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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) personnel are able to serve in the armed forces of some countries around the world: the vast majority of industrialized, Western countries including some South American countries such as Argentina and Chile[1][2] in addition to South Africa, and Israel.[3] The rights concerning intersex people are more vague.
This keeps pace with the latest global figures on acceptance of homosexuality, which suggest that acceptance of LGBTQ communities is becoming more widespread only in secular, affluent countries.[4]
However, an accepting policy toward gay and lesbian soldiers does not invariably guarantee that LGBTQ citizens are immune to discrimination in that particular society. Even in countries where LGBTQ persons are free to serve in the military, activists lament that there remains room for improvement. Israel, for example, a country that otherwise struggles to implement LGBTQ-positive social policy, nevertheless has a military well known for its broad acceptance of openly gay soldiers.[5][6]
History has seen societies that both embrace and shun openly gay service-members in the military. But more recently, the high-profile 2010 hearings on "Don't ask, don't tell" in the United States propelled the issue to the center of international attention. They also shed light both on the routine discrimination, violence, and hardship faced by LGBTQ-identified soldiers, as well as arguments for and against a ban on their service.[7]
^"Chile's National Military Announce a Milestone in Sexual Orientation". Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
^"Gay rights group lauds efforts to make Chilean military more inclusive". The Santiago Times. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
^Frank, Nathaniel. "How Gay Soldiers Serve Openly Around the World". NPR. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
^"The Global Divide on Homosexuality Greater Acceptance in More Secular and Affluent Countries". Pew Research Center. 2013-06-04. Archived from the original on 2013-11-03. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
^Yaron, Oded (2013-12-12). "Israeli LGBTQ activists mobilize online after gay rights bill fails". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
^Sherwood, Harriet (2012-06-13). "Israeli military accused of staging gay pride photo". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
^Bacon, Perry (2010-05-28). "House votes to end 'don't ask, don't tell' policy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2017-10-23. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
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