Transgender officer who spent $50,000 to become a woman slams US Army rules that force soldiers to keep calling her 'sir'

RallyPoint Shared Content — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:43:57 -0400

From Daily Mail:

A transgender soldier in the U.S. Army has hit out at military rules which mean her subordinates still have to refer to her as 'sir'.

Captain Jennifer Peace, an intelligence specialist, started transitioning into a woman in early 2014 after a decade of military service that saw her fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.
But, despite the 30-year-old undergoing surgeries to make her look more feminine and being recognized as a woman by the federal government, military officials insist on treating her as a man.

Captain Peace, from Spanaway, Washington, revealed her new identity to her commanders after having surgery between deployments, the Tacoma News-Tribune reported. In total she has spent some $50,000 on the transition.
And though she says they began being supportive, high-ranking officers later put her through psychiatric tests and medical evaluations, with one even suggesting she leave the military altogether.
Before she returned to duty with her new identity, commanders even issued orders to troops she was in charge of, insisting they continue to refer to her as a man, because the Army does not officially recognise the possibility that soldiers can change gender.

An official statement from her unit said: 'The current policy on the service of transgender individuals has not changed.
'Current Army policy is that the Army will only recognize soldiers by the gender they held when they entered the Army'.
The policy is under review, and a revamped set of rules for the U.S. military's estimated 15,000 transgender members is due to be announced within months.
But waiting for the changes, Captain Peace said, is 'excruciating'. In the mean time, so far as the army is concerned, she is a man named Jennifer, whose official military photograph shows a male.
Captain Peace, who married at the age of 19, is still with her wife, who now considers herself a lesbian. She and Deborah Peace have two sons, aged seven and nine, and a young daughter.

Though the transition was difficult, Captain Peace said, her family has been accepting - and it is only the Army who continue to present her with difficulties, which she believes impoverishes the army as a whole.
She said: 'I really believe this is my Army as much as anyone else’s. I deserve to be here, to serve in the organization and make it better.
'I think that everyone now recognizes we need this diversity, and the discrimination that's currently taking place is baseless. And we're losing qualified soldiers because of it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3263746/Transgender-officer-spent-50-000-woman-slams-U-S-Army-rules-force-soldiers-calling-sir.html

Transgender officer slams U.S. Army rule that mean she's called 'sir'

Captain Jennifer Peace, an intelligence specialist from Spanaway, Washington, became a woman in early 2014 after a decade of military service that saw her fight in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 9:48 AM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:48:08 -0400

Until the regulation changes, I don't think there is a different option. Defining the point where a transgender person assumes their identified gender will be difficult to codify.

Response by TSgt David L. made Oct 28 at 2015 9:50 AM

TSgt David L. — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:50:01 -0400

It's kind of a difficult area to form an opinion on. The regs state with certainty that the entry sex is and will be recognized, while the military has opted to let transgendered people serve. Regardless of your opinion, it seems to be a conflict between a policy and a hard, fast regulation. Is it time to change military regs?

Response by PV2 Scott Goodpasture made Oct 28 at 2015 9:51 AM

PV2 Scott Goodpasture — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 09:51:17 -0400

Well there is just too much of this going on. They used to put salt Peter in our food. What are they putting in food now?

Response by PO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 10:35 AM

PO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 10:35:37 -0400

.... does that mean .... we need to have gander neutral way to call an officer now??? ... the Rank??

Response by PV2 Scott Goodpasture made Oct 28 at 2015 11:47 AM

PV2 Scott Goodpasture — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:47:48 -0400

Response by SrA Edward Vong made Oct 28 at 2015 11:49 AM

SrA Edward Vong — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:49:20 -0400

...or we can just call the person by their rank and last name. Keeps it safe and neutral.

