Re: Better solution
UK armed forces went straight from dishonourable discharge, loss of medals, rank & pension elements for anyone held by a Court Martial to be wearing rainbow laces, to full on "Come on in the water's lovely" - Don't Ask Don't Tell was never a thing here, only in the US.
Happily, last month's court ruling goes some way to redressing the consequences of the former stance, but won't make up for the damgee of the intervening years: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/16/british-soldiers-sacked-for-being-gay-can-get-their-medals-back