Ian Timbrell

Imagine being more offended by a rainbow on a poppy than by the fact that LGBTQ+ people who served their country were persecuted for who they were. Alan Turing helped Britain defeat the Nazis. He was later prosecuted for being gay. Roberta Cowell flew fighter aircraft during the Second World War, was captured and became a prisoner of war. She was also a transgender woman. And countless LGBTQ+ service personnel fought for a country that denied them the very freedoms they were helping to defend. Yet somehow, acknowledging their sacrifice with a rainbow poppy is what’s considered disrespectful? Nobody is forcing anyone to wear one. But remembrance shouldn’t come with terms and conditions about whose sacrifice deserves recognition. You don’t get to use veterans as an excuse for your prejudice while conveniently ignoring the LGBTQ+ veterans who served alongside them. We will remember them. All of them. #lgbtq #equality #diversity #poppy #remembrance