Nearly 20 years ago, the armed forces lifted the ban on LGBTQ people serving in the army. Before this pursuing a career in the forces was more or less impossible.

Recently, though, veterans have joined the Royal British Legion’s first LGBTQ branch which supports ex-service personnel who are members of the LGBTQ community.

So why must we take a moment to acknowledge and support LGBTQ folks now, nearly 20 years after the ban? The answer is simple: many of the people who stood for our country were treated terribly. Their only “crime” was their sexual orientation.

Nottingham’s Chris Voce was a navy officer back in the 70s. He had been in relationships with girls and had never opened up about being gay. Despite this, he was questioned by the special investigation branch and was eventually sent to detention quarters and charged with nine offences. His crime? A love letter to a man.

At the age of 24, Voce was no longer a part of the navy and could not serve the armed forces anymore. And he wasn’t alone. Many like him had similar experiences. The ban on gay men serving in the army was lifted in 1999.

This year, with the Royal British Legion’s new branch for former military personnel who were gay, people like Voce have been given the chance to reconnect to their military past. The former soldier says he does not feel bitter and is looking forward to reconnecting to his brief but extremely meaningful naval past.

The only thing a person needs to chose to defend their people is the will to do it. Their orientation has nothing to do with it. And it’s great that as time progresses we’re overcoming a lot of the things that once tainted our history. It’s a thing of pride that our forces are getting it right.