| Summary: | 碩士 === 國防大學政治作戰學院 === 社會工作碩士班 === 105 === As the society evolves, the view on gender also changes. It encompasses not only the physiological gender in the biological sense but also the sexual identity, gender traits, and sexual orientation. Currently, Taiwan enforces conscription as well as recruitment policies upon its armed forces. The army reflects the society, comprising people who identify themselves as heterosexuals or LGBT people, sparking questions regarding how the LGBT individuals cope with the stress of masculinity and military education in the fully controlled military environment as well as how they use social support systems to overcome this stress.
This study conducts in-depth interviews with six LGBT individuals in the army. Contents from the interviews are then transcribed, inducted, analyzed, interpreted, and organized. It was found that LGBT individuals faced stress from their work and sexuality and that the attitude of other people toward the LGBT community in the army was influenced by the orders from high-ranking officials, the fault of gender cognition, and the marginalization of LGBT education. Most people get accustomed to confronting the LGBT issues with indifference and silence. In addition, factors such as the ill-defined roles of army counselors, the obstacles in forming trusting relationships, and the source of support being the source of stress contribute to imbalanced social support systems in the army for the LGBT people, with the social support being focused only on a few specific individuals; for the LGBT, the most important support in the army came in the form of economic support, namely salary.
Therefore, it is recommended that army officers and soldiers increase their understanding about the LGBT community and show more respect towards people with different sexual identities and orientations. Reducing stigma and prejudice are also recommended in order to put knowledge into action to create a friendlier environment in the army and establish a better support system to help such individuals overcome the stress due to various obstacles in their lives.
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