In defence of family
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been at the centre of some damaging allegations of homophobia lately, but a new book shares another side of the lives of gay military personnel.
In the book Voices: Stories of Defence Families, gay male Defence couple Petty Officer Chris Andrews and Paul White shared the story of their quest to have children.
The pair said they felt it was important to share their experiences so other gay couples thinking about having children were aware they have options.
“Don’t be afraid to challenge the norm to achieve your dreams,” Andrews said.
The book was published last year by the Defence Families of Australia (DFA) to celebrate the group’s silver jubilee, celebrating 25 years representing Defence families.
Defence LGBTI Information Service (DEFGLIS) chair Stuart O’Brien said the inclusion of a gay family was important recognition.
“The sacrifices made by the partners and families of Defence personnel are identical, regardless of the serving member’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” he said.
“We need to make sure they are supported and we’re working with DFA to achieve this outcome.”
INFO: www.dfa.org.au
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As personal friends of Chris and Paul I have a great respect for them and for defense.. I’m a 24yr old gay serving member and to see the support and equal opertuinaty defense gives us I a beacon of hope toward equality in the civilian world… We are in a new time for acceptance and the world needs to understand that we ( the GLBT community ) are here to stay and we will fight for what is right in this world…