Military service experiences and reasons for service separation among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals in a large military cohort

Felicia R Carey,Isabel G Jacobson,Keren Lehavot,Claire A Kolaja,Rudolph P Rull,Cynthia A Leardmann,Valerie A Stander

doi:10.1186/s12889-021-12420-1

Abstract

BackgroundThe well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals is a topic of increasing concern within the military where significant institutional barriers, targeted aggression, and differential organizational policies such as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” have historically contributed to experiences of exclusion and discrimination. However, limited research has examined specific military and post-separation experiences among LGB service members and veterans. The goal of this study was to examine differences in military and service separation experiences by sexual orientation among a large representative sample of United States service members and veterans.MethodsSurvey data from the 2016 Millennium Cohort Study follow-up questionnaire were used to assess sexual orientation and multiple outcomes of interest: military experiences (morale, feelings about the military, missed workdays) and service separation experiences (reasons for separation, post-separation employment). The associations between sexual orientation (LGB versus heterosexual) and each of these outcomes were evaluated in a series of adjusted logistic regression models, stratified by sex when interactions were observed.ResultsOf the 99,599 participants, 3.4% identified as LGB. In adjusted models, LGB service members had significantly higher odds than heterosexual service members of feeling: unimpressed by the quality of unit leadership, unsupported by the military, and negative about the military overall. Bisexual women were more likely than heterosexual women to feel less unit camaraderie; both gay and bisexual men felt less camaraderie than heterosexual men. LGB veterans were more likely than heterosexual peers of the same sex to separate from service due to unplanned administrative reasons. Compared to heterosexual women, lesbian and bisexual women were more likely to separate from service due to dissatisfaction with promotions/pay and disability/medical reasons, while bisexual women specifically separated due to dissatisfaction with leadership and incompatibility with the military. Gay and bisexual men also reported separating due to incompatibility with the military, but only bisexual men were more likely to report separating due to disability/medical reasons compared to heterosexual men.ConclusionsLess positive military- and separation-specific experiences disproportionately affected LGB service members in this study. Promoting inclusion and increasing support for LGB service members may improve satisfaction with military service and retention.

Highlights

The well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals is a topic of increasing concern within the military where significant institutional barriers, targeted aggression, and differential organizational policies such as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” have historically contributed to experiences of exclusion and discrimination
LGB personnel serving in the military have faced significant minority stress, defined as specific stressors such as discrimination and stigma that minorities face that are in excess of general stressors [7], overt or covert targeted aggression due to their sexual orientation [8,9,10,11,12], and differential organizational policies such as DADT that may further exacerbate alienation and discrimination [13]
The most commonly endorsed specific reason for separation from service among veterans who identified as heterosexual or lesbian/gay was fulfilling the term of service or being retirement eligible, while veterans who identified as bisexual most frequently endorsed dissatisfaction with leadership

Summary

Introduction

The well-being of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals is a topic of increasing concern within the military where significant institutional barriers, targeted aggression, and differential organizational policies such as “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” have historically contributed to experiences of exclusion and discrimination. The institution of the 1993 Department of Defense Directive 1304.26, commonly referred to as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT), allowed LGB individuals to serve as long as they concealed their sexual orientation [6] It was not until the 2011 enactment of the DADT Repeal Act that LGB individuals were able to openly serve. The legacy of exclusion and discrimination against LGB individuals in the military setting may impede the development of trust and familiarity with fellow service members [15], and may contribute to poorer psychological and physical health among LGB service members [8, 16,17,18,19,20]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion