First gay woman to sit on Eastbourne Royal British Legion committee

Eastbourne’s Royal British Legion has welcomed its first gay woman to the committee.

Betty Gallagher, chair of BourneOut LGBTQ, said she was ‘dishonourably discharged’ from the army for being gay just eight months after joining at the age of 17.

She said, “I was distraught, I thought this would be a career for life. But it was not to be.”

Betty then worked in the Outer Hebrides for three years in a Naafi shop selling items to members of the armed forces.

When she was 20 Betty moved to London and worked in a butcher’s shop before joining London Transport. She stayed with them for 45 years and became the first female union representative.

In 2016 Betty and her partner retired to Eastbourne where they joined BourneOut LGBTQ.

She said BourneOut ‘is a safe haven for lonely and vulnerable people, all are welcome at our little cafe, it is for the community’.

Now Betty has joined the Royal British Legion committee for Eastbourne.

She said, “When I first heard that they were trying to get people for the Eastbourne Royal British Legion committee that is when I decided to put myself forward and join the branch and committee.

“As the committee has just been formed there is a lot to discuss for the future and a lot to work to be done for the future to make it a vibrant working committee.”

Betty said this is ‘another first’ in her life.

She said, “It makes me so proud to be the first gay woman on the committee in Eastbourne and will be proud to help make change for the better. The chairman has a lot of ideas to move it forward and be all inclusive to everyone and anyone.

“The hope to achieve a positive attitude towards the future for the British Legion and all the veterans that it supports that is my hope for the future, which is working towards a huge recruitment drive in Eastbourne right now.”

On Remembrance Sunday (November 14) Betty laid the wreath for the LGBTQ+ community.

She said, “The laying of the wreath was a very proud day for me it took me back over 60 years when I first laid a wreath for the girl guides. I was proud to be representing the LGBTQ+ community, the BourneOut cafe and proud to have come full circle back to my military roots.”