When naval officer Oliver Brown found that an HIV diagnosis was a barrier to serving in the armed forces, he knew he had a battle on his hands…
Dressed from head to toe in his dark blue naval uniform, Lieutenant Commander Oliver Brown doesn’t look anything like an archetypal HIV activist. We’re meeting by the commander’s offices at HM Naval Base, Portsmouth. Late last year, Brown’s campaigning efforts led to the announcement of a major sea-change in British military policy. It’s thanks to him that outdated rules which see HIV+ people discriminated against within the military are imminently due to be scrapped.
With two vast aircraft carriers visible through a window, it feels a long way from the protests, direct actions and LGBTQ+ activism which have for a long time been the frontline of the fight to improve the lives of – and tackle stigma against – people living with the diagnosis. It’s not hard to imagine some of those campaigners being surprised to find a naval warfare officer among their ranks.
