Military service often demands extensive time commitments, travel, training, and exposure to high-stress situations that can take a toll on personal relationships. These demands are particularly difficult for LGBT individuals who must navigate challenges related to their identity and relationship status within the context of military culture, where homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, heterosexism, and cissexism are still pervasive.
It is possible for LGBT personnel to sustain relational intimacy while fulfilling their military obligations through various strategies. This essay explores three such strategies: creating rituals, establishing clear boundaries, and cultivating emotional awareness.
LGBT personnel can create meaningful rituals with their partner(s) that affirm their love, connection, and commitment. Rituals provide structure and regularity to intimate life, which is especially important for those whose daily routines are disrupted by military duty. Examples include weekly dates, romantic getaways, or shared hobbies. These activities remind partners of their bond and reaffirm their affection, even when they are apart. Second, establishing clear boundaries around communication, physical touch, and sexual activity can help maintain intimacy in long-distance relationships.
Couples can agree upon specific times to check in via text message, set up video calls at consistent intervals, or arrange visits to align with leave periods. Physical boundaries may involve agreements about clothing, intimate touch, and sexual acts. Third, cultivating emotional awareness enables LGBT personnel to recognize and process feelings of loneliness, jealousy, anxiety, and resentment before they escalate into larger issues. This involves recognizing the impact of deployment on one's mental health, seeking support from friends or family, and practicing mindfulness techniques like meditation or journaling.
These strategies enable LGBT individuals to sustain relational intimacy while fulfilling military obligations. By creating rituals, establishing clear boundaries, and cultivating emotional awareness, LGBT personnel can navigate the challenges of military service and maintain strong bonds with their loved ones.
What strategies allow LGBT personnel to sustain relational intimacy while fulfilling military obligations?
While there is no universal solution for sustaining relationship intimacy with partners while completing military obligations, several strategies can help LGBT personnel cope with separation anxiety and maintain strong connections between deployments. One such strategy is establishing regular communication channels with one's partner through phone calls, video chats, emails, or letters.