It’s poppy season in the UK, and this year a small rainbow badge has turned into a talking point.

The Royal British Legion (RBL), the charity behind the Poppy Appeal, is standing by its Poppy Pride Badge after a Reform UK councillor called it an insult to veterans, LBC reported on October 30.

The row is loud. But the more urgent story is quieter: the people that badge honours have six weeks left to claim compensation for what the military did to them.

What happened

Joseph Boam, a Reform UK councillor for Whitwick ward on Leicestershire County Council, wrote on Facebook that “The Royal British Legion has politicised remembrance of our war dead,” calling the badge “an insult to every veteran who wore the poppy with pride,” according to LBC and PinkNews.

The Legion didn’t budge. In a statement to LBC, it said the badge “shows support for those who have faced discrimination or marginalisation due to their sexual orientation or gender identity, particularly those who served under the pre-2000 ban on LGBT personnel in the British Armed Forces.”

It added: “Providing visible symbols of support for the LGBTQIA+ Armed Forces community is an important show of allyship and a demonstration that the RBL is a safe and inclusive space.”

Why a rainbow poppy isn’t “politics”

Until January 2000, lesbian, gay and bisexual people were banned from serving openly in the British Armed Forces.

The government-commissioned LGBT Veterans Independent Review, led by Lord Etherton and published on July 19, 2023, covered service between 1967 and 2000 and made 49 recommendations. The then Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, apologised in Parliament the same day. In December 2024, Defence Secretary John Healey called the historic treatment of LGBT veterans “a moral stain on our nation,” the Ministry of Defence said.

People were investigated, dismissed and stripped of careers simply for who they were. Remembering them on Remembrance Day is remembrance, full stop.

The Legion has its own history to reckon with too. In 2022, its director general apologised for “the discrimination shown at the time” after activist Peter Tatchell raised his past treatment by the charity, PinkNews reported. Tatchell called it a “forthright and fulsome apology.”

The deadline that actually matters: December 12

Here’s what every LGBTQ+ person in the UK should pass on this week.

The government’s LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme, worth up to £75 million in total, closes on December 12, 2026 at 11:59pm. After that, no new applications are accepted.

Who can apply: people who served in HM Armed Forces between July 27, 1967 and January 11, 2000 and were affected by the ban.

What’s on offer:

  • £50,000 (flat rate) for those dismissed or discharged because of the ban
  • An Impact Payment of up to £20,000 for those harmed in other ways, such as harassment or disciplinary action
  • Up to £70,000 in total per veteran, tax-free, and it doesn’t affect means-tested benefits, according to the MoD

How to apply:

  • Online through Defence Gateway
  • Or request a paper form from MOD Veterans Services: [email protected], UK freephone 0808 1914 218 (8am–4pm, Monday to Friday), or +44 1253 866 043 from abroad
  • Help is available from Fighting With Pride, the Royal British Legion and MOD Veterans Services, the government’s scheme site says

The scheme also covers non-financial measures such as restoring rank and amending discharge records, the MoD said when it launched in December 2024.

The bit Gen Z can actually do

The ban ended almost 27 years ago, so the people it hurt are now in their mid-40s and older, many of them grandparent age. Some never told their families why they left the forces. Some don’t use email. Many won’t see a tweet about a deadline.

So this one is a group project:

  • Ask. If you have an older LGBTQ+ relative, neighbour or friend who served, gently ask whether they’ve heard of the scheme.
  • Print. Offer to help with the online form, or to request the paper version.
  • Share. Pass the official link, affectedbytheban.campaign.gov.uk, to your local Pride, queer choir, or community group.

Remembrance Sunday falls on November 8 this year. Whatever badge you wear, it’s a good week to make sure the veterans who were pushed out get what they’re owed before the door closes.