A blanket ban on homosexuals in the Armed Forces is to be challenged in the European Court of Justice. Mr Justice Lightman decided last week to refer the case of Terry Perkins, sacked from the Royal Navy despite an exemplary career, to the European Court. Perkins was represented by Stephen Grosz of Bindman & Partners. The ban will be challenged on the grounds that it breaches European laws on equal treatment. Last week's decision follows a recent European judgment which ruled that transsexuals had the right to the same protection as other men and women from discrimination and unfair treatment at work.