Australian Army Journal

OPINION
Brothers and Sisters in Arms:
Experiences of Gay Soldiers in the
Australian Army
what they set out to achieve; they feel they are valued and accepted for the
contribution they make. For others, their resentment towards the Army and some
of the people in it runs deep. These people have been prevented from meeting
their full potential, and the Army is certainly poorer for this.
Writing this article has forced me to think about what life is like for other people.
Service life is fine for me, and for many others, but this is not the case for everyone.
Striking a balance between maintaining institutional values while valuing and
protecting the individuals within that institution has created winners and losers.
Is it acceptable that some soldiers cannot go to work and be themselves? Is it
acceptable that some soldiers are subjected to bullying and harassment in the
workplace? The answer to these last two questions is ‘no’. It is not acceptable
nor is it good for the Army to have people burdened by the constant threat of
being ‘outed’ at work. Equally, it is not acceptable or productive when soldiers are
bullied, harassed and feel incapable of doing their job.
The Chief of Army spoke recently about treating our colleagues with respect
and decency as a precondition of our employment. This seems straightforward.
And it is. However, cultural change will only occur through training and leadership.
Pathways to Change: Evolving Defence Culture seeks to shape our culture into the
future. I had not read it and only did so because I was asked to write this article.
It would seem that none of my peers has read it either. If few of us are engaged
and committed to cultural change, will anything change? Will gay soldiers in 20
years’ time still be too afraid to tell their boss that they are gay because they feel
they will miss out on a deployment? Given the persistence of these attitudes it
seems highly likely. If we sit back and do nothing, nothing will change.
It would be facile if the sum of this article is simply ‘say no to bullying’. Soldiers will
continue to bully one another and we must learn to deal with it; Army culture must
evolve to deal with it. An organisation that upholds the value of diversity and prides
itself on the fact that it is fully inclusive and professional in all respects is a good
start. Equally important is an understanding of what reduces our capability —
that discrimination, harassment and abuse of just one of us diminishes our
collective capability. We must maintain the belief that we are only as good as the
soldier who stands beside us — that we are all brothers and sisters in arms.
Australian Army Journal
Culture edition 2013, Volume X, Number 3 Page 224