In January 2000, the ban on LGBTQ servicemen and women being in the British Armed Forces was finally lifted after a fierce battle at the European Court of Human Rights, by veterans who won freedoms for others that they were themselves denied.. To mark the event’s 25th anniversary, this book shares the stories of LGBTQ Armed Forces veterans who have lived remarkable lives. Their stories are profoundly moving testaments to their loyalty, their courage on the battlefield, and their unswerving sense of right and wrong. This book celebrates the lives of servicemen and women who have stood tall and taken their place with pride and dignity in the fighting units of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Royal Air Force and the British Army. These are inspiring stories of people who created amazing careers in their service in the United Kingdom's Armed Forces, but so many of these careers would ultimately fall victim to the 'gay ban'.

Lt Cdr Craig Jones MBE RN joined the Royal Navy in 1989, later to become the first ‘out’ LGBTQ person the Armed Forces, leading that community through a bewildering period of change.