In May 2025, Portsmouth Historic Quarter and LGBTQ+ Veterans charity Fighting with Pride came together to wrap an iconic war vessel, Landing Craft F8, in Pride colours to mark the 25th anniversary of the lifting of the “gay ban” in the military.

Veterans who were found to be gay whilst serving in the military pre-2000 faced dishonourable discharge, loss of medals and loss of pensions. This was the first time in British history a war vessel had been wrapped in Pride colours and represented a huge moment in recognising the full breadth of military history and the lives of LGBTQ+ members, past and present.

We were tasked with launching the story to press nationwide and it’s safe to say the story made waves throughout the country…

With multiple parties involved in the campaign and the delicate, complex subject matter of the story, careful handling of stakeholders, relationships and factual accuracy was crucial to success.

Our journalist hats were firmly on as we conducted multiple in-depth interviews with LGBTQ+ veterans and gathered key facts and data to formulate a detailed and comprehensive press release.

What followed was an intense period of media relations, selling in the story to press locally, regionally and nationally to ensure the story got the attention it deserved. Juggling multiple enquiries and interview requests, we ensured that no opportunity was missed as we landed 78 pieces of coverage across local, regional and national print, digital and broadcast media.

The press coverage made its way to LGBTQ+ Veterans around the country, with hundreds coming forward in the hours after the story hit the news to enquire about the financial reparations, they are entitled to under The Government’s Financial Reparations Scheme… The most important KPI of them all.