UK foreign office apologises for banning LGBT staff
ANI
06 Jul 2021, 03:55 GMT+10
London [UK], July 5 (ANI): The UK Foreign Office apologized on Monday for the historic ban that prevented LGBT people from working in the British diplomatic service until 1991.
In a message to staff, Philip Barton, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Head of the Diplomatic Service said: The ban was in place because there was a perception that LGBT people were more susceptible than their straight counterparts to blackmail and, therefore, that they posed a security risk. The official said he wanted to apologise publicly for the ban and the impact it had on our LGBT staff and their loved ones, both here in the UK and abroad. Baron claimed, however, that since the ban was lifted 30 years ago, the Foreign Office had made great progress in employing LGBT people and becoming a champion for LGBT rights around the world.
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