Resisting change : toxic masculinity in the post modern United States Armed Forces, (1980s-Present).

Abstract

This thesis examines the changes regarding women and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) serving and toxic masculinity in the United States Armed Forces from the end of Operation Just Cause to the War on Terror, which includes Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The role of women and LGBTQ+ within the military changed significantly from late 1980s-2010. During the 1990s, sex abuse scandals and homophobic murders raised public awareness of the toxic masculinity that existed in the military. Toxic masculinity is an extreme expression of hegemonic masculinity, which promotes masculine supremacy, strict gender roles, and devalues women. This thesis analyzes occurrence rates, dynamics that might contribute to the elevated rates of sexual assault within the Armed Forces, and the impact of military sexual violence. It also explores the military's reaction to sexual assault amongst those who serve, as well as proposals for further improvement. Gendered violence remains an ongoing problem within and outside of the military service. To eradicate sexual assaults and homophobic violence requires new programs and most important cultural change. There also needs to be additional assessments of the existing programs to ascertain their efficiency. This thesis argues that a close examination of the years following Operation Just Cause, will reveal that a toxic masculine subculture exist within the post-Cold War US Armed Forces that employs gendered violence and refuses to accept policy changes of the Department of Defense that removed service restrictions on women and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, Queer +(LGBTQ+).