First woman to fight on the frontline

[napmeistergeneral]

Transgender woman becomes "first female" in British army to serve on frontline.
Link is to the guardian but covered by other outlets also.

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/sep/17/transgender-soldier-is-first-female-to-serve-on-the-front-line

I don't doubt it's an incredibly hard and scary thing to be a trans woman in the army and for that chloe deserves support and praise. But I'm afraid I still feel unconvinced by the "first woman" claim.

AIBU to feel uncomfortable and unconvinced about firsts for women being claimed by trans women?

Don't know about army or navy, but fitness tests in RAF are gender specific.

For eg

Bleep test pass
= level 7-1 for woman under 30
= level 9-10 for man under 30

Press ups are less for women, sit ups are less for women.

The bleep test levels correspond to VO2 max levels which are higher for men (due to muscle mass/lung capacity etc).

I've known a few women who can exceed the male 'pass' level, but they were very fit indeed.

I've known a few women in the TA who take their training very seriously and can exceed all the standards set for military men. They also have such fantastic pelvic floor control that they can do tricks with their vaginas

I bet Chloe can't make a musical fountain using her fanjo ...

Of course the army seem to be 'forgetting' the women they let join up during WW1 'pretending' to be men and were 'believed' without question because they needed soldiers for the front!

Oh look, the fitness tests are just the minimums. I lost count of the times I was accused of cheating during basic training because the fragile masculine egos couldn't handle being beaten by a woman. It's all relative - a shit tonne of women are fitter than a whole heap of men. And the standards required are all fairly limp for the vast majority of roles. And in most places you have the option of working to maximums if you want - so a butt load of women are beating the paltry minimums.

Although to be fair, I haven't tried. I think three kids later and my potential musical fountain days are well and truly over.

I doubt he's the first transgender person in the military. I've been doing research on drag makeup and it seems quite a few drag performers, some of whom were transgender, served in the navy, army etc.

I don't the powers that be care about the gender identity of the people they put in harms way

Beachcomber
Woman: adult human female belonging to the biological sex born which has a female reproductive system and chromosomes who was raised as a girl child in male supremacist society and socialized in the system of gender

But you see, even in that, you are wrong it seems.
Here's a look at how men are in fact mothers. Well it made me laugh..
bornnotmadeblog.wordpress.com/category/come-the-fucking-revolution/

Developing my own easy counter.

?

NotAnother has name changed and is posting a 'counter' on each of the trans-related threads, only comment in that name being "#2", "#3" etc.
Goady and I have reported as such.

Ah. Thanks.

But doing this also bumps the threads so perhaps a bit counter-productive?

Indeed

Here's a look at how men are in fact mothers. Well it made me laugh..

Thats one of the best blog posts I have ever read. So much sense. Also humour...though no doubt said sense and humour is LITERALLY KILLING TRANS WOMEN EVERYWHERE!!!111!!!!!

I know WankingMonkey, it's a bloody hilarious blog

I love this woman

bornnotmadeblog.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/man-up-bear-down-pregnant-people-and-invisible-mothers/

IBelieve - thanks for posting that link - just amazing. Bookmarked the blog for further reading.

It was Itsallgoingtobefine who posted it originally, so thanks to her

That is such a magnificent blog post. Thank you so much for posting it.

Best blog ever.

Oh my, I have spent my night on this blog. Pure brilliance

bornnotmadeblog.wordpress.com/2016/06/22/born-male-assigned-intensely-annoying/

Love the "nice, warm bath" paragraph. Ooh, she's got a lovely way with words!

She so does. Wow.