On this day back in 1992 the Keating government decreed that gay, lesbian and bisexual people could openly serve in the military. Prior to this personnel who were discovered to be same sex attracted were dismissed from their roles.

The decision followed a complaint to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission from a female reservist who claimed the ban was discriminatory. The commission called for a review of the longstanding ban leading to debate amongst politicians.

On November 23rd 1992 Prime Minister Paul Keating announced the decision to remove the ban, despite Defence Minister Robert Ray having stated in support for the current rules.

At the time Keating said the decision to lift the ban “reflected community support for the removal of employment discrimination and brings the ADF into line with tolerant attitudes of Australians generally… The ADF acknowledges there are male and female homosexuals among its members and has advised the Government that these members are no longer actively sought out or disciplined because of their sexual orientation.”

Alexander Downer, who was the Opposition spokesperson for defence, said if his Liberal party was elected the ban would be reinstated if the chiefs of the defence forces asked for it. However when the Howard government came to power they did not follow through with the promise.

When the cabinet documents of the period were released decades later it was revealed that Defence Minister Robert Ray and military leaders were firmly against the move to allow gays and lesbians into the services.

The wide range of opinions with the cabinet on the issue had already been shared by politician Neal Blewett in his 1999 memoir A Cabinet Diary. At the time Blewett was the Minister for Social Security.

It would be 2010 before transgender people were allowed to serve in the military. In 2002 the Defence Force Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Intersex Information Service (DEFGLIS) was founded providing support for LGBTIQ+ service personnel and their families.

In 2021 Defence Minister Peter Dutton ordered that IDABOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia), could no longer be marked by defence force personnel. The ban was overturned when the Albanese government was elected.

In 2021 a Royal Commision into veteran suicides commented. Among those giving testimony at the inquiry were many LGBT personnel who had been discharged from the armed forces over their sexuality.

OIP Staff, This post was first published in 2021 and has subsequently been updated. 

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Under DADT, the US military fired an estimated 14,000 defence personnel between 1993 and 2011. US President Bill Clinton introduced the policy as a compromise to allow homosexual servicemen and women serve in the military, it limited the military’s ability to ask members about their sexuality (don’t ask) as long as homosexual members didn’t reveal it (don’t tell).

On September 20, 2011 the US Congress removed the controversial legislation, finally allowing openly gay US defence personnel to come out and not be fired.

President Barrack Obama signed the declaration ending the policy the previous December, but it did not come into effect until 20th September 2011.

In OUTinPerth’s September 2011 edition Benn Dorrington spoke to Dan Choi, one of the prominent campaigners behind the legislative change.

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The groundbreaking issue of TIME magazine revealed Matlovich as a serving member of the US forces who was declaring that he was gay. It made the serviceman one of the most well know gay people in America, next to politician Harvey Milk.

Matlovich worked in the Airforce teaching incoming servicemen that racism was not acceptable within the forces, and he saw a lot of parallels between racism and the discrimination of gay people.

Matlovich officially informed his superiors of his sexuality to create a test case about discrimination within the military. Matlovich was honourably discharged from the service.

Commenting on his discharge Matlovich said,”Maybe not in my lifetime, but we are going to win in the end.”

It would be another 36 years before the USA military removed all forms of discrimination from their rule book.

He went on to volunteer on many gay rights campaigns and following his diagnosis of contracting HIV, he became a vocal campaigner for the rights of positive people.

He passed away, aged just 45, in March 1988. He was buried at the Congressional Cemetery and his tombstone states the famous quote;

“When I was in the military, they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

It’s not surprising that Leonard Matlovich chose a career in the armed forces, he grew up on US miilitary bases around the globe including spending time in Georgia, Texas, Guam, Pennsylvania, Alaska, South Carolina and a stint in the United Kingdom.

He joined the air force in 1963 eager to serve in Vietnam, but he was not deployed to the conflict until 1965. His first tour of duty saw him spent time working as a radar builder on in Vietnam, and he also spent time based in Thailand and The Philippines.

After briefly leaving the military he re-enlisted and returned for a second stint in Vietnam where he was based in Da Nang.

During this time he abandoned his Catholic faith and converted to Mormonism. Two weeks before he was due to return to the USA he was struck by a landmine and then spent months in hospital recovering from his injuries.

After a long recovery in 1970 he transferred to the air force’s cartography unit. He later returned for a third tour of duty in Vietnam but this time away from the front lines. He was also awarded the Purple Heart for the injuries he’d sustained the previous year.

