A storm brewing

[carly_kai]

I'm slowly becoming familiar with the developing Canadian military policy for transgendered men and women. In my 30+ years of experience policy is military jargon for fucking things up.

This is no exception.

The new policy will probably not protect people - quite the opposite as it is going to leave transgendered members on their own to cope with the issues they will face, including use of bathrooms and gender markers on their ID.

It's starting already with recently diagnosed transgendered men and women being issued replacement uniforms that are gender appropriate and being allowed to use an appropriate name, but not been given administrative direction or authority for washroom use.

It's a recipe for disaster that will see people being hassled by ignorant mall cops, the police and the public at large because DND will no longer provide them with the much need documentation that would allow them to change the gender marker on their ID to the appropriate gender that they are conducting their transition and medically mandated real life experience as.

Men and women with a medical condition are caught by this silliness, this asinine policy developed by cisgender male and female paper pushers who have no idea, no clue and no interest in the difficulties faced by transitioning people.

I for one am watching and will not sit silently while people are made to suffer - that's not the way my navy, army or air force takes care of their people.

This will cost me my hard fought privacy, this will fuck up my life and make me a target for every nutter in the military - it's a price that I will pay for doing what it right.

Wish I had learned that years ago...

regards

Charlotte Katherine

Comments

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

What Neanderthal got promoted into the Personnel branch? There are times I wish being trans was contagious. I have a nice long list of people I'd cough on...

[carly-kai.livejournal.com]

People in uniform are really upset about this yet they are helpless as the policy has not been promulgated yet - they are still hamstrung by it as military doctors and the administrative system are afraid to take action.

[angharads-house.livejournal.com]

well, under Mulroney II Harpo, one can well imagine why they might be afraid; even CDS is not immune to the political hammer.

[jessie-c.livejournal.com]

CR #7 below the line, then.

[angharads-house.livejournal.com]

interesting. sounds very much as if D Pers is trying to engage in a cost-control exercise.

please think very carefully about the costs to privacy: much can be accomplished backchannel (I should know, I just bonged off a very carefully-worded précis of the issues as seen from out here on the rip-track), and perhaps more can be achieved by standing out and making more noise, but the privacy door, for anyone who thus becomes visible, is very much a one-way door.