I'm able to speak from both sides of the proverbial fence on this one, being both actively involved in a major RAF
PR project at the moment, and also being a gay man.
It's probably fair to say that 99 percent of us "queers" (as quaintly described by our beloved Army brethren on Arrse) also think it's vaguely ridiculous to be diverting MoD money to Stonewall for no obvious reason. Clearly, it won't result in so much as one additional recruit but it will put a bit more money in Stonewall's pocket so that they can continue their heroic campaign of achieving er... nothing. Unfortunately, Stonewall has long lost most of its credibility with us fags and it is now seen as a political group which spends more time in bed with Tony than Cherie does.
Naturally, anyone with an ounce of common sense agrees that the RAF wants the best people for the job, be they gay, lesbian, bisexual, green, yellow, whatever. It's going to take much more than Stonewall's claptrap to change attitudes within the RAF so that any potential recruit feels comfortable at the prospect of announcing his sexuality to his work mates. The sad aspect of this saga is that it really shouldn't be an issue. A gay man has no interest in the sleeping arrangements of straight men therefore it seems ludicrous that the converse shouldn't apply.
In reality, it's pointless to make any effort to change people's attitudes. People's attitudes cannot be "made" to change; they inevitably change gradually thanks to the influence of society as a whole, personal experience, age and wisdom. Sooner or later we'll reach a stage where anyone can join the RAF's ranks and be happy to tell anyone that he's gay without raising so much as an eyebrow. We're already getting there but Stonewall's involvement won't make anything happen any faster.
I fear that this latest MoD crusade is just another hair-brained attempt at plugging an ever-widening hole in a proverbial dyke (if you'll pardon the expression). I've sat in plenty of crew rooms and listened to all kinds of banter, much of which has contained all manner of "gay" comments. But I have to say that I've never heard anything which I found offensive and one gets the impression that the whole "gay thing" is already something which is rapidly becoming an issue which is of no more interest than the colour of one's skin.
Ultimately, this latest nonsense probably has more to do witha desire to be seen to be competing on a level playing field with the Navy. The Navy went off to do their "let's get gay-friendly" thing and one presumes that the RAF simply want to do likewise, rather than be at risk of missing the political boat. Whilst any attempt to out-grow institutionalised homophobia has to be applauded, it's difficult not to conclude that this latest move is unnecessary, pointless, and probably another major waste of money.