Upon returning the USA he trained to be a counsellor in the military, tasked with improving race relations. Matlovich developed a bold program to tackle racism, inspired by the work of diversity educator Jane Elliot.

The process made Matlovich think about his own attitudes towards race, and also his feelings about his repressed homosexuality. Slowly he began to venture out to gay bars and meet other gay and lesbian people. He also got in touch with activist Frank Kameny, who had founded the Washington branch of the national gay rights organisation Mattachine Society.

Kameny and his organisation were searching for the perfect case to test the government’s ban on homosexual people serving in the military. They were searching for a serviceman with an impeccable record who could declare that their sexuality did not affect their ability to undertake their role.

On March 6th 1975, Matlovich nervously delivered a letter to his immediate superior declaring he was homosexual.

The air force’s response was to immediately put him in charge of a barracks full of young men. Matlovich immediately suspected he was being set up. His suspicions were confirmed when he was requested to accompany the First Seargent on an inspection that was carried out when the men were off duty. Awoken from their sleep the men were in their underwear or naked, and Matlovich suspected he was being tested to see if he looked at the men, creating evidence for a trial against him.

Matlovich and his activist friends had hoped the military make use of a clause in the military rule book that would have allowed him to continue serving, and that they would then use it as a test case to advocate for other gay personnel. The air force took a different approach – they told him he was going to be discharged.

Changing tack, Matlovich agreed to an interview with the New York Times, anticipating it would be a small article and of little interest. When it was published on 26th May, it was a front-page story. Suddenly every newspaper in America wanted to talk to him.

Find out more about Leonard Matlovich at his official website and track down a copy of Mike Hippler’s 1989 book Matlovich: The Good Soldier.

OIP Staff

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He introduced a similar order during his first presidency, the rule was then revoked by Joe Biden during his term in office.

The new order will potentially force all current personnel who are transgender to be removed from their employment. While he’s also ordered that the military’s diversity, inclusion and equity programs be gutted.

Prior to Trump’s first presidency it was estimated that there were 14,000 transgender personnel in the US armed forces.

Alongside the orders relating to transgender staff, the President also ordered that all military personnel who had been dismissed for failing to take COVID vaccinations be reinstated with back pay.

The President also ordered the development of an ‘iron dome’ missile protection system in the USA. The Executive Order directs implementation of a next generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next generation aerial attacks, according to paperwork cited by CNN.

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Germany has formally apologised for decades of discrimination against gay people in their armed forces. The country changed its policy against gay people serving in 2000.

A study commissioned the defence ministry found that there was systematic discrimination in the Bundeswehr – the military of West Germany and since 1990 of reunited Germany from 1955 through to the change of policy in 2000. Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer offered an apology.

“I very much regret the practice of discrimination against homosexuals in the Bundeswehr, which stood for the policy of that time,” Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said in a statement. “I apologize to those who suffered because of it.”

The Minister is no eager to advance legislation that allow people affected by the ban against LGBT people to be rehabilitated with the help of the government.

The study showed that even when it was no longer a dismissible offence, there were still directions that gay officers were not to be trusted in leadership roles that involved younger men.

OIP Staff

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Twenty years after it lifted its policy banning gays from the military the British government has apologised for the policy and the service personnel who were discharged.

Addressing a group of veterans at a function at Westminster the UK’s Minister for Defence, Johnny Mercer, said the ban was wrong.

“It was unacceptable then and it is unacceptable now, and as the Minister for Defence, people and veterans, I wanted to personally apologise to you today for those experiences.” Mercer said.

Mercer, who was in the army and did three tours of Afghanistan said the discrimination LGBTI service people experienced was unacceptable.

“If I am honest, it is hard to conceive – as a more contemporary veteran of our armed forces, the environment too many of you experienced when you were serving,” he said.

“Where being a member of the LGBT+ community would have got you detained, followed by a dishonourable discharge from the military.

“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 so proud of, experience discrimination of this sort is unacceptable.”

Prior to 2000 if a person was found to be gay, lesbian or bisexual there were discharged from armed service, and any medals they had been awarded for bravery were stipped from them.

Last month a landmark High Court case in Britain saw a veteran from The Falklands War have his medals returned after the court ruled he had been discriminated against.

Joe Ousalice, now 68, was dismissed from the navy in 1993 after 18 years service. The former radio operator had served in The Falklands, Northern Ireland and undertaken missions in the Middle East.

