- Rainbow flags will be used in official documents to help support LGBTI staff
- Acting as a support network, the ‘allies’ will be there to help LGBTI community
- Some people fear it could backfire and exclude people or badly affect careers
The Australian Defence Force plans to get ‘allies’ of gay and lesbian soldiers to identify themselves in official documents.
Through using a rainbow flag to signal who is in alliance with members of the LGBTI community, the military plans to include the signals in staff directories, according to The Daily Telegraph.
The new plan is being used as a way to include all Defence Force staff members so those who identify as LGBTI know they can turn to for support if issues arise.
The Australian Defence Force plans to get ‘allies’ of gay and lesbian soldiers to identify themselves in official documents (stock image)
The new plan is being used as a way to include all Defence Force staff members so those who identify as LGBTI know they can turn to for support if issues arise (stock image)
‘We are not putting strict rules in place on who is or isn’t an ally because we don’t want to stifle the fantastic, positive and uplifting conversation you know you’ll be having amongst colleagues and peers,’ ADF Diversity and Inclusion Adviser Thomas Hoffman said.
While the plan is positive in theory, many people fear it could backfire and exclude those who do not want to identify as ‘allies’ of the LGBTI community.
Australian Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Veterans Association NSW President Bruce Relph told the publication the idea was crazy because sexuality did not belong in the military.
‘This is nuts,’ he said.
‘I respect people in the military because they are good soldiers not because they have a rainbow next to their name.’
Despite the new plan aiming to build a support network for the LGBTI community, former Army officer and Australian Conservatives member Bernie Gaynor said the military was facing a ‘rainbow jihad’ which would affect careers.
While the plan is positive in theory, many people fear it could backfire and exclude those who do not want to identify as ‘allies’ of the LGBTI community (stock image)
The plan comes 25 years after the Defence Force first lifted their ban on including lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers in the Australian military.
Those who identify as LGBTI weren’t allowed to march in ADF uniform at the Sydney Mardi Gras until 2013.
While the Australian military did not lift bans or start including lesbians, gays and bisexuals until 1992, they paved the way for New Zealand, the UK and America to follow suit.