Several
lower-ranking officers in the United Kingdom's Royal
Navy resigned out of protest after the country lifted
its ban on gays in the military, according to a story
in The Times of London.
A restricted
document, obtained by TheTimes under the Freedom of Information Act, also
claims that soldiers were so hesitant to undress or expose
themselves in the presence of their gay comrades that
they suggested gay-only restrooms and showers. Royal
Air Force families reportedly worried about same-sex
partners moving into family lodgings and affecting their
children.
The country's
Ministry of Defense has concluded, however, that the change
in policy has had no significant effect on the
military's effectiveness, and there has been
only one complaint of homosexual harassment since the
ban was lifted.
A Royal Navy
spokesperson also refuted the document's information.
According to England's Western Morning News,
Commander Graham Beard, the equality and diversity
officer, said, "I believe to the best of my knowledge
that the statement is inaccurate. I do not believe
that elected personnel, due to that ban being lifted,
resigned from their jobs. We have absolutely no
records of that and I believe we would if that had
been so stated. Our teams go through those files with a
fine-toothed comb."
The United
Kingdom ended the ban on gays in the military in January
2000, after the European Court of Human Rights
criticized the policy for interfering with private
life. (The Advocate)
