Army to accept sex changes

London - Soldiers who undergo a sex change will be allowed to stay in the British army, the Defence Ministry said yesterday

London - Soldiers who undergo a sex change will be allowed to stay in the British army, the Defence Ministry said yesterday. The decision follows controversy over the case of Sergeant Major Joe Rushton, who is undergoing a sex change and now calls himself Joanne.

The decision sparked speculation that the army may now plan to lift its ban on practising homosexuals, serving in the armed forces. but officers insisted this was not so.