Just a day after Spanish transsexual Aitor G.R., had her application to join the Spanish army rejected, the nation’s The Ministry of Defense announced that it was revising its policy to allow transgender people to serve in the armed forces. Aitor made national news in Spain when she tried joining the army in 2006, but was rejected due to a 1989 prvosion that prevented men without penises from serving.
Tetu reports (excuse our sloppy French):
“La Federación Estatal de Lesbianas, Gays, Transexuales y Bisexuales (FELGTB) had required that the ministry apply the provisions institutes in 2007 to comply with a new sexual identity law. Already several months ago, the Minister for Defense, Carme Chacón, had announced a modification of the code on exclusions of personnel for medical reasons. These provisions prevented the incorporation in the army of the men “not having a penis, and suffering from the absence, of loss or atrophy of testicles”. The Defense Department’s [decision to change the code to allow transsexual to serve] delighted FELGTB, as it puts an end to a proven discrimination. “
Kate
Please use the right pronoun Queerty!
Use the MALE pronoun for a FTM transsexual. He clearly has been male for a long time and wants to join the army as a male.
It is just confusing to the reader when you refer to this guy as “she.”
Faberge L'Eggs
Spain is so fearlessly progressive. (Even though joining the military is decidedly un-queer, at least Spain’s left-of-center government withdrew from Iraq 5 years ago).
Compare a country that had a fascist dictator until 1975 to the US: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/02/11/darwin-200/
HYHYBT
“1989 prvosion that prevented men without penises from serving.” I’d love to know what made them think of *enacting* something like that.
anyankafan
thats what i was just thinking. 😛 Who suddenly had a brainwave…”We cannot allow people who USED to have a penis or testicles to fight for our nation. It’s just wrong 😛 “…honestly…*shakes head*
but yay for them being nice 🙂 being nice is well…nice
Alex
@Kate – I’m pretty sure the person in question is a MtF (and therefore “she”). By “man without a penis”, they mean “biological male without a penis”.