, like him, lost their careers and faced rejection from their communities.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said the government is “fully committed to ensuring this issue receives parliamentary scrutiny,” and added that 32 of 49 recommendations from the LGBT veterans review have already been implemented. The government is working on a financial redress scheme, with more details expected later this year.