British Army Actively Recruits Gay Soldiers

LONDON (Feb. 2) -- When Britain was forced to drop its ban on homosexuals serving in the armed forces in 2000 following a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, some military chiefs warned the decision would not only lead to discord and harassment, but could even damage the nation's war-fighting capabilities.

In fact, the biggest news about the change was that it resulted in no news. Academic studies published in peer-reviewed journals found that allowing openly gay troops to serve in the U.K. had no negative impact on cohesion, readiness, recruiting, morale, retention or any other measure of effectiveness.

British ground forces in Afghanistan on July 16, 2009

Sergeant Dan Harmer, Royal Logistic Corps, MOD / AP

A 2000 ruling from the European Court of Human Rights forced Britain to allow gays in the military. Today, an estimated 14,000 homosexuals are serving.

Today, the military treats its estimated 14,000 gay service personnel just like ordinary soldiers. When civil partnerships -- which give gay couples the same legal rights as married Brits -- were introduced in 2005, married quarters for military staff were renamed Service Family Accommodation and homosexual couples were given the same housing access as heterosexual couples, together with equal pension and compensation rights.

The Army also handles incidents of anti-gay bullying and discrimination in much the same way it tackles racism and sexism. "I would be lying if I say there was no bullying that happened, but it is certainly less than other offenses such as racial or sexual harassment," Lt. Col. Colin Bulleid of the British Army Equality and Diversity Policy Branch told The Independent last year. "There has been no overt homophobic hate wave. We occasionally get the odd prat who behaves inappropriately. But he gets stamped on when he gets found out. We have a reasonably good complaints system."

Before 2000, about 200 people a year were sacked from the forces after being outed. But now military recruiters actively target Britain's gay community. In 2005, the Royal Navy placed an ad in a leading gay publication, The Pink Paper, selling the benefits of a life on the open seas. And that same year, uniformed members of the Army and Royal Air Force took part in the first ever Gay Pride March in the city of Manchester, where they also manned a recruitment stall.

"As far as the Army is concerned, sexual orientation is a private matter, and we are attending to promote the benefits a career in the Army can bring," said Lt. Col. Leanda Pitt, commander of regional recruiting in North West England.

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To read about Israel's experience with gays in the military, click here.