Response by LTC Eric Coger made Oct 28 at 2015 11:50 AM

LTC Eric Coger — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 11:50:00 -0400

Certainly not a cut and dry issue for many and for many reasons (good and bad, and not all personally biased not baseless). At a certain point we as a people and as an Army (and DoD at large) will have to decide a lot of issues. This one is different than the homosexual policy in that we will have to decide about housing, field conditions, HT/WT standards, PT standards. Maybe we go gender neutral on all things and remove all "labels" that are gender specific. Maybe we don't. At a certain point we have to decide what is best for national defense and what is best for the country. By "we" I mean our government, senior leaders and the public. Any change to what is currently in effect should be carefully done and with due diligence to all ramifications.

Response by 1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 12:07 PM

1stSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 12:07:35 -0400

Why do we continue to use tabloid's to source and backup our discussions. The Daily Mail and New York Daily News are known tabloids, yet I see them referenced here quite a bit. Why is that?

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 12:36 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 12:36:55 -0400

It kinda sounds like the Army version of Peppermint Patty and Marcie from Peanuts! "Sir!"

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 1:19 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 13:19:46 -0400

Well instead of trying to change the Army, maybe they should just get out. "He" is lucky that he didn't get boarded for mental issues. I'm not going to be PC and say he has rights to be blah blah blah. There is something wrong in his head. Lobbing your penis off does not change your DNA, genetically he is still a man.

Response by CW2 Carl Swanson made Oct 28 at 2015 4:36 PM

CW2 Carl Swanson — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:36:44 -0400

Sorry, your choice in sexual preference or decision to cross dress/ change your gender does not affect my common sense to address you appropriately. Sorry that you got your feelings hurt, I am not part of your social experiment!

Response by MSgt Curtis Ellis made Oct 28 at 2015 4:48 PM

MSgt Curtis Ellis — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:48:32 -0400

No "sexual gender"disrespect intended, but I've read this twice now, and I don't see "Duffleblog" attached to it... Is this really an "issue" in the Army, or are leaders just being @$$holes?

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Oct 28 at 2015 5:22 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:22:00 -0400

It is sad, to see grown man acting like meows and hiding behind regulations to make up for their lack of courage to respect the person. If Captain Jennifer has gone through surgery that makes her more a woman then a man, she is a woman; this is Pysch Ops in use.

Response by SPC K Webb made Oct 28 at 2015 5:41 PM

SPC K Webb — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:41:49 -0400

The inability to accept, acknowledge, and retain one's gender is a mental illness worthy of being kicked out of the military. This kind of stupid circus show impoverishes the military far more than this faux discrimination by the Army.

This kind of nonsense needs to be stamped out of the military. It affects readiness and discipline and the ability to win wars, which used to be the point of a military.

Response by SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 5:51 PM

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 17:51:53 -0400

Starship troopers!! Open bay showers and coed barracks for all! Problem I see is that biologically, "she" is still a man. Does "she" now get the opportunity to ACE female APFT standards? What other things are now open to "her".

Response by MSgt John Taylor made Oct 28 at 2015 6:16 PM

MSgt John Taylor — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 18:16:51 -0400

If you have an outtie, then you're a he. If you have an innie, then you're a she. It really is that simple! You can live your life however you want, but you're a male/female based on your physical make up.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 8:21 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 20:21:12 -0400

I bet he wanted them to grade her as a woman for the PT test and allow him to shower where women do.

Response by PV2 Steven Carlson made Oct 28 at 2015 9:00 PM

PV2 Steven Carlson — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:00:04 -0400

Get the fuck outta the army then... we dont want you i sure as hell will never take anyone like that in my foxhole

Response by SrA Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 28 at 2015 11:37 PM

SrA Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:37:15 -0400

Is this a duffel blog article? I mean honestly...

Response by PO1 John Miller made Oct 28 at 2015 11:54 PM

PO1 John Miller — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 23:54:08 -0400

No disrespect intended to my transgendered brothers/sisters in arms (SSG Patricia King and others), but one thing I never understood since I am not transgendered and heterosexual, maybe you can explain this to me. People like CAPT Peace don't make sense to me. Sure they've made the transition, but now identify themselves as gay/lesbian, being attracted to the same gender as when they were heterosexual males/females? What's up with that?

