Its been a fairly busy past few month for us all and unfortunately we haven't been able to bring you the news in the usual fashion. The major highlights include a community event with Brisbane's Gay and Lesbian Business Network, the our first participation at Western Australia Pride and our members participating in the New Zealand Pride in Defence conference.
In October, DEFGLIS Members Karl Metzger and Ben Bjarensen (QLD Police) kicked off the start of a community partnership with Brisbane's Gay and Lesbian Business Network - Fruits with a Twist. With a great opportunity to expand our network and relationship with the community, we hope more members will come to Fruits with a Twist, which is held every month.
In November, Andy Stuht and Paul White co-ordinated the first participation of DEFGLIS in the WA Pride Parade. The participation drew the attention of local media, which DEFGLIS proudly supported.
A DEFGLIS delegation also recently attended the New Zealand Pride in Defence Conference, hosted by our sister organisation Overwatch to discuss LGBTI inclusion in the armed forces. James Bonello won the posted award at the conference for his piece "Prejudice is Optional." Vince Chong and Christopher Snape provided an Australian perspective during panels to discuss challenges and solutions to achieve greater LGBTI inclusion. International guests also attended the conference including first openly serving gay general Brigadier-General Tammy Smith.
