OPENING ADRESS BY SQUADRON LEADER VINCE CHONG – PRESIDENT OF DEFGLIS TO THE MILITARY PRIDE BALL AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM SYDNEY ON 05 SEPTEMBER 2014
Acknowledgements:
- Major General Gus Gilmore, AO, DSC - Commander Forces Command
- Commodore Lee Goddard, CSC, RAN representing Chief of Navy
- Group Captain Michael Jansen representing Chief of Air Force.
- Mrs Nicki Curtin – Director of the Centre of Diversity Expertise
- NSW SES Commissioner Adam Dent
Tonight represents the largest gathering of LGBTI members of Defence, their families, and our allies since the ban on gay members was lifted in 1992 or the ban on transgender member was lifted in 2010.
The Defence organisation over the past 20 years has moved from conducting witch hunts to ferret out “the gays” to encouraging a culture of respect and inclusion.
DEFGLIS was created because to be gay in Defence meant combatting not just the enemy -- but harassment, ridicule, and isolation.
There was no means of support, information or communication for LGBTI people.
Mistreatment of personnel, poor handling of LGBTI matters, and on the spot policy invention and mythical regulations that only existed for LGBTI personnel.
Tonight is a celebration of where we are now, and how Defence is evolving. But we should remember why we are doing these things.
We undertook a history project, called Reflections.
Dr Noah Riseman and Dr Shirleen Robinson -- who are here tonight -- interviewed numerous current and former Defence members, and you’ll see some of those quotes throughout the evening.
Of course, many of us have been meeting up each year in March for Mardi Gras...
But a formed march down Oxford Street doesn’t give us an opportunity to let our hair down, enjoy each others company, network and be able to hear directly from the Strong Strategic Centre of Defence.
This military pride ball, brings together the Defence LGBTI community and inclusion advocates - in somewhat of a subversive way.
Subversive... only because our protocol and traditions really struggle with the idea of a black tie, mixed ranks event.
Sorry to all the soldiers who don’t have jackets to wear.
Captain Dominic Lopez set the cat amongst the pigeons with an article in Australian Army Journal about coming out in the modern Australian Army.
It highlights there is a tendency for people who have had a trouble-free run in Defence to not notice where problems can still occur...
And it’s really convenient to bench some of the more difficult aspects of coming to terms with your sexual orientation and gender identity when those things are well and truly behind you.
This is why it’s important that DEFGLIS continues to exist and enhances what it is we do.
When you volunteer, you should know that you are directly helping Defence to become more inclusive and to create a supportive culture where it is easier to be your genuine and authentic self.
Being visible and engaged is key to an inclusive culture -- if you’re hiding, nobody knows to include you.
That’s why I’m so thankful for the volunteers who organise and run our events. People like Brandon King for annual Ski Trip, Tom Mylne for Beach Trip, and also Rob Brown for the Hunter Valley Wine Trip.
You’ll notice that we have massively expanded the number and variety of events we hold, reflecting the different lifestyles of Defence members, families and their diverse interests.
- Some of us are more active, so we do sporting activities like beach and skiing.
- Some of us prefer the finer things like wine trips and pride balls.
- And others like the social aspects which come from our smaller local community events organised by local co-ordinators.
Much appreciated support and expertise also comes from outside Defence.
Pride in Diversity and Dawn Hough who we have had a long standing relationship ship with -- through Defence since its foundation -- also helps us to achieve this goal...
Helping connect our members with colleagues in the private sector and facilitating access to best practice for LGBTI inclusion.
For those of you who only attend our events, you may not realise that DEFGLIS has been a policy powerhouse in recent years...
Contributing to and pushing for development in a range of areas including research, policy development, education and supporting Defence as it seeks to evolve its culture to be more inclusive and more respectful.
Our board and specialists are engaged in a range of policy areas including:
- transgender personnel,
- health,
- family relationship recognition and
- culture change in Defence.
And of course we have been there hand in hand with the rest of Defence as we continue evolving Defence culture as part of the Pathway to Change Program.
Innovation and ideas have been key to the successes of our organisation.
- Beth Setter, came up with the idea to create a transgender network;
- Nathan Howarth, currently deployed, who put forward the idea to host a DEFGLIS ball;
- Stuart Martin, the commemoration of the contribution of LGBTI personnel on Anzac Day.
Please keep those ideas coming and keep volunteering so we achieve our objectives -- to support, strengthen and educate.
One of the biggest shifts for DEFGLIS is how we provide transgender support. Understand and evolving how we provide support.
The past five years has seen a significant increase in the visibility of transgender service personnel in all three services.
Three to five years ago there as an assumption was that transgender people should just stay go “stealth” and be invisible.
That is no longer the case but we still have work to do.
I’m not going to acknowledge any “firsts” here tonight because I think it is harmful because it diminishes the struggles and contributions of others.
There are a number of people of all ranks who are here tonight that have been working daily to improve the lives of all transgender people both in Service and in the wider community.
Thank you - and we need your continuing assistance as we work how best to meet the needs of the community.
I also know that many of you have really struggled to get your relationships recognised.
DEFGLIS and Defence Families of Australia are working to overcome the final hurdles in policy that stymie recognition of unmarried couples.
It’s been a case study in how a policy that appears fair and equal on paper, can have major blind spots when unconscious bias is present.
I’d like to thank DFA national convenor Robyn Richie who is also here tonight for her support.
Families are key part of our future work:
- Better support for same-sex partners and children, and
- Defence parents who have children with gender dysphoria, and
- Defence families with a member undergoing gender transition.
Expanding further into family support and encouraging member families to reach out to DCO to avail themselves of DCO services - which we know they are not. And to be connected through DFA - and look at what we can do to improve support in each local community.
We want to do better at bringing you interesting and vibrant Defence LGBTI News that highlights the achievements and contribution of LGBTI members - because visibility is what breaks down stereotypes.
ELLEN ZYLA – BOARD MEMBER
Since I was co-opted onto the DEFGLIS Board last year, we have been trying to find ways of engaging more with our members who identify as Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender women.
Tonight's ball has seemed to be the perfect event for this as it is the first event besides Mardi Gras, where we have a massive number of women in attendance.
To help us support you all and find out what we, as an organisation can do for our Lesbian and Bisexual women, we are tonight launching our Women's Network.
The network will be run as a closed Facebook group and you must already be a member of DEFGLIS to be added to the group. It will be a space to chat, support and throw ideas around about events that you would like to see us do and get involved in.
I urge all of you to get onboard and let's start talking about what is unique to us.