Officially, LGB people were banned from serving in the ADF until November 1992. The ban on transgender service lasted even longer, until September 2010. Intersex people have had to fight for visibility, with the silence surrounding their service only now being broken. Yet, while the ADF might have tried to keep LGBTI people out of the military, they have always been there. For most of Australia’s military history, they were forced to hide who they were, facing discharge if their sexuality or gender identity was exposed. The ADF leadership knows this and has probably always known it. The former Chief of Army, Lieutenant General David Morrison, acknowledges:
There have been at least thousands of gay and lesbian men and women who have served in our Army since its inception the 1st of March 1901. It’s just that their service has been constrained by the way they were able to live their lives, and to have that removed as a burden from our contemporary servicemen and women is a terrific thing. It makes us a better Army, Navy and Air Force. It makes us a better Defence Force; it makes us a better nation as a whole.1
Pride in Defence has traced the evolution of LGBTI service in Australia’s military throughout the latter half of the twentieth century to the twenty-first century. From the introduction of the first explicit policy on homosexual military service during World War II, witch-hunts and persecution, through to the ADF’s contemporary recognition that sexual and gender diversity makes for a stronger military, the trajectory has been remarkable. It might be unfinished, but the progress is still extraordinary.
The history of LGBTI service is one of determined courage and selflessness. Those who enlisted before they were legally permitted to do so performed their duty as required, making the many sacrifices that are necessary for life in the military—spending time away from friends and families, and forsaking the comforts taken for granted by most civilians. Most importantly, all made the sacred and firm commitment to defend Australia with their lives. Despite all of this, for most of the period covered in this book, simply being who they were was enough to see them discharged from the ADF. The legacy of being forced out of the military remains with many LGBTI veterans today.
LGBTI Defence members have had to contend with deeply ingrained institutionalised and embedded discrimination. Policies specifically targeting male homosexuality in the military emerged during World War II. Anxieties about women’s sexuality in the post-war period saw officials in the WRANS, WRAAC and WRAAF embark on witch-hunts to investigate and expel women who were suspected of same-sex activity. By 1974, what had previously been an unwritten policy of persecution was formalised and entrenched in the ADF. Until the 1990s there was little official mention of transgender or intersex service, but oral histories reveal a long, silent history of transgender and intersex people serving in the ADF.
Despite obstacles, silences and persecution, LGB men and women in the services found each other. Indeed, a vibrant lesbian subculture thrived in the post-war women’s services. The broader sweeping social change that took place in the 1970s also affected LGB people in the military. In the 1970s, gay and lesbian activists sporadically challenged the ban on LGB service. By the 1980s, LGB service members were daring to challenge the status quo. In 1992 politicians finally saw the merits of change and removed the LGB ban. In the aftermath of the ban being lifted, many LGB personnel remained closeted for fear of persecution. Others came out to varying responses and challenged the discriminatory policies that still existed. Real reform was achieved in December 2005 with the recognition of same-sex couples.
Just as there is a long and important history of LGB service, there is also a substantial history of transgender service—both before and after the removal of the transgender ban in September 2010. Intersex members have also made substantial contributions to the ADF, although the treatment of intersex personnel has differed in significant ways.
The contemporary ADF is making visible strides towards equality and inclusivity for LGBTI personnel. ADF members symbolically march in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in uniform. There is continuing work to be done, however, particularly to support transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse members.
The history of LGBTI service in the ADF shows the evolution of an institution regarded as one of Australia’s most conservative. Unofficially, the ADF’s progression has depended on the people who have served—and continue to serve—in the organisation. By contributing, speaking out and being true to themselves, they have shown the deep significance of LGBTI service. The ADF’s evolution has also been assisted by strong leadership who understand the value of diversity and inclusion.
