Etherton Review: A message from our Controller

"All of us at the RAF Benevolent Fund welcome the Etherton Review which gives a voice to those in the LGBTQ+ community who were treated unfairly in the Armed Forces prior to 2000.  As an organisation, we strive to be inclusive and are proud to support Fighting with Pride and to have been awarded their Pride in Veterans Standard. We would encourage anyone who was impacted by the ban to contact the RAF Benevolent Fund or Fighting with Pride for support." - Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, Controller at the RAF Benevolent Fund 

The release of the Independent Review into the treatment of LGBTQ+ personnel in our Armed Forces prior to 2000 is a significant moment in recognising the deeply upsetting and unfair way in which this community were treated.  To demonstrate the Fund’s commitment to inclusivity and fair treatment for all, the Fund has supported Fighting with Pride for the last few years.  We are proud to continue to work with them, recently having adopted their Standard and continuing to support LGBTQ+ members of the RAF Family with practical, financial, and emotional assistance. Many of the recommendations in the report for charities and benevolent funds are in line with what we, as a Fund, are committed to uphold in our ongoing support of LGBTQ+ members of the RAF Family.

We provided a response as part of the review and wish to reinforce our message that our services are inclusive and open to anyone who has served in the RAF.  We also recognise that some members of the community may be concerned about coming to us and therefore we are appointing a welfare case worker based at Fighting with Pride to provide a trusted alternative route to access our services. We have been a long-term supporter of Fighting with Pride, being an early funder of the charity alongside The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity. 

As part of the Fund’s wide portfolio of support available for members of the LGBTQ+ community, we would encourage anyone who was affected by the issues outlined in the report, and may benefit from the support available, to get in contact either with the Fund or with Fighting with Pride.