A Hostile Institution? Lesbian Women and the Australian Military, 1960s-1980s

The Australian Defence Force did not lift a ban on gay and lesbian service until 1992, yet prior to this, lesbian women still did enlist and served in significant numbers. The strong presence of lesbian women in anti-war movements in Australia has received attention but the presence of lesbian women within the military institution has received far less scrutiny. While the military treated female homosexuality differently to male homosexuality in some respects, female homosexuality was still aggressively policed and punished.  Accounts of surveillance and entrapment within the branches of the military show just how closely service women were monitored. Military service came at significant risk as a discharge for this reason could have severe and long lasting repercussions for service women. Job opportunities, pensions and family connections could all be jeopardized through discharge. This paper draws from a national oral history project to explore the lesbian contribution to the Australian military from the 1960s to the 1980s, a period when they served in silence but also a period when broader social attitudes towards homosexuality were undergoing considerable evolution. This paper asks, what factors led women to join an institution that was, on the surface, so hostile towards them? How did these women avoid scrutiny and expulsion?  What impact did military service have on their intimate lives? And finally, what opportunities did life in the Australian military offer to these women?