King Charles will unveil a memorial dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender military personnel, marking his first official engagement in support of the LGBTQI community.

The government-funded “Open Letter” memorial is designed to honour those currently serving and commemorate veterans affected by the British military’s ban on LGBTQI officers, which was lifted in 2000 — 33 years after male homosexuality was partially decriminalised in England and Wales.

A bronze sculpture, it resembles a crumpled free-standing letter containing words from personal messages that were used as evidence to incriminate individuals.

Charles, the commander-in-chief of the British armed forces, is expected to lay flowers at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Claire Phillips, a lesbia

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