DEFGLIS founder Warrant Officer Stuart O'Brien was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for long standing meritorious services to the Navy.
O'Brien was announced as the recipient of an Order of Australia Medal in the Military Division in the Australia Day 2016 honours list.
His citation reads:
For meritorious services as a Maritime Logistics Personnel Sailor in the field of personnel services and as the founder of the Defence Gay and Lesbian Information Service.
David Morrison, the first Australian Chief of Service to talk publicly about LGBTI inclusion in Defence has been named the Australian of the Year 2016.
Morrison's youtube video that went viral was explicit in telling members of the armed forces that the standard of behaviour that you walk past is the standard that you accept.
He confronted every member of the Australian Army, it went over the world and it was a story of leadership.
He said: "I with be ruthless in ridding the Army of those who cannot live up to its values."
Tracy Smart is now an Air Vice-Marshal after being promoted to the two-star air officer which makes her the most senior lesbian officer to serve openly in the Australian Defence Force.
Air Vice-Marshal Smart AM, who also goes by the informal alias 'warriordoc,' takes on the role of Commander of Joint Health Command, and Surgeon-General of the Australian Defence Force.
In her new role, she will be responsible for the delivery of health services to members of Defence, and the medical readiness of Defence personnel for operations. As Surgeon-General, she will be responsible for providing strategic health advice and technical oversight of operational health services.
The Australian Catholic University (ACU) is sponsoring a full-time research PhD scholarship for the LGBTI military history research project 'Serving In Silence?'.
The project seeks to uncover the stories and history of LGBTI members of the Australian Defence Force since 1945. This collaboration is the first of its kind and is being led by DEFGLIS members Dr Noah Riseman (ACU), Dr Shirleene Robinson (Macquarie University) and Dr Graeme Willett (Australian Gay and Lesbian Archives and University of Melbourne).
Members of DEFGLIS and the wider community are encouraged to apply for the position where you will play a large roll in uncovering an exceptionally important facet of LGBTI history within the Australian Military. Applications close on 16 January 2016.
The global World AIDS Day theme for this year continues on from last year’s theme: Getting to Zero: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS related deaths.
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It raises awareness across the world and in the community about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS. It is a day for people to show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.
The aim of World AIDS Day is to encourage all Australians to be aware of HIV; to take action to reduce the transmission of HIV by promoting safe sex practices; and to ensure that people living with HIV can participate fully in the life of the community, free from stigma and discrimination.