Serving in silence? Australian LGBT servicemen and women

Most people have heard of the United States' infamous 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, yet few know about Australia's own history of LGBT military service. In Serving in Silence? lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender servicemen and women share their personal stories for the first time. The book explores the emotional stress they experienced hiding their sexuality or gender identity under official bans, as well as the challenges facing those who have served openly in the last 25 years. Tracing the ADF's transformation to the inclusive organisation it is today, Serving in Silence? also highlights the pivotal role of military service in the lives of many LGBT Australians and how they have served their country with distinction

Introduction

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On the frontline: The queer press and the fight against homophobia

The Australian gay and lesbian press developed in conjunction with the homosexual liberation movement of the 1970s and over time has reflected trends in the broader GLBTIQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer) movement. When the gay and lesbian press first emerged, it was staunchly political, challenging the invisibility of the gay and lesbian community within the broader social order and the prejudiced views about homosexuality that were in circulation. The arrival of HIV and AIDS on Australian shores galvanised the GLBTIQ press and provided it with the impetus to maintain a political stance. The AIDS crisis also forced the various Australian State governments to direct financial support towards GLBTIQ health. A significant amount of this funding was used to finance advertising in the GLBTIQ press. This advertising allowed the GLBTIQ press to continue functioning in an intensely competitive era when its future viability may have otherwise been threatened. [Extract

Race and reformation : treatment of children in nineteenth and early twentieth century Australia

22 page(s

'Always a good demand' : Aboriginal child domestic servants in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Australia

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Regulating the race : Aboriginal children in private European homes in colonial Australia

This article focuses on the incorporation of Aboriginal children into European families on a private basis in the colonial era. While state-based missions and reserves were central sites where Aboriginal children were placed, other Aboriginal children were privately placed with European families during the colonial era. This article explores the shifting reasons for this practice. It finds that Aboriginal children who entered European families away from the control of the state came under the control of Europeans through a variety of ways. Initially, Aboriginal child removals were conducted during the course of violent frontier conflict or involved children who had been impacted by introduced European diseases. Smaller numbers of Indigenous children were taken as objects of curiosity. As the nineteenth century progressed, however, it became increasingly common for settlers to take Indigenous children for labour purposes. The article argues that the white middle-class family was positioned as a site for "civilising" children, where the moral regulation of childhood was conducted. This article adds a new dimension to colonial understandings about the role and structure of the family. It also expands understandings about Indigenous child removal in Australia's past.14 page(s