When Alastair Bruce joined the army in 1979, it was impossible to be serving the country and a homosexual at the same time. Last month General Bruce became the highest ranking officer in the British army, and married his male partner, with whom he has been in a relationship with for 20 years.
Bruce has been hiding his relationship with Stephen Knott for years, and this year he got married dressed in a military uniform.
The general kept his sexual orientation a secret for almost his entire career because of fear that he would be fired from a job, and he has put in a great deal of work into it and repeatedly made sacrifices.
The British Army has changed its attitude towards homosexuals since the year 2000. Prior to that, it was forbidden for queer people to be in the army.
General Bruce met his partner when he was a lecturer on a cruise ship. “I was very surprised when I found out that he was interested in the same historical issues as I was. Our relationship continued after the lectures too. A few months later Stephen left his home and moved to the UK to be with me. It was a very brave step on his part and then I realized what was most important in life,” said Bruce.
Source: bbc.com
