What's It Like To Come Out As Gay To The SAF?

Contents:

• WHAT’S IT LIKE TO COME OUT AS GAY TO THE SAF?
• JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO COME OUT AS GAY TO THE SAF?

In 2001, an article entled “Unrstandg Homosexual Servicemen—A Case Study” appeared Counsel-Lk, the quarterly publitn of the SAF Counsellg Centre (SCC). The article scrib her experience unsellg N, a 22-year-old “Che homosexual servg his Natnal Service as a clerk an army mp”. “I had wanted very much for N to choose a ‘straight’ life … I was sadned when he chose to rema as a gay after we had explored the challeng he would face as a homosexual.

JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

In fact, as the unsellg relatnship strengthened, I enuraged N to attend a programme for homosexuals, n for the purpose of helpg gays change their sexual orientatn to one that is ‘straight’. “I also felt hypocril when I assured N my acceptance and rpect for him, regardls of his cisn on whether he would rema gay, when my sire was for him to make a different cisn.

“I am grateful to N who gave me the privilege to enter to his world of homosexualy, ” Lily nclus. “I have learnt much about the homosexual subculture and had challenged me to review my own worldviews and stereotyp. They range om the closeted pre-enlistee worried about beg bullied the army, to gay men sharg their experienc clarg 302 (the official medil the SAF to classify gay men), to r fanatics who are “sred kena touched the dark” by their gay bunkmat.

The most reliable and oft ced belongs to Lim Chi-Sharn, who meticuloly tailed the procs of g out as gay to his medil officer bee he, too, was trated by “[sketchy] word-of-mouth … rmatn available onle” and “wanted to partially fill this lack of publicly available rmatn by documentg [his] own experience”.