LGBT soldiers were booted out or lived in constant fear. Now it’s time to get justice
with it. Others might not even know about the review or don’t have the means or skills to submit an email response.”
It’s why she is working with Fighting With Pride to help veterans give evidence to the review by offering emotional support. Veterans can ask to meet face-toface to say what happened or testify via email, phone call or even voice note.
Kelly said: “I want anyone who served to be proud of their service. It’s your right to get a resolution and to not feel hatred about something that you should feel pride for.”
She hopes to meet affected service people, many of whom contacted her after reading her interview with the Sunday Mirror or watching her ITV doc Kelly Holmes: Being Me.
“One case that stuck out was a teenager whose mum had served but never wanted to speak about it,” she explained. “Since my documentary her mum opened up about what she went through.
“Some were hard to read – people affected by the ban who have still not been able to be open to their workplace and families.”
The star has been overwhelmed by support since she came out in Pride Month, saying it has been “100% positive”. Last month she won Celebrity of the Year at the Diversity Awards. In August she marched with stars including Phillip Schofield, Gok Wan and other ITV faces at London Pride. “It was Phillip’s first Pride since coming out and we were overwhelmed,” she said. “It was massive and you want to embrace it.”
She also addressed the crowd, recalling: “I did this rallying cry. I got hundreds of thousands of people chanting, ‘My Freedom is my Voice’. When I came off it was like an adrenaline rush, like I’d just won a medal.”
Opening up about her sexuality has allowed her to embrace new opportunities – like joining the Loose Women panel last month.
She said: “I’d have never done it before through fear, as they’re so open and their relationships are all out there. I think the biggest change is I’ve felt so different in myself. I feel free to be who I want to be.”
Kelly said she’s felt the presence of her mum Pam Norman, who died in 2017, in recent months: “I just wish she was here to see what I’m doing now.”
Kelly joined tens of thousands paying respects to the Queen at Westminster Hall last month, queuing for 11 hours.
“I wanted to do it because we pledged our oath to the crown for life,” she said. “We can’t ignore the
progress in the Forces. But there are people who took their lives and some are still suffering. We have to stand up for them.”
Executive chair Craig Jones, a Navy veteran, said: “Fighting With Pride is immensely grateful to Dame Kelly for her help to reach LGBT veterans.
“There must be a better future for these amazing veterans who were treated with cruelty, and the review needs to know what happened.”
A Government spokesman said: “The historic treatment of LGBT+ personnel in the Armed Forces was abhorrent and we deeply regret some personnel suffered injustices as a consequence.” Today’s Armed Forces is an inclusive employer, they said, adding that it is a priority to find ways to address past wrongs.
It’s your right to get resolution and to not feel hatred but pride
DAME KELLY CALL TO VICTIMS TO GIVE EVIDENCE