‘I could have lost everything’ James Barton: The first openly gay man in the British armed forces
James Barton said he felt like he was living two separate lives before he came out in the navy.
When he was working for the military in Portsmouth he would tell people he had a girlfriend and at home in Cardiff he would hide the fact he was in the armed forces.
Until the year 2000, it was illegal to be gay in the military.
The armed forces guidelines said homosexuality was considered “incompatible” with the work.
Despite this law, James Barton said he risked everything to attend the first Cardiff Pride in 1999.
The following year, the European court of human rights lifted the ban on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) serving in the armed forces.
James then felt he was able to come out to his colleagues.
He said some people were accepting but he also received threats from others in the military.
“They said they were going to beat me up… That’s the kind of thing I was dealing with on the ship after the ban.”
He had to be taken off the ship for his own safety. Despite this, James did not regret coming out when the ban was lifted.
For James, pride is about being happy and proud of who you are.