Kelly Holmes says being a gay soldier during military ban led to ’30 years of trauma’
Dame Kelly Holmes has said the gay military ban caused her ’30 years of trauma’. (Matt McNulty/Getty)
Olympic gold medallist Kelly Holmes has said that being a gay soldier during the pre-2000 military ban on LGBTQ+ personnel in the UK caused her “30 years of trauma”.
Holmes has previously said she had been terrified by the idea of being open about her sexuality while serving in the army between 1988 and 1997.
Speaking to ITV News to mark the 25th anniversary of the ban being lifted, she said: “When I was 23 I had a raid. I hadn’t long got promoted to a corporal and I was fearful of what that might mean if they found out about me.
“That led me to 30-odd years of trauma and fear. I then got to know other people and veterans [who] had been through situations where it was very traumatic for their life. I didn’t get the brunt of any of the really bad, vile, humiliation that some did.”
Her “fruitful career” has led her to feel “survivor’s guilt”, Holmes, who was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2005, added.
Until 2000, it was illegal for people serving in the British military to be openly part of the LGBTQ+ community. Several queer veterans were dishonourably discharged, stripped of their medals or convicted of a crime.
Holmes came out publicly as a lesbian in June 2022. In 2023, she voiced “total support” for trans people after previously being “ignorant” about the issue of their inclusion in sport.
She told the Sunday Mirror that she first realised she was gay in 1988, when a fellow female soldier kissed her. However, a fear of being prosecuted forced her to stay silent.
“When I came out as gay after three decades, the thought of it was worse than doing it,” she told the Express.
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