Military veteran who went to prison for being gay welcomed back to regiment

Stephen told the BBC about his experience with being gay in the army in the 1980s

After being kicked out of the army and sent to prison for being gay - a former soldier is one of the first LGBT veterans to be welcomed back to his regiment.

Stephen Close was forced to leave the army in 1983 for kissing another male soldier in Berlin, Germany.

Although it wasn't against the law to be gay in the UK in 1983, you weren't allowed to be gay while serving in the military.

At a ceremony at the Tower of London, Stephen will re-receive his military cap and badge, which shows his position in the army.

"I can now wear [the cap badge] with pride on remembrance day, whereas before I wasn't allowed to," said Stephen.

How were things different in the past for gay people?

It was illegal to be gay in England and Wales until 1967, which is when the law changed.

Following the change, two men could be in a relationship together, without fear of being arrested - but many still faced prejudice.

The law was not changed for Scotland until 1980, or for Northern Ireland until 1982.

Other laws in place at the time meant that gay people did not have the same rights as people who were not gay.

For example, it was still a crime to be gay in the armed forces.

If you were a man caught in a relationship with another man, you could be sent to military prison, and kicked out the army.

Which is what happened to Stephen Close in 1983.

He was caught kissing a man whilst he was in Berlin, working for the army.

Stephen told the BBC that because of how he was treated, he would not have joined the army knowing that he was gay

Stephen spent time in a military prison, lost his job in the army and his position in the regiment.

Stephen says the record of his conviction made it hard to find work.

"I worked in some jobs where I was sacked without being able to explain what happened when they discovered my Army conviction."

"It meant I could not work with children or join the police or fire service," he said.

How have things changed since then?

Since 2000, gay and lesbian people have been allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.

But before the rules were changed, lots of gay people in the military lost their jobs because of their sexual orientation.

A BBC report from 2022 said there was around 5,000 people who were affected by the ban before it was lifted.

Stephen was one of those people and until 2013 still had a criminal record.

Now, he will be welcomed back to his regiment on 17 June, which is when he will be re-presented with his cap and badge.

Stephen is fully employed as a caretaker with a housing association, and said he feels he can finally move on with his life.

"We've been fighting for decades, and it's closure really," he told the BBC.

June is Pride month

June is pride month, which is a celebration of the LGBT+ community.

LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. The plus is an inclusive symbol to mean "and others".

Click here to learn more about the history of pride month, and where it came from.

LGBT+ people haven't always had the same rights as they do now, and there hasn't always been equality between gay and straight people.

Pride month is a chance to look back at that history, and talk about how things have changed.

• Section 28: The UK law that meant children weren't allowed to be taught about gay people in school

All over the world, there still aren't equal rights for LGBT+ people.

There are many countries were being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is still against the law, and people can face strict punishment for it.

It was against the law to be gay in the army until 2000