Ministry of Defence has 93 diversity networks

The Ministry of Defence has established 93 different diversity networks for personnel to discuss race, gender and mental health.

Staff networks have been created for civil servants and those in the Armed Forces to discuss issues around diversity.

It includes seven networks for LGBT+ issues, 14 for race issues and 10 for gender issues.

The groups provide diversity guidance, display posters and celebrate diversity related events, The Daily Telegraph has revealed.

Posters included asking staff “are you an ally?” and defining the 51 “most commonly used” terms around LGBT issues, including “LGBPTTQQIIAA+”.

The Army LGBT+ Network “facilitated a gathering of members of the Army’s Trans Community” for Transgender Day of Visibility in March last year.

The post, written by the network, said: “The current toxic undertone in media, political & cultural discourse is affecting our people.

“Likewise there are still instances of active & passive Transphobia (& Homophobia) occurring within our Service.”

The post concluded: “As a final parting shot the Army Trans Day of Visibility will only remain necessary until the point that inclusive behaviours are instinctive within the Army’s muscle memory, its culture, and the minds of all of its people.”

The RAF’s Gender Network also wrote an MoD blog post celebrating International Pronouns Day in October 2023 entitled “What are Personal Pronouns and why do they matter?”

It said: “It can be offensive or harassing to guess at someone’s pronouns.”

The post also highlighted neopronouns, including “xe/xir/xirs, ze/zir/zirs and fae/faer/faers”.

It appears the MoD has far more networks than compared to the 19 established at the Home Office and 18 created in the Ministry of Justice.

The MoD has 20 networks established for disability issues, including the Defence Stammering Network and the Defence Epilepsy Network.

Research from the Taxpayers’ Alliance found that besides the MoD £309,090 was spent to support 187 staff networks across 12 departments between 2019 to 2022.