Brody's Notes... British Royal Army Regiment Gives Nod & Congrats to Newly Married Soldier

Civil Partnership Ceremony Of Lance Corporal James Wharton, Of The Household Cavalry, & Thom McCaffre In London

Photo By David Sandison The Independent UK

By Brody Levesque (Washington DC) Mar 27 | In sharp contrast to the official policy and regulations of less than a decade ago, when being Gay would cause servicemen interrogation and expulsion from Her Majesty's armed forces if discovered, on Saturday, March 27th, the famed royal escort regiment, The Queens Household Calvary, hosted a wedding reception at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment's Knightsbridge barracks for one of its own newlywed troopers & his husband.

The Independent UK's London based correspondent Terri Judd reports:

"Surrounded by silverware and paintings commemorating great battles, Lance Corporal James Wharton, 23, and his new husband enjoyed their first dance to Tina Turner in the warrant officers' mess of the most prestigious regiment in the land. The Household Cavalry, famed for escorting the Queen during state occasions and the fact that it counts both her grandsons among its officers, celebrated its first gay wedding in style. L/Cpl Wharton was joined in a civil partnership with his boyfriend, the Virgin air steward Thom McCaffrey, 21, surrounded by members of L/Cpl Wharton's regiment, the Blues and Royals."

Wharton told The Independent UK;

"The entire regiment has been really supportive," he said. "When I went to ask the Squadron Leader, Major Nana Twumasi-Ankrah, for permission to get married, he just said 'This is fantastic, congratulations'."

Compared to the current debate in the United States Congress &  U. S. Defence  Department senior leadership over the proposal by the Obama administration to repeal "Don't Ask-Don't Tell," the Royal Army has had success in implementing policies of open acceptance of Gay & Lesbian servicemembers. Judd further notes:

"The legal change allowing homosexual men and women in the services took place in January 2000 after a two-year legal battle involving three gay men and a lesbian, who had been discharged from the Royal Navy and RAF after being found to be gay.

The case went all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, which rejected the Government's argument that the military should be treated as a special case because of the "close physical and shared living conditions together with external pressures such as grave danger and war", and ruled that the Ministry of Defence's policy was not sustainable.

Despite predictions of doom and gloom from some quarters, the lifting of the ban was welcomed by most with few hitches."

Senior Regimental Military personnel in attendance at the reception after the nuptials included Wharton's commanding officer, Lt-Col Crispin Lockhart MBE, who said:

"The Household Cavalry has a fine tradition of leading from the front, so it is unsurprising that we continue to represent the face of the modern Army. We recognise and value individuals from diverse backgrounds who bring fresh ideas, knowledge, experience and talent to the regimental family."