Sexual Orientation Disclosure, Concealment, Harassment, and Military Cohesion: Perceptions of LGBT Military Veterans

Abstract

From the perspective of 445 lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) U.S. military veterans, the present study examined hypothesized relations of sexual orientation disclosure, concealment, and harassment with unit social and task cohesion. Findings indicated that sexual orientation disclosure was related positively, whereas sexual orientation concealment and harassment were related negatively to social cohesion. Also, through their links with social cohesion, each of these variables was related indirectly to task cohesion. When the set of predictors was examined together, sexual orientation disclosure had a positive direct relation with social cohesion and a positive indirect relation with task cohesion, whereas sexual orientation-based harassment had a negative direct relation with social cohesion and a negative indirect relation with task cohesion. These data provide useful groundwork for evaluating military policies and practices regarding sexual orientation.Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons have a history of serving in the military (Burrelli, 1994) despite military policies and practices that have barred these individuals from serving openly (Burrelli;Herek, 1993). The present military position on LGBT persons' service is expressed in a memorandum on military policy on homosexual conduct in which the Secretary of Defense asserted that "sexual orientation is considered to be a personal and private matter, and homosexual orientation is not a bar to service entry or continued service unless manifested by homosexual conduct" and "homosexuality is incompatible with military

Suicide Risk among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Military Personnel and Veterans: What Does the Literature Tell Us?

“…Not surprisingly, LGBT military members reported the negative impact of sexual orientation‐based harassment. Moradi () found that sexual orientation‐based harassment is significantly associated with decreased social cohesion and task cohesion among U.S. military veterans (Moradi, ). Another study conducted by Moradi and Miller () reported that a main reason why veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan supported policy banning openly gay or lesbian military personnel was because the veterans feared that this group would face harassment and bullying from other military personnel.…”

“…In a study of lesbian and bisexual women, being “out” was negatively related to psychological distress, which was positively related to suicidal ideation and attempts (Morris, Waldo, & Rothblum, ). Moradi () found that veterans who had disclosed their sexual orientation while in the military perceived higher social cohesion within their units. While this study did not assess suicide risk per se, increased social cohesion may be protective against self‐directed violence as social support has been found to be protective (Botnick et al., ).…”

“Now that we can ask and tell: The social movement legacy of the DADT repeal”

“…For those who wish to serve, have served, or are currently serving, the repeal has the potential to improve quality of life; the secrecy that LGBT soldiers endured under DADT enabled untold amounts of blackmailing, harassment, and sexual violence (Cochran, Balsam, Flentje, Malte, & Simpson, ; Moradi, ; Pelts, Rolbiecki, & Albright, ; Ramirez et al, ) and put LGB personnel and veterans at higher risk for self‐harm and suicide (Matarazzo et al, ). The possibility of open service severely curtails the power of outing threats.…”

The Experiences of Gay, Military Men and the Impact on One's Sense of Masculinity

“…However, this process may be even more personally conflicting when it occurs in the context of the military. Changing perceptions of gays in the military and increasing acceptance poses a challenge to gay individuals to personally weigh the implications of disclosing and/or expressing this identity (Kavanagh, 1995;Moradi, 2009;Shilts, 1993). Even if one has already gone through a personal coming out, being open in an occupational environment (i.e.…”

“…the military) forces one to go through the process again; however with more significant emotional challenges in the face of often cited concerns about "military effectiveness" (i.e. group cohesion) (Moradi, 2009). Traditionally, gay military members have risked open disdain and other forms of victimization (Estrada & Weiss, 1999).…”