A history of LGBTIQ+ service in the Australian Defence Force

The Australian armed forces have gone on a long journey in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) service, alternating between rejection, persecution, tolerance and acceptance. Yet, these approaches have never been uniform, chronological or necessarily consistent across services, ranks and genders. Drawing on a mix of oral history interviews, archival records, media reports and personal archives, this presentation will provide a historical overview of the changing policies, practices and lived experiences of LGBTIQ+ service members in the ADF, especially from the end of the Second World War to the present.

Speaker

Noah Riseman is a Professor of History at Australian Catholic University, where he researches histories of race, gender and sexuality. He is the co-author of Pride in Defence: The Australian Military and LGBTI Service since 1945; Indigenous Peoples and the Second World War: The Politics, Experiences and Legacies of War in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; and Serving in Silence? Australian LGBT Servicemen and Women.