The ADF’s current approach towards diversity and inclusion is in line with policies adopted by culturally comparable armed forces. Karen D. Davis, who has explored the position of women in the contemporary Canadian military, states that the complexity of challenges that confront the modern military require ‘increasing awareness of the importance of leveraging the maximum potential of all members, in particular those who contribute diversity to the overall capacity of the military’.2 Similarly, David Rohall, Morten Ender and Michael Matthews argue that involving a wider group of American citizens in the armed forces and increasing social representation brings multiple perspectives and a larger array of skills and competencies to guide policies and strategic decisions.3 The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom has also taken active steps to promote the benefits of diversity and inclusion in the armed forces. In 2007, for example, two publications were ‘About defence: Defence and equality in the Armed Forces’ and ‘About defence: Homosexuality and the Armed Forces’.4 Members of the British Armed Forces have been marching in London Pride in Uniform since 2008, and the Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2018–2030 includes recruiting more LGB people within its goals (although it is mostly silent about transgender people).5 The inclusion of LGBTI personnel in international forces and the ADF not only enhances operational capability; it is also a reflection of broader shifts in civilian society towards the recognition of LGBTI rights, particularly those that have occurred in the new millennium.6
Governments in Canada and the United Kingdom have also acknowledged and apologised for repressive policies of the past that banned LGBTI people from serving. On 28 November 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered an emotional apology to all LGBTQ2 public servants and members of the military who were persecuted because of their sexuality or gender identity. He remarked:
To those who were fired, to those who resigned, and to those who stayed at a great personal and professional cost; to those who wanted to serve, but never got the chance to because of who you are—you should have been permitted to serve your country, and you were stripped of that option. We are sorry. We were wrong. Indeed, all Canadians missed out on the important contributions you could have made to our society.
You were not bad soldiers, sailors, airmen and women. You were not predators. And you were not criminals. You served your country with integrity, and veterans you are.
You are professionals. You are patriots. And above all, you are innocent. And for all your suffering, you deserve justice, and you deserve peace. It is our collective shame that you were so mistreated. And it is our collective shame that this apology took so long—many who suffered are no longer alive to hear these words. And for that, we are truly sorry.7
The Canadian Government also awarded $110 million in compensation and personal letters of apology to more than 400 LGBTQ2 people persecuted under the so-called Gay Purge after a class action lawsuit.8 Part of the settlement is also funding the construction of a monument in Ottawa to honour LGBTQ2 victims of the Gay Purge.9
In Britain, Defence Minister Johnny Mercer marked the twentieth anniversary of the United Kingdom lifting its ban on LGBT service by apologising to a group of LGBT veterans at a parliamentary reception in January 2020. He said, ‘As the Minister for Defence, people and veterans, I wanted to personally apologise to you today for those experiences. Volunteering to serve is an act of bravery in itself; to volunteer for the chaotic, challenging nature of service life and yet within that community, which so many of us are proud of, experience discrimination of this sort is unacceptable.’ Defence buildings across the United Kingdom were also lit up in rainbow colours to commemorate twenty years since the lifting of the ban.10 To date, the Australian Government has refused calls for an apology to its own LGBTI ex-service members,11 but the overseas precedents mean the push will only grow stronger.
Out of all the injustices LGBTI service personnel have faced, perhaps being written out of Australia’s military history has been the most egregious. We hope this book, with a range of other emerging scholarship, will act as a corrective to this injustice and show just how important and extensive the LGBTI contributions have been to the ADF. In 2017, VCDF Ray Griggs provided a powerful Order of Australia ADF Oration. He asserted:
I grew up, along with many of you tonight, in an ADF where it was illegal to be gay, where people were investigated, charged and dismissed from the Services (albeit that seemed to be arbitrary at times). I grew up in an ADF where a colleague committed suicide because he feared being ‘outed’. It was a very different ADF to the one I see today, and frankly I know which ADF I want to be a part of—it’s one where the focus is on what you bring to the fight, one that values the unique contribution you make, and one that does not exclude an individual because of their gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Some observers of the ADF look at the aggregation of the social and cultural change and believe that we are lost in some sort of politically correct swamp, ‘pandering to the progressives’. But the context here is not just about change in the ADF but the broader change in the society that we are for and of. Society continually changes and so must the ADF.12
In 2015 Squadron Leader Catherine Humphries of the RAAF also reflected on the ADF’s journey:
Over my eighteen years I’ve seen the military change a lot. I’ve seen things that are fundamental to the military still exist. So accepting and being more accepting of LGB hasn’t stopped us being an effective force, hasn’t caused issues on the front line. Now accepting transgender [people] hasn’t caused any issues. It’s not something that should be an issue. Hopefully.13
This book has shared the stories of individuals who were deeply courageous, not just because of their military service but also because they served, knowing that they were still not considered equal. Victimisation and prejudice have marred the experience of the ADF for far too many LGBTI people. However, the history of the ADF is one that also inspires hope. Today, LGBTI personnel can march proudly in uniform at Mardi Gras, the largest LGBTI event in Australia. This transformation must appear almost unimaginable to past generations of LGBTI service personnel. Yet it has shown that real change is possible and that when difference is accepted, institutions—and societies—thrive. LGBTI Defence members have always served. Now they can serve openly, with pride in who they are, knowing that they are part of many generations of LGBTI service personnel who have strengthened the ADF.
