First female soldier.

[Thecatsmum]

Only they've not had any surgery and have just started hormone treatment therefore they are a man!

How can they possibly be feted as the first female soldier?

The world truly has gone mad.

[walde]

It's utter shit. Talk about having you cake and eating it. So she's a women - but still enough of a man to serve in a male battalion?!

[TrojanWhore]

Significantly better than what happened to Jan Hamilton, though.

[PoisonWitch]

Saw this first thing and am royally fucked off. Women still can't get into these positions. This person joined as a man with all the privilege that entails and has now decided to be a woman and keep all the stuff gained as a man that actual women still can't have. And the army are feting them as the first female front line soldier? Fuck off.

[Thecatsmum]

Yes I agree they should be treated fairly and I'm a live and let live person so I couldn't care less about them transitioning.
I do care that they are being called female and a woman when they are male and a man.

The first naturally born woman to serve on the front lines has now had her thunder stolen by a man.

[MrsJoeyMaynard]

Sigh. It does make a mockery of it when they're physically the same as the other soldiers.

I remember a few years back seeing a tabloid with a front page story headlined something along the lines of "First man to give birth "

At first, I was wondering if there'd been some sort of amazing medical breakthrough.
But no, the individual in question was a fully biological woman identifying as a man, so just as physically capable of pregnancy and birth as any woman identifying as a woman.

[LadyScience]

I just saw this on BBC and am angry about it.

They aren't the first woman to serve on the front line. They are the first transwoman.

I am proud of the daily achievements of women who attack misogyny every time they go to work. This reporting is prospective redefining of women's history.

(I have no idea if this post will earn me a deletion. If so...I am Spartacus)

[Thecatsmum]

I am also Spartacus!

The BBC'S reporting made my blood boil.

[ThomasRichard]

I knew there would be a thread on MN! She's not the first woman to serve in a close combat role, she's the first transwoman.

[BetsyM00]

Just made a complaint to the bbc about this.

If women can't yet apply for fighting on the front line then there cannot possibly already be a 'first' woman. The soldier in question was doing the job already as a man and less than a month of hormone treatment does not a woman make! So angry on behalf of all the women who have campaigned for the right to do this job having been usurped by male privilege.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

It's utterly ridiculous.
Celebrate Chloe being the first transwoman to serve on the front line by all means. It's worth celebrating. It should be possible to come out as trans and be supported by your boss and colleagues. Trans people shouldn't be discriminated against or barred from careers. So this is a good thing and worth reporting.
But reporting as the first transwoman, not the first woman.
And any newspaper calling Chloe female is behaving stupidly and treating its readers as if they are stupid.

Femaleness is real and I am bloody sick of it being erased.

[dementedma]

Women can actually serve on the front line now but yes, "she" is a trans woman, not a woman. Totally agree with all posters above but have to say that of all organisations, The Army have really made huge efforts to be inclusive and move away from the homophobic lads culture which defined it, to the extent of winning LGBT awards for progress. I have no problems with this solder being on the front line, but "he" is not a woman.

[exLtEveDallas]

First Trans Soldier in the Infantry...Doesn't have the same ring does it?

There are a number of Trans Soldiers, some that have served for nigh on 20 years. This is a soldier who has been serving for 4 years as a man - so all the training etc has been done as a man. This soldier is not a female.

There are other 'front line' trans soldiers in any case - unless the military really wants to deny that bomb disposal experts go to the front line?

[Kit30]

The latest media obsession. This week we've had bbc radio drama on a child transitioning and interviews with the family of a female child who identifies as male. And apparently the same subject as the theme of a cbbc series. Now this. Live and let live by all means but ffs they should all stop and think about all the biologically sound REAL women and THEIR achievements and daily struggles against misogyny and sexism and discrimination who don't and will never get any recognition for just being. The real story here is in the subtext that 'real' women don't count. I'm Spartacus.

[BetsyM00]

Are there already women on the front line? The bbc article says the application process for female recruits was due to open later this year.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

'The real story here is in the subtext that 'real' women don't count. I'm Spartacus.'

Yes, this, sadly.

[Genvonklinkerhoffen]

This has made me so angry.
I challenge transwomen counting as women at every opportunity in the army. Only women will lose out because of the senior "right on" view that trans=woman.

They admit that women in training will be injured more if they train with men. They admit that due to "medical issues" FtM trans probably won't be allowed to serve. Yet, transwomen are women. Fucking crazy.

They are not women.

I'm going to write some letters on Monday, this has made me so cross.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

The real story is more like, 'OK to print palpable nonsense if it means erasing women, agree editors.'

[dementedma]

Can someone explain the I'm Spartacus phrase please? I'm guessing it's in defence of real women?

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

The Spartacus thing is based on the idea that Mumsnet can't delete or ban people for saying transwomen are men if we all do it.

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

Just read that on the app! Bonkers. Absolutely fucking bonkers. Almost no point reporting it to them though - I did once about "child porn" along with other MNetters and it achieved one big fuck fall.

[dementedma]

Ok. In that case I am Spartacus.

[Hellothereitsme]

He has been taking hormones for 2 months yet is now the first front line female. Disgraceful reporting. I feel sorry for those women who have trained and are waiting to be allowed to serve on the front line.

[paddypants13]

I came onto start a thread about this!

Look how right on the army is allowing a woman to serve. Except wait, she's a full biological male who has been through male puberty and all that that entails.

Woman are being erased from public life and the patriarchy is delighted. Keep those women out of traditional male roles by employing trans women and pretending they're the same as biological women! It's genius. I have to hand it to the patriarchy, they've been clever. However, they are fools if the underestimate women.

I never thought I'd become a feminist but I cannot let my daughter grow up in a world where her achievements are erased and overlooked because of men in dresses.

[Losingtheplod]

I thought there had been female medics etc on the front line for years?

[DrinkFeckArseGirls]

Not in direct combat though.