Veterans call for national apology after ADF forced out LGBTQ+ service members

Former service member David Gibson urges the prime minister to apologise for historic discrimination against LGBTQ+ personnel in the Australian Defence Force.

David Gibson, who was expelled from the Australian Defence Force in 1989 because he was bisexual, described a systematic campaign to identify and purge gay service members, including harsh interrogations by military police. He recounted being transferred to an isolated posting before his discharge, an experience that contributed to long-term depression. Gibson, now chair of GLBTI Rights in Ageing, has called on the prime minister to issue a national apology for the past mistreatment of LGBTQ+ veterans.

The Senate foreign affairs and defence committee, acting on a bill introduced after the royal commission into defence and veteran suicide, recommends a formal apology, record annotations, and honourable service certificates for those harmed by historic policies. The committee’s report urges the Albanese government to go beyond the draft legislation and provide broader restorative outcomes. Air Vice-Marshal Lara Gunn indicated further measures are under consideration, while committee chair Raff Ciccone emphasized the need for a modern ADF that judges personnel by service, not sexual orientation.