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The Edmonton LGBT+ Pride Parade was among the first to welcome members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF); it is now one of the first to be cancelled due to protestors who sought, in part, to specifically exclude us. This represents a sad step backwards even as the CAF continues to transform into an inclusive, diverse employer.

The first question I hear from LGBT+ Canadians interested in serving their armed forces is whether it is safe to be out of the closet in the military. My answer, based on the CAF I have known, is assuredly yes!

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I joined the Canadian Army in 2006 during the dying breaths of LGBT+ social discrimination. Although the official “gay purge” that blighted careers and reputations ended in the 1990s, my military academy cohort was the first to come out of the closet. We proudly brought our partners to graduation parades and to our first postings across Canada; this was thanks to those who came before us: LGBT+ leaders who deployed to 1990s war zones and fought the daily social battles and legal challenges necessary to prove to their comrades in arms that a soldier is a soldier.