Notes
1 David Morrison, interview, 19 June 2017.
2 Karen D. Davis, ‘Sex, gender and cultural intelligence in the Canadian Forces’, Commonwealth and Comparative Politics 47, no. 4 (2009): 431.
3 David Rohall, Morten Ender and Michael Matthews, Inclusion in the American Military: A Force for Diversity (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2017).
4 Ministry of Defence, ‘About Defence: Diversity and equality in the armed forces’, 2007; Ministry of Defence, ‘About Defence: Homosexuality and the armed forces’, 2007.
5 Ministry of Defence, ‘A Force for Inclusion: Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2018–2030’, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/746911/20180806-MOD_DI_Plan_A4_v14_Final-U.pdf, retrieved 10 June 2020; Tony Grew, ‘Pride London’s delight at men in uniform’, PinkNews, 26 June 2008, https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2008/06/26/pride-londons-delight-at-men-in-uniform/, retrieved 10 June 2020.
6 See for example Reynolds and Robinson, Gay and Lesbian, Then and Now.
7 Justin Trudeau, ‘Remarks by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to apologize to LGBTQ2 Canadians’, 28 November 2017, https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2017/11/28/remarks-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-apologize-lgbtq2-canadians, retrieved 15 January 2020.
8 Olivia Chandler, ‘“A battle that we’ve won”: LGBTQ military members get personal apologies’, CBC, 25 November 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/lgbtq-military-canada-history-trudeau-apology-letter-1.5371444, retrieved 15 January 2020.
9 ‘Ottawa’s newest national monument will honour LGBT Canadians and remember the “purge”’, CBC, 25 January 2020, https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/u-k-s-proposal-to-limit-huawei-s-role-in-5g-networks-most-pragmatic-path-expert-says-1.5437387/ottawa-s-newest-national-monument-will-honour-lgbt-canadians-and-remember-the-purge-1.5437395, retrieved 10 June 2020; Amanda Coletta, ‘Canada to memorialize LGBT victims of Cold War-era “gay purge”’, Washington Post, 3 May 2020, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/canada-trudeau-lgbt-gay-purge-memorial/2020/05/01/1223e302-888e-11ea-80df-d24b35a568ae_story.html, retrieved 10 June 2020.
10 Patrick Kelleher, ‘British government finally apologises for banning gay people from armed forces, 20 years since ban was lifted’, PinkNews, 10 January 2020, https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2020/01/10/gay-military-ban-armed-forces-apology-20-years-johnny-mercer-ministry-defence/, retrieved 15 January 2020; ‘Ministry of Defence lit in rainbow colours to celebrate LGB personnel’, 10 January 2020, https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mod-lit-in-rainbow-colours-to-celebrate-lgb-personnel--2, retrieved 15 January 2020.
11 Davey, ‘“I was absolutely shattered”’; Riseman, ‘Why a national apology and redress for discharged LGBT service members matters’.
12 Ray Griggs, ‘Order of Australia ADF Oration’.
13 Catherine Humphries, interview.