Navy lets sailors march at Gay Pride

Military officials have given the go-ahead for gay and lesbian naval personnel to march in full uniform for the first time at Britain's annual Gay Pride celebrations.

This Saturday, more than 40 sailors, from able seamen to Royal Navy Reserve commanders, will lead the EuroPride parade through London. The event comes six years after a landmark legal ruling to allow gay people to serve openly in the armed forces.

The proposal to participate in Gay Pride was first discussed earlier this year by the Second Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Johns, at a conference organised by Stonewall. Ben Summerskill, Stonewall's chief executive, said the Navy should be congratulated for its gay-friendly policies, and he hoped the Army and Royal Air Force would follow the example.

"We are delighted that so many naval personnel feel able to march on Saturday and feel comfortable about doing so," he said. "There are an awful lot of young recruits who would like to be in the military, and this sends the right message."

The Navy said it was the first time that any military organisation in the world had allowed gay and lesbian recruits to march in uniform at such an event. "They will not be marching in a parade formation but they will be walking smartly and in full uniform with medals," said Commander Graham Beard, the Navy's diversity spokesman. "We strive to support our lesbian and gay community, and this is a massive step forward for us."

In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that gay people had a legal right to serve in the armed forces. Before then, they faced being thrown out if their sexuality was discovered.

Lieutenant Commander Craig Jones, one of the Navy's most senior openly gay officers, is helping to organise the march.

He said: "I've been looking forward to something like this happening for four or five years. There were countries that accepted gays into the services before us, but we're the first to do this."