Patriotism as a Construct for Understanding Military Service Among LGBTQ+ Veterans: A Call for Research Grounded in Institutional Oppression

LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, with the + including Two-Spirit, Intersex, Asexual, and additional sexual orientations and gender identities) people have always had an important role in military service in the United States. However, this service has never received broad-based recognition and was, too often, criminalized. Since the repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy that went into effect in 2011, and the recent second revocation of the ban of transgender personnel serving in the military in January 2021, very little research has occurred with LGBTQ+ veterans. There is a compelling need to explore LGBTQ+ veterans’ experiences and their complicated relationship, both historically and currently, with military service. This article explores patriotism as a construct to discuss the LGBTQ+ military veterans’ experience, how their experiences are overlooked in veterans’ literature, and how military service affects LGBTQ+ veterans in a country with a long history of oppression and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. It also provides a framework useful in exploring patriotism and other issues from the LGBTQ+ perspective and how their experiences in the military shape their lives now as veterans.