
Pride in Defence
The Australian Military and LGBTI Service Since 1945
Melbourne University Press
Published on 3. November 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
277 pages
978-0-522-87674-1 (ISBN)
Description
Since the Second World War the Australian military has undergone remarkable transformations in the way it has treated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex service members: it has shifted from persecuting, hunting and discharging LGBTI members to embracing them as valued members who enhance the Force's capabilities.
LGBTI people have served in the Australian military since its very beginnings, yet Australian Defence Force histories have been very slow to recognise this. Pride in Defence confronts that silence. It charts the changing policies and practices of the ADF, illuminating the experiences of LGBTI members in what was often a hostile institution.
Drawing on over 140 interviews and previously unexamined documents, Pride in Defence features accounts of secret romances, police surveillance and traumatic discharges. At its centre are the courageous LGBTI members who served their country in the face of systemic prejudice. In doing so, they showed the power of diversity and challenged the ADF to make it a far stronger institution.
LGBTI people have served in the Australian military since its very beginnings, yet Australian Defence Force histories have been very slow to recognise this. Pride in Defence confronts that silence. It charts the changing policies and practices of the ADF, illuminating the experiences of LGBTI members in what was often a hostile institution.
Drawing on over 140 interviews and previously unexamined documents, Pride in Defence features accounts of secret romances, police surveillance and traumatic discharges. At its centre are the courageous LGBTI members who served their country in the face of systemic prejudice. In doing so, they showed the power of diversity and challenged the ADF to make it a far stronger institution.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Carlton
Australia
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
362 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-522-87674-1 (9780522876741)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Noah Riseman | Shirleene Robinson
Pride in Defence
The Australian Military and LGBTI Service since 1945
E-Book
11/2020
Simon + Schuster LLC
€18.78
Available for download
Persons
Noah Riseman is Professor of History at Australian Catholic University, where he specialises in Australian histories of sexuality, gender and race. He is author or co-author of five other books, including: Defending Country: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Military Service since 1945 (2016); Serving in Silence? Australian LGBT Servicemen and Women (2018); and Indigenous Peoples and the Second World War: The Politics, Experiences and Legacies of War in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (2019).
Shirleene Robinson is Senior Curator of Oral History and Indigenous Programs at the National Library of Australia and Honorary Associate Professor of Modern History at Macquarie University. Her most recent authored or co-authored books include Gay and Lesbian, Then and Now: Australian Stories from a Social Revolution (2016); Yes Yes Yes: Australia's Journey to Marriage Equality (2018) and Serving in Silence? Australian LGBT Servicemen and Women (2018). Her current research interests include the history of sexuality, oral history and the HIV and AIDS epidemic.
Shirleene Robinson is Senior Curator of Oral History and Indigenous Programs at the National Library of Australia and Honorary Associate Professor of Modern History at Macquarie University. Her most recent authored or co-authored books include Gay and Lesbian, Then and Now: Australian Stories from a Social Revolution (2016); Yes Yes Yes: Australia's Journey to Marriage Equality (2018) and Serving in Silence? Australian LGBT Servicemen and Women (2018). Her current research interests include the history of sexuality, oral history and the HIV and AIDS epidemic.