More court cases are expected in the future as more people demand their awards for service and bravery are reinstated.

OIP Staff

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The White House has announced that it will be pushing forward with it’s plans to ban transgender people from serving in the US military and Coast Guard.

President Trump announced his ban on transgender people serving in the military last year but faced opposition from military chiefs, but despite previous court rulings, and challenges from LGBTI rights groups the White House says the ban will proceed.

A memo from White House Press Secretary directed to the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, was released late on Friday night.  The memo ordered that transgender people would be “disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances.”

The timing of the release has been described as a “late night document dump” and “classic taking out the trash” move, where information is released at a time when the media will be limited in it’s capacity to report on the news.

No explanation was given to define what exceptional circumstances would allow transgender service personnel to retain their positions  but the memo did state that the Defense and Homeland Secretaries “may exercise their authority to implement any appropriate policies concerning military service by transgender individuals”.

The White House said after exploring the issue with experts it had determined that the “accession or retention” of trans people “presents considerable risk to military effectiveness and lethality”.

When President first announced his ban via Twitter last June he claimed that the medical costs of transgender people in the military were “tremendous” but this was later shown to not be true.

Critics of the ban have highlighted that the ban will force transgender people to hide their identity while potentially robbing the military of thousands of qualified and able personnel.

Joshua Block, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union’s LGBT and HIV Project said the ban was unconstitutional and reckless.

“What the White House has released tonight is transphobia masquerading as policy. This policy is not based on an evaluation of new evidence,” Block said on Friday evening. “It is reverse-engineered for the sole purpose of carrying out President Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional ban, undermining the ability of transgender service members to serve openly and military readiness as a whole.”

Sarah McBride, the national press secretary with the Human Rights Campaign condemned the policy describing it as cowardly.

“Releasing this news under cover of darkness late on a Friday night means thousands of transgender troops will wake up tomorrow with their lives turned upside down. This couldn’t be more cowardly or wrong.” McBride said.

Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic Leader, said the US military should not be turning away people who want to serve their country.

“This latest memorandum is the same cowardly, disgusting ban the president announced last summer. No one with the strength and bravery to serve in the US military should be turned away because of who they are.”

Criticism of the new policy has been widespread, Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of the American Military Partner Association said President Trump was wrecking havoc with people’s lives.

“Donald Trump and Mike Pence are literally wreaking havoc on the lives of our military families,” Broadway-Mack said, “This unconscionable attack on our military families cannot stand — we refuse to allow it.”

How many personnel will be affected by the new ban is unclear. A 2016 study conducted for the Pentagon estimated that nearly 4,000 transgender troops were serving on active duty and in the reserves. Military LGBT advocacy groups put the estimate much higher, at around 15,000 people.

OIP Staff

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Cabinet documents from twenty five years ago have revealed the Keating government’s concerns about allowing gay people to serve in the military.

The cabinet papers from 1992 and 1993 have been made public today and given Australians an insight into the concerns of the government. One issue that the cabinet debated was allowing gay people to be open about their sexuality in the armed forces.

The document’s reveal that then attorney-general Michael Duffy argued in favour of dropping the ban, while Defence Minister Robert Ray put forward the view that a ban on gay personnel should remain. Ray was putting forward the view supported by the Defence Forces’ leaders.

At the time the defence forces had two contradicting policies. A 1986 directive that banned homosexual activity stating that it was; “prejudicial to effective command relationships and to the maintenance of the high levels of morale and discipline necessary for the efficient functioning of the ADF”.

However in 1992 the defence forces had also adopted a policy stating that it had no concerns about the sexual activity of personnel as long as it did not effect operations.

Duffy argued that the two policies were inconsistent, while Ray put forward defence’s position that the band should remain.

“Homosexual behaviour or tendencies destroy the intimate bonding of the group because of the fear that the physical and psychological elements of military cohesion may be misrepresented and mistrusted as sexual in nature and, therefore, intrusive and threatening,” Ray argued in a Cabinet submission.

There was also concern that people wouldn’t want to sign up to serve in the defence forces if they knew gay people would be among the ranks.

“It is likely that a change in homosexual policy would influence the readiness of parents to permit their children to join the ADF and adversely affect its ability to recruit from the very important under-18 age bracket,” Ray argued in his submission.

The submission argued that while there were international human rights obligations in regards to not discriminating against homosexual people, a ban from the military could be justified because of the “inherent requirements of the job”.

