Practically every day we see stories on the news about peacekeeping efforts in the Middle East.  We Canadians tend to get overshadowed by our big brother down south, which makes it all the more interesting to find a particular gay Calgarian in the Canadian Forces.  He asked us to refer to him as "Connal" for this article, for reasons of privacy.

"I originally decided to join the army in the spring of 1996 when I had just turned 17. ...I had some misgivings in the beginning about joining the Army, but since it runs on both sides of the family it was highly encouraged that I should join up. So in June of ‘96 I was sworn into 746 Communication Squadron here in the city."

Connal is now 25 years old and has been out since 2003, 7 years after he first signed up.  We asked him if the army provided any type of social or support groups for homosexuals, however he hadn’t heard of any.  "...my friends are my social support group," he said.  "At my unit I’m the only [gay person], and it does get lonely sometimes. As to other gay guys and girls I have met a couple but we normally tend to stick to our own group of friends and co-workers. Rivalries between each trade kinda help keep our kind separate."

However, his coming out was not as much of a bumpy a ride as one may think.  "...the weirdest thing about it was that when I could finally come to terms with [being gay], I became a better person and a better soldier because of it. My unit accepted me and encouraged me to be proud of who I was.  ...if rumor can be believed, my name is known across Canada as ‘that gay guy from Calgary’, and that makes me feel sorta proud."

It’s surprising, considering the popular conception of gays and lesbians not being welcome in the military.  But from Connal’s experience, that is not the case at all with the Canadian Forces.

"I find that being gay in the army is normally accepted by the larger portion of straight men and women in the Canadian Forces. Since the Forces are nothing more then a microcosm of the general population as a whole, acceptance is the norm, but one does stumble across the [occasional] homophobic types."

"I know that the Yanks (Americans) have some deep seated issues with allowing gays and lesbians into their Armed Forces but then again they have a lot of deep seated issues with homosexuals [in general]. With Europe I don’t know but sometimes I hear positive things, namely from the Dutch army, but I guess I’ll find out when I hit the Golan Heights and observe how the Austrians and Poles feel about queers."

Indeed Connal left for his assignment on January 31st, shortly after his interview with GayCalgary.com.

"I am going on my first UN tour to the Golan Heights on the border of Israel and Syria. There I will be the second in command of a communication centre that sends and receives messages (radio traffic) to all members that are stationed within the area. I will also be bouncing my voice off satellites in an attempt to keep radio traffic open with NDHQ in Ottawa. On top of that duty I can also be tasked with being a part of the defense and security team, firefighter, or (the one I want) message delivery boy to Tel Aviv or Damascus."

He returns from his assignment this September, when we hope to ask him all about his experience overseas.  In the meantime, all we can do is wish him luck and hope he does Canada proud!

"Being a member of the Army has been the greatest thing in my life. It makes for a horrible pick up line at the bar, but the amount of fun that I’ve had has not been equaled. Its not for the faint of heart, and one had better have a thick skin, a willingness to prove how much better one is compared to the heteros, and realize how physically demanding the job can be."

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Topic Interview | Politics |