Navy wages war on discrimination

By VICKI JAYNE

Changing workplace culture is no easy exercise.

But when the process involves overturning deeply ingrained prejudice, it is even tougher. One organisation proving equal to the task is the Royal New Zealand Navy.

In an environment where anti-gay sentiments were fairly well entrenched, it set about creating a culture that could make bisexuals and homosexuals feel welcome.

It was a brave initiative that not only attracted a lot of local and overseas interest, but earned the RNZN an Equal Employment Opportunities Trust award for innovation.

As an exercise in change management, the focus was on practice not policy.

In theory, discrimination against gays in the military had already been outlawed under the Human Rights Act.

But attitudes and behaviour lagged well behind legal intention.

Not that problems around sexual orientation rated highly on the to-do list when Lieutenant-Commander David Washer took on the new role of EEO coordinator for the Navy in 1997.

At that time, there had been some bad press related to sexual harassment of women in the Navy and there was no shortage of other issues.

Then Washer attended a workshop that was to be the catalyst for change.

It was run by Eugene Moore of consultancy Full Spectrum and looked at the effects of workplace homophobia on individuals and the organisation.

"It had a profound impact on me personally," says Washer.

It also got him thinking that this was an area of discrimination where the Navy was particularly vulnerable.

His decision to make it an EEO priority had unexpected benefits.

"In EEO there is a whole bunch of topics we address, from gender and race issues to disability policies and flexible working hours. The interesting thing is that if you can get people's heads around this issue, everything else is a breeze."

There was a fair amount of initial resistance. With such a sensitive issue, top management buy-in was vital.

"The idea was to have Eugene [Moore] give them a presentation during one of the monthly strategic meetings with the Chief of Naval Staff," says Washer. "There wasn't a lot of enthusiasm, but they eventually agreed to give it 45 minutes."

The presentation lasted nearly two hours, completely turned around the attitude of its most vocal critic and won staunch support from top brass.

That has been a pattern repeated through many subsequent workshops, and the programme has been extended since Washer relinquished the EEO role.

Moore has spent time with naval personnel at sea, runs workshops for all new Navy recruits and is one of four advisers answering questions on sexual orientation issues via a web-based advisory service called Hadrian's Cafe.

Full Spectrum is now working with other branches of the military, the Police and Customs, and Moore's formula for success is being sought by overseas organisations.

It has even taken him by surprise. He thought attitudes would be harder to shift.

"I guess what I do is reduce homophobia, first by providing people with a lot of information they haven't had before, and, secondly, through the experience of interacting with an openly gay person, because most of them won't have done that."

Few people have studied sexuality and most want to know more, says Moore.

"We get a smattering at school, but it's mainly about the plumbing - what fits where. That is only a tiny part of sexuality.

"The other parts are seldom talked about, and anybody who wants to talk about sexual orientation risks a homophobic reaction."

He reckons homophobia itself is less of an issue than fear of homophobia.

"Say someone is assigned to a two-bunk cabin with a gay guy. He might say he feels uncomfortable about being behind closed doors with this person at night.

"But probably what's bothering him more is what others think - is he going to get a homophobic reaction from his crewmates?"

An aspect of Moore's presentation that others find moving is his description of the devastating personal implications of life inside the closet.

If you have a same-sex partner, for instance, it is impossible to acknowledge how important he or she is in your life.

"They can't come and farewell you when you're heading off on duty overseas. If you get killed they'd probably have to find out on the evening news because it's too risky to list them as next-of-kin ... "

That strikes at people's self-image and morale. If people can be blackmailed about their "secret", it also represents a security risk.

There are other practical benefits when people can be more open about sexual orientation.

"For instance, there are guys who come back from Timor with post-traumatic stress disorder who won't acknowledge it's a problem because they might be thought a bit of a poofter," says Moore. "But if it goes untreated, there are implications in terms of sick leave, absenteeism, low morale and poor relationships.

"Once people realise that their masculinity has been narrowly defined by homophobia, they become quite resentful of it."

Moore had not intended to specialise in work with the military and law enforcers.

It has happened because these are more "masculine" cultures and hence more homophobic. But, he says many commercial industries face the same issues.

"For example, in the finance industry, there's estimated to be about 40 per cent more gays and lesbians than in fashion and entertainment combined.

"But because it's a bit of a men's club, it's not talked about."

The fact that the Navy is a disciplined force means it can require changes to behaviour.

And where behaviour goes, attitudes tend to drag on behind like a pull-along toy, says Washer.

"Generally, they catch up and the norm shifts. I wouldn't say we've achieved a 100 per cent shift in culture - there are still pockets of resistance. But we're well down the track."

* vjayne@iconz.co.nz