Fighting With Pride

Description

Our commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant

Fighting With Pride is committed to supporting the military community. We are the leading charity supporting LGBT+ personnel across all sectors of the Armed Forces. Our signing of the Covenant, 6 March 2023, was with Samantha des Forges the MoD Director of Diversity and Inclusion. It was also attended by the Chief of Defence People, Vice Admiral Philip Halley CB, MBE. Fighting With Pride currently holds the Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Award (2023). 

Over 90% of our employees are either veterans or Forces family members. We value the commitment and skills that employees with military connections bring to our charity.

We are well represented at higher levels with Johnny Mercer, Minister of State for Veterans’ Affairs, a FWP Ambassador. Our Patron is Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory KBE, CB, DL, who previously served as the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff. He is now Controller of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) and assists with our connections to other military charities.

As the premier LGBT+ military charity, we are here to listen, understand and support. 

About us

Fighting With Pride was established on the 20th anniversary of the lifting of the ban on LGBT+ military service, known as the ‘gay ban’. We are here to support LGBT+ veterans, serving personnel and their families, particularly those who were affected by the ‘gay ban’, which was lifted on 12th January 2000. Before then, thousands of LGBT+ service personnel were removed or forced from employment, after serving with pride.

In the years ahead it is our aim to restore the military covenant and bring this community back into the military family. We are working with Veteran supporting organisations to build capacity for LGBT+ Veteran support, to recognise their service and help resolve the challenges they face in their lives beyond military service. We are proud of the achievements of our serving LGBT+ personnel.

In general, FWP is a ‘lived experience’ LGBT+ charity but this is not an essential employment requirement for Forces family members looking to work with us.