Pride in Armed Forces Day: Honouring LGBTQ+ Service and Leadership
As we celebrate both Pride Month and Armed Forces Day this June, we take a moment to reflect on the powerful intersection of identity and service. At GatenbySanderson, we are proud to spotlight the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders who have served with distinction and continue to drive change across the public and not-for-profit sectors.
In this special feature, Emily Nevins and James Payne speak with two inspiring figures who embody courage, authenticity, and inclusive leadership:
- Ayla Holdom, pilot for the National Police Air Service and former RAF Search and Rescue Captain
- Craig Jones MBE, Royal Navy veteran and founder of Fighting With Pride, the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ military charity
Together, they explore the significance of Pride in Armed Forces Day, share messages of support for LGBTQ+ personnel and veterans, and reflect on the leadership lessons shaped by their lived experiences.
👇 Watch the full video interview at the end of this article.
Why Armed Forces Day matters
Armed Forces Day (28 June) is a chance for us to show our support for the people who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving personnel to Service families, veterans and cadets. It also includes Reserves Day (26 June), which provides the country with an opportunity to recognise our Reserve Forces.
Showing support for the Armed Forces provides a much-valued morale boost for serving personnel, veterans and their families. You can find out more by visiting the official sites of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.
Ayla and Craig share:
- What Pride in Armed Forces Day means to them
- Messages of solidarity for LGBTQ+ personnel and veterans
- How their careers have shaped their leadership styles
- The most pressing challenges facing LGBTQ+ communities—and how leaders can respond
Meet the Leaders
Ayla Holdom
Ayla Holdom is a distinguished aviator and advocate, whose career and personal journey are both inspiring and impactful. Ayla served in the Royal Air Force for 13 years, where she excelled as a Sea King helicopter Captain with the RAF Search and Rescue Force alongside Prince William, responding to over 400 SAR missions and receiving formal commendation for her exemplary service. In 2010, Ayla became the first openly transgender pilot in the British Armed Forces:
“I came out as transgender in 2010. And that came with all the trepidation and nerves you might expect. It was possibly the best environment I could imagine being in because your work environment is a family. The RAF is a family, you are very close knit. So, I absolutely wanted to be there, around people that I respected and loved to go through that.”
– (RAF Museum)
Ayla now is a pilot for the National Police Air Service, supporting police forces across the UK. Her commitment to advocacy extends beyond her aviation career; she volunteers with All About Trans, is a proud patron for Mermaids, and serves on the Stonewall Trans Advisory Group. Her efforts have been recognised in the Independent on Sunday Rainbow List and the Attitude Pride Awards.
Ayla’s story has been celebrated in the stage production ‘Still Point Turning’ and the RAF Museum’s ‘RAF Stories’.
Craig Jones MBE
Craig Jones MBE is the founder of Fighting With Pride, a charity dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ veterans and the Head of the leader of the charities Campaign for restorative justice. With a career spanning over three decades, Craig has held senior leadership roles in both the public sector and private industry, including 20 years in the Royal Navy, where he was honoured for his work in advancing equality and human rights.
His experience includes leadership roles at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and founding Brighton and Sussex Care, which gained national acclaim for its mental health services. Craig has 20 years of governance experience, serving as a Trustee and Non-Executive Director across various organisations. He is currently a Trustee of Sound Delivery and a member of the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committee.
At Fighting With Pride, Craig has continued his lifetimes work to enable LGBT+ inclusion in Armed Forces Communities and is leading cross-party discussion to enable reparations for LGBTQ+ veterans.
The interview
Join the Conversation
This article is part of our ongoing Pride in Leadership series, where we amplify the voices of LGBTQ+ leaders and allies across public life.
GatenbySanderson and the Armed Forces Covenant
GatenbySanderson is a proud signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. By signing, we are committed to upholding the Armed Forces Covenant and supporting the Armed Forces Community. We recognise the contribution that Service personnel, reservists, veterans, the cadet movement and military families make to our organisation, our community and to the country.
We seek to uphold the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant by:
- Promoting the Armed Forces: promoting the covenant and our supporting actions internally to our own staff and more widely across our public service leadership work, where we headhunt for senior leadership roles and develop leadership teams.
- Offering employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community: searching and building networks of veteran and assessing their unique skill set and qualifications to senior roles within the public and not for profit sectors, including executive and non-executive roles. Additionally, encouraging the support of veterans within our own business and their families through Forces Families Jobs, providing an agile and flexible working environment to manage a partner’s deployment.
- Skills Development and Transition: actively engaging with those looking for executive and non-executive roles and offering tailored workshops and advice to help prepare veterans for application and recruitment process. Helping veterans to effectively align their skills against required competencies and provide an overview of the recruitment market.
- Engagement with potential employers: to promote the skills and fit of veterans to our client base and the value of their lived experience to add value, richness and diversity to leadership teams.
- Participating in National Events: as part of our programme of thought leadership, profile raising and other national activities, support Remembrance Days, Poppy appeals and other relevant Armed Forces activity.
- Ensure that at least one armed forces charity is considered as one of our annual fundraising charities, (voted for by our staff).