Australian Defence Force may revoke gender-inclusivity policy

Despite making headlines this week by accepting its first non-binary recruit, the Australian army is now looking into abandoning its gender-inclusive policies.

The junior minister for Defence Personnel instructed the department to find a way out the current protections that are in place for non-binary soldiers, The Mandarin has reported.

Along with non-binary people, the legislation also protects women from gender discrimination.

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It was reported that the order came about as a result of media inquiries about the Australian Defence Force Academy’s first non-binary cadets.

The ADF currently has two non-binary cadets serving, and seven non-binary public servants across the Australian Public Service.

They identify as ‘gender X,’ as opposed to male or female.

If the legislation is successfully revoked, this would get rid of any protections in place for gender-diverse military personnel.

It would also remove other protections that fall under the Sex Discrimination Act, such as those linked to pregnancy and marital status.