We get the job done and we reflect on it later."Ī confidential review across the army, navy and air force two years after the ban on gay personnel was lifted found that the majority of officers and junior ranks, particularly younger servicemen and women, had accepted the ruling. "When something like that happens, I just think, let's get the job done. "I was right at the back, there was not a lot I could do. He was in the same convoy as Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe when the commanding officer was killed in an explosion, along with his fellow 2RTR comrade Trooper Joshua Hammond, aged 18.
Rakestrow ‑ who has witnessed the bloody violence of conflict at first hand ‑ has received the highest praise from senior officers. "I've got to work with these guys every day."
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"I always said I wouldn't let my personal life clash with my professional life," he said. He also said he would be wary of starting a relationship with another soldier. The trooper said he did not fit any gay stereotypes, although he admits to having a pink quilt cover decorated with a picture of heartthrob actor Zac Ephron in the squadron's temporary digs and a copy of Attitude magazine often in his rucksack. But the important thing is to tell them when it feels right." "Talk about it with them and then if you're confident tell your mates. Rakestrow said he would advise gay men or women unsure about coming out to their colleagues to talk to close friends. They all want to know about my life, they ask a lot of questions, you can imagine. He said: "I get banter from them all the time, but it's good banter. Rakestrow believes he made the right decision to come out to his comrades and said the men have treated him as an equal since he disclosed his sexuality. "Respect for others is not an optional extra," he said. In 1999, the year before the ban on gay personnel was lifted, 298 people were discharged for their sexuality.īut in 2000 a legal victory, fought for by three gay men and a lesbian, who had been discharged from the Royal Navy and RAF after being found to be gay, paved the way for openly gay servicemen and women.īritish servicemen and women now march at Gay Pride in uniform.Įarlier this year the then head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, became the first army chief to address a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference. The army hasn't always been so accepting. Some of their faces dropped, and asked if I was serious. "The lads all asked if we'd had any luck, then at least our late arrival would have been worth it. "The next morning I arrived for the exercise late, because we'd had a bit to drink," he said. The next morning his colleagues started asking questions. Rakestrow, who serves with Egypt squadron, 2RTR, had been out at a nightclub with a friend who knew he was gay. He decided to come out to his comrades after a night out midway through a training exercise on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire. Rakestrow, from Exeter, Devon, who today completes a six-month operational tour in Helmand province, had already come out to his family and close friends. "It was difficult to start with," he said.
The 21-year-old, who serves with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2RTR), said it was difficult to reveal his sexuality in such a high-testosterone environment.