Portsmouth: Film about LGBTQ+ experiences in Navy to premier

A film telling the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the Royal Navy will premier later.

The screening will be at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - home of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Uncharted Waters shows how the experiences of LGBTQ+ sailors and officers have changed since the ban on homosexuality in the armed forces was lifted in 2000.

The film was created in partnership with the Royal Navy's LGBTQ+ Network.

Joanna Valentine, community producer at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, said: "The purpose of the film is to show different LGBTQ+ generations of the Royal Navy talking to each other."

She added that "while we are aware the film doesn't include everyone's experiences" it was a "starting point" in making the museum's collections "more inclusive of LGBTQ+ history."

The screening at the Action Stations Auditorium, which is completely free, will run between 18:00 GMT to 19:30 on Tuesday.

It will then be followed by a chance to speak to those involved in making the film, as well as local LGBTQ+ organisations and veterans' charities.

Lieutenant RN Danny Cairns, co-chair of the Royal Navy's LGBTQ+ Network said: "Within the armed forces, veterans are a huge part of our culture and education system; unfortunately, the LGBTQ+ ban not only took away a generation of sailors, but took away our role models, our mentors and a support network."

"Our short film, Uncharted Waters, is a perfect way for the Royal Navy's LGBTQ+ Network to show its open arms to our returning veteran community."

The film is part of a much wider piece of work by the museum to develop and widen access to their collection and engage with the entire story of the Royal Navy.

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