Veteran fights to restore gay soldiers’ honours
Sailor ‘discharged because of his sexuality’ in 1993 wants MOD to return medals stripped from him
MILITARY veterans stripped of medals and discharged from the armed forces because of their sexuality could have their honours returned after a bisexual sailor who served in the Falklands undertakes legal action to have his record restored.
Joe Ousalice, 68, served for nearly 18 years in the Royal Navy, but was discharged in 1993 prior to the lifting of the ban on LGBT people serving in the armed forces.
The veteran is taking action against the Ministry of Defence to have his Long Service and Good Conduct (LS&GC) medal returned after it was cut off his uniform following a courts martial.
An MOD spokesman said it would be inappropriate to comment as legal proceedings are ongoing, but added: “We are currently looking at how personnel discharged because of their sexuality, or now abolished sexual offences, can have their medals returned.”
It is understood Penny Mordaunt, the new Defence Secretary, met with officials yesterday to discuss this issue.
Mr Ousalice, a former radio operator, served in the Falklands War, did six tours of duty in Northern Ireland and was also posted to conflict zones in the Middle East. His work was praised by his seniors and he was awarded the LS&GC medal in 1991.
However, Mr Ousalice said he knew when he joined up that he would have to hide the fact that he was bisexual.
“It was a double life I was living,” he said. He added that when he went ashore he never visited gay pubs and, when on the ship, didn’t associate with sailors who he knew were gay.
“I knew if I did I would have the SIB [Special Investigation Branch] on my back doing covert operations, shadowing me with cameras, taking photographs of what I was getting up to.”
At a courts martial in the Nineties he was found guilty of being in bed with a man – something he has always denied – and was dismissed on the grounds that his conduct was prejudicial to good order and naval discipline.
Although not official policy, but not unheard of at the time, Mr Ousalice had his LS&GC medal cut off his uniform following the verdict. He hoped that the lifting of the ban in 2000 on LGBT people in the armed forces would help him to have his medal returned.
The ruling became widely known as the Turing Law, after Alan Turing, the Second World War code-breaker and computing pioneer, who was convicted of gross indecency in 1952 over homosexual acts.
The Telegraph understands that the MOD does not know how many individuals may be in the same situation as Mr Ousalice.