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.

It's a bloody ridiculous headline, but they went to The Sun, so what do you expect? However, it's really easy to portray them as the first woman frontline soldier because they've done all their training and passed out already.

The regiment DS1 is in is going to be one of the first to receive women, but they need to go through selection and training first so that doesn't happen overnight.

I think this development will be helpful to all the non-trans women soldiers who are aiming to enter front-line roles in the army. It means that, come November when the rule change about women in front-line roles takes effect, there will already be a soldier identifying as female in this formerly male space, and the attitudes of her colleaues will already have been challenged and hopefully nudged towards progress. I imagine that given the struggles she has faced she will be a supportive presence for other women soldiers entering frontline roles.

There is often anger on MN at the thought of a transwoman 'invading' female spaces such as women's toilets, etc. Here we have the flipside: a transwoman 'invading' a hypermasculine space and contributing (albeit in a non-standard way!) to the erosion of its exclusion of women. I celebrate that.

Tempted to start wearimg something to identify myself as a real woman. Spartacus t-shirts, anyone?

Wonder how "Chloe" who, surprisingly with their feminine figure and 5 o'clock shadow, hasn't had any kinds of problems being accepted as a soldier. Groundbreaking, truly groundbreaking.

I read the article on the BBC website, not The Sun.

I've been thinking about the threads I saw starting to pop up on the wider implications of transactivism over a year ago. The issue of redefining what it means to be a woman (which for me is a genetic matter [I am Spartacus]) and the impact on women's achievements were highlighted, and actually often poo-poohed. I fear those first posters who educated many of us here had it exactly right - trans women on the Olympic women's team, first woman to serve on the front line.

I have no issue whatsoever with trans people serving. The first trans person on the front line should be celebrated. It is great that we can challenge gender norms and I do hope that attitudes might shift to make it easier when women do come in.

The issue is that this person is being called the first female front line soldier when this is demonstrably false and will take away the achievement of the first real woman to do this.

"I'm delighted to have our first woman serving in a ground close combat unit."

"The Army said it was delighted to have its first woman in a close-combat role."

So the actual first woman won't be recognised as such. This is a fucking horrific precedent.

AlphaNumericalSequence

I completely agree with your sentiments, and it is a good thing and should be celebrated as such. It should be celebrated for what it is though.

Alpha, your post is considered and thoughtful but I fear you overestimate the effect of one trans soldier (male physique & stamina, already established in the hierarchy & protected by that hierachy's 'inclusive' agenda) on the prospects of women serving in the front line. Women can do it for themselves and should be able to do it on merit alone NOT and shouldnt be relegated to being the fallout of some 'progressive' agenda.

Lady science I agree with you. Women will now be eroded as trans men take up those roles. I feel sorry for young women.

This reads like an Onion article 5 years ago. Societies which enforce belief in lies are scary places.

Sorry , left out part of that sentence- just ignore the shouty NOT

there will already be a soldier identifying as female in this formerly male space, and the attitudes of her colleaues will already have been challenged and hopefully nudged towards progress.

Or they can argue that they have already ticked the equalities box and that no further progress is needed or desirable.

I think this development will be helpful to all the non-trans women soldiers who are aiming to enter front-line roles in the army

I'm not sure that "help" is necessary or welcome.

ffs
fuck off army 'hurrah for the first woman' nonsense

Or they can argue that they have already ticked the equalities box and that no further progress is needed or desirable

^^ this.

What would have happened if a FTM had joined the army - would he have been allowed on the front line before the rules were changed? I guess not otherwise we would have seen the headline - first female on frontline by the media. We can't win.

Kit, I agree with much of what you say. I think that women soldiers will achieve their progress on merit, and through their own strength. But it is always helpful to have allies, and I just thought it was worth stating that a transwoman can be a friend and an ally in some circumstances: there is no reason to regard transwomen automatically as an enemy.

And I don't think that the presence of women soldier in the front line will be the 'fallout from a progressive agenda' aimed at helping transwomen. On the contrary, the presence of transwomen, though important for those few women, is bound to be a tiny thing compared with the eventual arrival of more and more women generally into this part of the army.

The trans thing is, as ever, a small issue compared with that of achieving progress for all women in society , although of course it is vital to a few deeply marginalised people. I'm always astonished by how preoccupied people become with it.

The trans thing is, as ever, a small issue compared with that of achieving progress for all women in society , although of course it is vital to a few deeply marginalised people. I'm always astonished by how preoccupied people become with it.

It's the military and the media who are making a song and dance about this though. The military issuing press releases and taking credit for permitting women access to what was previously a male-only career.

Only, it's not a woman who has achieved it, is it? The individual concerned had male privilege when they applied, trained and were deployed.

Recognition for allowing a man to transition while deployed is valid in this situation.

But It is inaccurate and decisive to give recognition to the military for giving women equality, because they don't yet have it.

There may be a very small number of trans people in the army, but every national newspaper, and according to reports, the army, is claiming that this is the first woman on the frontline.

Meanwhile the articles are all propagating the idea that women can be identified by their jewellery rather than their biology.

It's great that the army isn't discriminating against somebody who doesn't conform to gender stereotypes. However, that is not the story that is being told in the press.

The fact that Chloe now sports "long, polished nails" makes him unsuitable to be serving anyway and actually, wouldn't be allowed. I dont have long polished nails and therefore,am not a woman.

The fact that Chloe now sports "long, polished nails"

Oh FFS. I've only read the Sky report, so haven't seen the worst of it, obviously.

I'd hazard a guess that none of the female military personnel that the reporters did come into contact with when researching that story - the chefs, the pilots, the medics, the security officers - had long polished nails, even if they wanted them.

Why are the military making an exception for Chloe? Isn't that a story? That transwoman on the front line are being given preferential treatment over their none front line female colleagues?

I've lurked alot on this topic but this has made me really cross, not with the soldier herself, I wish her well, but I'm really cross with the reporting.

Chloe doesn't have polished fingernails. They are quite long, but they ain't polished.