Entitled Freedom, it was unveiled at the RAF's Diversity
Conference at the Defence Academy, Shrivenham, this
afternoon.
Whilst there has been a Ministry of Defence-endorsed network based
around Proud2Serve.net for several years, this will be the first
support network aimed directly at the RAF which will allow lesbian
and gay personnel to directly engage with the Equality and
Diversity staff.
This is a considerable leap forward from just twelve years ago
when members of the RAF would be discharged if they were discovered
to be homosexual.
According to a statement, the aim of the network is "to ensure
that all personnel are able to operate effectively within an
operational environment, without the added pressure of worries
about their sexuality."
It shall also allow the wider community to get involved with
projects that the RAF LGBT Forum has been working on for the last
four years.
This includes working with the RAF recruiters to highlight the RAF
as an employer of choice to young LGBT people.
Over the next 12 months the RAF will be re-launching its peer
mentoring scheme, and the RAF LGBT Forum "will be at the fore-front
of its implementation".
