2SLGBTQI+ Defence Team Champions' Message on National Coming Out Day and LGBT History Month
October 11, 2024 - Defence Stories
As we observe National Coming Out Day on October 11, we reflect on the significance of this day and the importance of inclusivity within the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). This day reminds us of the courage it takes to embrace one’s true self and highlights the essential role that acceptance plays in fostering a supportive community.
Coming out as a member of Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and those of additional sexual or gender identities (2SLGBTQI+) communities can be an exciting and empowering experience, but it is often accompanied by challenges and losses. Many 2SLGBTQI+ individuals have faced immense hardship in their pursuit of living authentically, whether through rejection by family, friends, or communities, or encountering physical harm and harassment. Discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ people persists today and remains a significant barrier to coming out.
Understanding the current challenges faced by 2SLGBTQI+ members of our Defence Team and of all those in Canada is a critical step toward insisting that inclusion is considered seamlessly in all that we do, within our teams and for the ways we support Canadians. Our strength lies in our unity, enhanced by the uniqueness and diversity of our intersectional identities.
October is also recognized as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) History Month in several countries. While Pride Season (June to September in Canada) celebrates the diversity and inclusion of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals, LGBT History Month encourages us to learn about the contributions and influence of 2SLGBTQI+ community members throughout history.
2SLGBTQI+ history is Canadian history. This month is an opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of trailblazers who dedicated their lives to fighting for themselves and for future generations. We thank them for their courage and commitment to making Canada a more inclusive place, where 2SLGBTQI+ individuals can come out and live authentically.
Related resources
- The Fruit Machine documentary (English with French subtitles) (accessible only on the National Defence network)
- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians
- Emerging from the Purge: Reviewing the State of the LGBTQI2S Inclusion in Canada’s Federal Workplaces
- National Defence Positive Space Program (accessible only on the National Defence network)
- Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO) (accessible only on the National Defence network)
Within the Defence Team, we have many individuals and groups working to advance these efforts and enable the safety and inclusion of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities. We thank you for your continued efforts to support your peers and colleagues.
As the 2SLGBTQI+ Defence Team Champions, we stand united in our commitment to ensuring that every member of the Defence Team feels safe, valued, and empowered to be their true selves. Let us reaffirm our dedication to fostering an environment where everyone can express their identity without fear of judgment or discrimination.
Brigadier-General James Hawthorne
2SLGBTQI+ Defence Team Champion
Lara Rooke
2SLGBTQI+ Defence Team Champion