The Vice Chief of the Defence Force and senior Defence leaders spoke on transgender service and recruitment at Senate Estimates this week.
Here is the transcript of what was said:
Vice Chief of the Defence Force - Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, AO, CSC RAN
We are talking about our people.
These are people who are wearing the uniform of this country and serving this country.
Intersex Awareness Day falls on the 26th of October, providing education about intersex people, whom are part of the diverse sexuality and gender community.
Intersex people are born with sex characteristics (including genitals, gonads and chromosome patterns) that do not fit typical binary notions of male or female bodies.
- United Nations
The United Nations estimates that 'between 0.05% and 1.7% of the population is born with intersex traits... In some cases, intersex traits are visible at birth while in others, they are not apparent until puberty. Some chromosomal intersex variations may not be physically apparent at all.'
DEFGLIS members will be at the Canberra SpringOut Fair Day, supporting the local community and providing an opportunity to meet our team.
The Spring Out festival is hosted by the Aids Action Council of the ACT. Since 1999 the festival's aim has been to strengthen and promote the LGBTI community within the Australian Capital Territory.
Minister for Defence, Senator The Hon Marise Payne, answered questions about transgender health care in the Australian Defence Force during question time on Monday.
Here is what she said:
I thank Senator Hanson for her question.
Let me be very clear: the Defence Force regulations mandate that Defence provide necessary health care to all Defence members. Defence Force members are not individually covered by Medicare.
Coming out to family and friends can be stressful and terrifying – and it is something Defence LGBTI personnel do time and time again to serve with pride.
For national coming out day, DEFGLIS members shared their recollections of coming out and the impact that the experience has had on their lives and their relationships.