Life as a gay man in the Defence Forces: ‘A positive experience’

Airman Billy Doyle came out to his colleagues in the Defence Forces in 2016 when he attended the launch of the LGBTA Defend with Pride Network in the Curragh. "I met colleagues who were also gay," he recalls. "I stood beside the banner in uniform and took a picture of myself and shared it on social media. That was me saying 'this is who I am'. I received massive support on social media following that. It was overwhelming. I've had nothing but a positive experience so far. I think the Defence Forces is a very inclusive place to work."

He joined the Defence Forces in August 2001 having had an unhappy time at school. “I was never really interested in school,” he explains. “I had a tough time there and was bullied a lot. I knew I didn’t want to go to college or anything like that. I finished school in June and joined up in August. One of the reasons why I think I joined is I wanted to get a tougher skin.”

He first got interested in a military career when he joined the Reserve Defence Force, formerly known as the FCA. “I really enjoyed that experience. We had some permanent Defence Forces guys training us and they piqued my interest [in pursuing it as a career]. I went to summer camp in the Curragh after my Leaving and joined up after that. I made a couple of friends during that camp and they joined with me. Nineteen years on, I am still friends with people I trained with that year.”

His current role with the Air Corps sees him working in the photography section and as a Barrack Personnel Support Service Officer (BPSSO) which involves supporting the mental health of colleagues.

“I was always interested in photography,” he says. “Every day is completely different. I could be taking a portrait photograph of someone one day and the next be flying 100 miles off the coast of Ireland taking pictures of whales. That was among the best experiences of my career. Even from altitude the size of two blue whales is amazing. It lets you know how lucky you are. As a BPSSO I received Safe Talk suicide prevention training. I was already interested in the mental health side of things and I had gone back to college and got an honours degree in psychology.”

His work as a BPSSO is about availability and an open door. “It’s more of a sense of people being able to come to you. Everyone knows about the service and people can come to you if they’re not having a good day. It’s a 24/7 service and we are here all the time.”

The Defence Forces continues to support his personal and professional development and he is currently studying for a masters in geospatial analysis at University College Dublin.

He acknowledges that joining the army might not have appeared an obvious career choice for a gay man who had been bullied at school. “I was shy and timid and was probably a bit different at school. I wasn’t a lad’s lad. It might seem a bit like jumping from the pan to the fire, but my experience wasn’t anything like that. It’s been absolutely fine. It’s pretty much the same as being straight, I’ve never had any issues.”

He recommends a Defences Forces career to everyone. “After your pre-training you can choose a career path that you are interested in. You are in control of that. There are not many places you can say that about. If you are a young LGBT kid but are afraid to join the Defence Forces because of your sexuality I would say you have nothing to worry about. You are not alone, and you will be very well supported when you join. Don’t let your sexuality hold you back.”