THE INVISIBLE MAN REPORT:

Demographics 

In total we interviewed 30 male survivors of MST aged between 37 to 69 years. 17 veterans classed themselves as single, 10 were married and 3 were in a civil partnership. The majority of those interviewed had served in the Army 53.33% (n16) with 30% (n9) serving in the Royal Navy and 16.67% (n5) serving in the Royal Air Force. Average length of service across the sample was between 2-17 years.

Before Military Service 

As of January 2019, the British Armed Forces had a combined strength of approximately 190,750 UK service personnel. Of those, approximately 89% are male. Very little research has been carried out on the childhood experiences of those that serve or indeed why individuals decide to serve in the military. Of the individuals interviewed for this study, 40% reported suffering from adverse childhood experiences (ACE’s) with only half of those interviewed completing their formal education. Many joined to make others proud of them and/or to positively re-invent themselves in the eyes of their peers or significant others. Karen Horney in ‘The Search for Glory’ suggests that; 

“Self-idealization always entails a general self-glorification and thereby gives the individual the much-needed feeling of significance and of superiority over others.” 

“I was very violent as a kid and would fight. I felt like I had something to prove.”

“Had regular beatings off my Father - belts, fists and anything he could get his hands on. When I was beat up by my Father they would put witch hazel on me to make the bruises disappear. I hate the smell now.”

“I was brought up in an Asian community in North Yorkshire and my father was a strict disciplinarian.”

 
 

EXIT WOUNDS REPORT

Background 

It wasn’t that long ago when serving members of the LGBT+ community could be dismissed from all branches of the UK Armed Forces on the basis of their sexuality. Prior to 2000, if members of the UK military were found to be lesbian, gay or bi-sexual they could face court martial, be expelled from the military losing medals, pension rights and/or face incarceration, and to add insult to injury, a criminal record. At the very least they would face prejudice, discrimination, homophobic abuse, humiliation and for some, physical violence and sexual assault. 

Bizarrely there are no exact figures, but it is estimated that thousands were dismissed from the UK military on account of their sexuality. Figures are masked because many were medically discharged, as ‘homosexuality’ was at that time, classed as a mental health disorder until that definition was repealed by the World Health Organisation in 1990. 

For those individuals discharged from the UK armed forces because of their sexuality, the trauma is both enduring and hurtful, for others their lives have been traumatically defined by the additional experience of being physically and sexually assaulted and in some cases raped, by colleagues in a twisted, barbaric and brutal attempt to change their sexual orientation. Those traumatised by such experiences struggle to come to terms with these events and experience shame, guilt and the destruction of their sense of self, which in turn destroys their loyalty and affiliation with an institution that has both abused and betrayed their trust.

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