The majority of the cabinet disagreed with the concerns and the ban was lifted in 1992.

Since 2009 same-sex domestic partners have had the same access military pensions and superannuation as mixed sex couples, and in 2010 the ban on transgender people serving was lifted.

OIP Staff

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The Minister for Defence Personnel, Dan Tehan, says he has reassured Western Australian politician Andrew Hastie that Australia’s military is focused on the defence of the nation, and allowing transgender personnel to undertake gender reassignment surgery is not reducing their effectiveness.

Hastie has spoken out about the defence force’s policy over the last week, arguing that the government should be changing the policy and not funding health care for transgender military personnel.

Military personnel are not issued a Medicare card, with all their health needs covered in the military’s own health budget. Gender reassignment surgery however is not completely available to the general population via Medicare, with only rebate available to cover some costs.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Marise Payne defended the expenditure in parliament, after concern was raised by One Nation senator Pauline Hanson.

Appearing on Sky News, Tehan said he’d had a “good chat” with his colleague and listened to his concerns but also reassured him that the military was focused on defence. Tehan downplayed the suggested that there was a distinct difference of opinion between the government members.

“He [Hastie] want to make sure that the military, that our ADF, is focused on defending our nation, and that our men and women are focused on defending our nation, and what I was able to assure him is that is absolutely still the number of focus and commitment of the ADF,” Tehan said.

Asked if he would rule out there being a change in policy, Tehan said while there contrasting views within the government but the issue was not as simple as a black and white difference of opinions.

Tehnan said the number of people with gender dysphoria in the military was less than in the general population, and the amount of money spent on treating people with gender dysphoria was a minuscule part of the defence force’s health budget.

Former military officer Bridget Clinch wrote in The Guardian that it makes sense for the military to support personnel who want to transition. Clinch argues that the military having invested significant costs in training personnel is acting in its best interests by making sure they retain those people and their skills.

OIP Staff

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Defence Minister Marise Payne has rejected calls to scrap health care in the armed forces for personnel who have gender disphoria.

Answering a question in parliament from One Nation’s Senator Pauline Hanson, the Defence Minister said it would be invidious to discriminate between health conditions affecting personnel.

Over the weekend it was reported that over the last five years 27 defence force staff have been treated for gender dysphoria at a cost of slightly over 1 million dollars.

Leading the calls for the funding to be cut is Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie, who has revealed he quit his career as an SAS officer because of “social engineering” in the army.

Fellow backbencher Craig Kelly has said he accepts staff may need counselling for gender dysphoria but disapproves of the gender reassignment surgery being made available. South Australian senator Cory Bernadi, leader of the Australian Conservatives, has also joined the chorus of criticism.

Senator Payne said the government had a responsibility to provide comprehensive health care to service personnel.

“Gender dysphoria is managed in accordance with best practice clinical guidelines, under the same principles as any other health condition,” Senator Payne said.

“So if a member of the ADF is diagnosed or treated for gender dysphoria, defence will fund the medical procedures or support as prescribed by the treating doctor.”

Senator Hanson asked Senator Payne if she thought the money spent on assisting personnel would be better if it was allocated instead to servicemen and women who experienced post traumatic stress disorder.

Senator Payne said it would invidious to choose between conditions, saying the government had a responsibility to meet the health needs of all staff.

“I think it’s invidious to try and distinguish between one health condition and one personal health circumstance
over another.

“In no way does Defence’s engagement in relation to gender dysphoria diminish or lessen Defence’s
commitment—and, for that matter, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ commitment—to the strongest possible
support for returned servicemen and servicewomen and those who continue to serve those who are veterans”

Senator Payne highlighted that the total cost of treating personnel with gender dysphoria was a tiny percentage of the armed forces overall health budget.

Senator Hanson asked a follow up question, inquiring if the government thought it was necessary to pay for a treatment which she described as a “personal choice”. Senator Payne said it was a condition that deserved to be treated seriously.

The Greens spokesperson on sexuality and gender, Senator Janet Rice, said the army should include treatment for gender dysphoria because it is a recognised medical condition.

“It’s that simple. This isn’t new or controversial,” she said. “ADF personnel put their bodies on the line, they are entitled to medical care, regardless of what that care is.” Senator Rice told The Guardian Australia.

“Defence personnel are required to be in good mental and physical health. How does Senator Hanson expect someone who isn’t provided the medical care they need to carry out their duties effectively?”

OIP Staff

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