UK’s MI6 apologises for past treatment of LGBT spies based on ‘misguided’ views

The head of Britain’s MI6 intelligence service apologized Friday to gay spies and aspiring agents who were fired or denied jobs because of their sexuality. Richard Moore said in a video statement on Twitter that a ban on LGBT spies that lasted until 1991 was “wrong, unjust and discriminatory.” Moore was appointed last year as C, the code name given to the director of Britain’s overseas intelligence agency — the real-life equivalent of James Bond’s boss, M. Gay people were barred from working in Britain’s intelligence services on security grounds, because of the view that they were more susceptible to blackmail than straight people. Moore said that because of that “misguided” view, “loyal and patriotic people had their dreams of serving their country in MI6 shattered.”