# "In The NaVy!" Royal Navy Announces Plan to Recruit Gays

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 22, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330 "2005-02-22T13:06:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330/1 "2005-02-22T13:06:05Z")

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The BOSTON GLOBE this morning carried news that Britain’s Royal navy has announced plans to recruit gays. Does this mean that te navy will recognize homosexual relationships as lawful? What happens to the old RN regulations regarding this?  
Will hey use the “Village people” song as a recruitment tool?

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**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330/2 "2005-02-22T13:26:02Z")

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Perhaps they just realize that it’s discrimination, and it’s time to end it. Bravo for the Royal Navy!

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**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330/3 "2005-02-22T13:50:29Z")

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The ban was lifted 5 years ago:

‘homosexuality remained the last taboo in the armed forces until 2000, when the government was forced by the European court of human rights to withdraw its ban on homosexuality in the military’

A number of other organisations have also decided to recruit without discrimination:

‘By signing up to Stonewall’s “diversity champions” programme, the navy joins such organisations as British Airways, IBM and Sainsbury’s’

> **[Navy's new message: your country needs you, especially if you are gay](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2005/feb/21/military.gayrights)**
>
> Admirals shed centuries of repression with pink press adverts.

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**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2005, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-the-navy-royal-navy-announces-plan-to-recruit-gays/291330/4 "2005-02-22T14:00:30Z")

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Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash.

Sir Winston Churchill  
Well, somebody was gonna quote him…