Royal Navy sailors allowed to march in EuroPride London in uniform

Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, speaking to journalists aboard HMS Somerset, a Type 23 frigate anchored in the Thames, said:

"I don’t mind what people’s sexual orientation is, provided it doesn’t affect a ship’s operational efficiency."

Vice-Admiral Adrian Johns, Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command, speaking at a conference held by Stonewall, said:

"We came to realise that sexual orientation was not something that could just be put to one side, because there is potentially a direct impact on operational efficiency. "When people can’t give 100 per cent to their job because they are being intimidated or they are scared or they are preoccupied with hiding their true identities rather than playing a full part in the team, operational efficiency is degraded."

This seems like a sensible and pragmatic policy by the First Service, which will avoid the shameful victimisation of valuable naval personnel in earlier years, as then practised throughout the British military in general. The EuroPride Parade will take place this year in London on 1st July.