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Police investigating the cold case murder of US man Scott Johnson, a suspected gay hate crime, at North Head, Manly, in 2020. AAP/Dan Himbrechts

‘Cold case’ gay murders: two books illuminate Australia’s dark history of police and military violence

Two books on historical gay hate crimes – the murder of George Duncan in Adelaide, 1972, and army officer Warwick Meale in Townsville, 1942 – aim to create positive change by revealing past injustice.
Lieutenant general Angus Campbell Campbell has issued an order banning death symbols, such as the pirate skull and crossbones, the phantom or punisher symbols, and spartans and the grim reaper. AAP/Andrew Taylor

Banning soldiers displaying death symbols is about the right military mindset, not political correctness

A new directive from the army chief banning death symbols has earned him harsh criticism, but his view is more about respect for the gravity of solders’ tasks than political correctness.
A rainbow wreath laid by defence forces at a contemporary Anzac Day service. Daniel Spellman/Defence Gay and Lesbian Information Service

Witch-hunts and surveillance: the hidden lives of queer people in the military

Until 1992, being a gay or lesbian soldier was illegal in Australia. New research is unearthing the heartbreaking stories of people who devoted their lives to the military but were discharged when their sexuality was exposed.
Australian Navy, Army and Air Force personnel marched in record numbers at the 2015 Mardi Gras, led by senior Defence officers – a stark contrast to the way gay veterans were treated in the past. Department of Defence

Laying wreaths for Australians who once served in silence

On Anzac Day 1982, five gay veterans tried to lay a wreath at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance, but were turned away by the Shrine Guard and the state RSL president. This year, that won’t happen.
Papua New Guinea soldiers mark Remembrance Day at the Port Moresby war memorial depicting ‘fuzzy wuzzy angel’ Raphael Oimbari leading a wounded Australian soldier to medical aid. AAP/Lloyd Jones

Lest we forget the PNG soldiers who served in Australia’s military

As Papua New Guinea marks its Remembrance Day, July 23, in Australia the service of thousands of Papua New Guineans in the Australian military will go unnoticed. At Remembrance Park in Port Moresby, services…

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