Response by Sgt Ben Barton made Oct 29 at 2015 5:16 AM

Sgt Ben Barton — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 05:16:58 -0400

I will use the appropriate gender specific noun correlating with the subject's XY chromosome chart. CPT She-a-he's feelings don't trump facts.

On a side note... Gender is a physical state. Gender identity is a mental state. A divergence between the physical and mental states indicate a mental condition. Handle accordingly.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Oct 29 at 2015 2:56 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 14:56:24 -0400

I will take this in a different direction, for those that were in Afghanistan how many recall the women in burkas with big shoulder and we suspected were Taliban in drag but could not touch them, we could have used Captain Jennifer Peace.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2015 3:22 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 15:22:37 -0400

Pray a prayer for this confused soul as worldly things has lead him astray. A gender neutral term for officers wouldn't be a terrible thing though.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 29 at 2015 3:26 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 15:26:08 -0400

I am a E-1 that identifies as an O-8 and demand to be addressed as "sir" or "Major General" and my pay should reflect my identity as well.

Response by TSgt Philip Howard made Oct 29 at 2015 3:27 PM

TSgt Philip Howard — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 15:27:07 -0400

I'm all for letting everyone in the military. There should be no limitations. In fact, we should do away with every single barrier. No sexual distinction at all. No sir/ma'am, no differential bathrooms or showers, everything is equal. Heck, why are there even have uniform regulations? Or grooming standards? Why is the military trying to make everyone drones in their big machine? We should be free to be who we want to be! Democracy for EVERYONE! I say let the units VOTE on how they want to be representin' the Army.

Response by SSG Todd Halverson made Oct 29 at 2015 5:30 PM

SSG Todd Halverson — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:30:03 -0400

I respect your right to see yourself the way you think you should be. But, that does not change how the Army sees you. You signed up as a man, you will be addressed as a man. The Military was never meant for social experiments. If you don't like the regulations, or can't live by those regulations, then it time for you to leave the service.

Response by Maj Michael Moore made Oct 29 at 2015 6:27 PM

Maj Michael Moore — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 18:27:14 -0400

Haven't women always said they want to be treated like men? I'm confused. Will this surgery change half his chromosomes to "Y"? Will it change his DNA? Cutting of your genitals and putting on a dress doesn't make a man in to a woman and I am flabbergasted that anyone would expect other people to play along with this guy's delusion.

Response by Cpl Robert Masi made Oct 29 at 2015 8:41 PM

Cpl Robert Masi — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 20:41:34 -0400

How about this. The day a Male (XY chromosome human being) SH*Ts a baby, I will consider him a her (Human containing XX chromosomes)......Until then, let's all be honest. Fake T*TS and long hair doesn't a woman make......Right now we are experiencing a flat out revolt against Science, and intelligence. It's insulting to my intelligence that someone would try to convince me that he is a she. While public education is completely failing Americans, it isn't failing that much.

Response by MSG Karl Arrington made Oct 29 at 2015 11:58 PM

MSG Karl Arrington — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 23:58:33 -0400

I understand the frustration, but CPT Peace had to know the rules and regs before going through the surgeries and treatment. They didn't magically change just because he has started the process of becoming female. They're under review by the Army and everyone will have to just wait until they are done. CPT Peace has been in for ten years. so I'm sure there are several Soldiers that have worked with him/her for years and will have problems with the transition. I'm always kind of boggled against this mindset of 'I'm going to swim upstream against the rules and get upset because the rules are against me'

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 12:44 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 12:44:06 -0400

50 grand to not accept whats in between your legs. trackin.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 1:31 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 13:31:33 -0400

What in the hell

Response by SSgt Tom Williams made Oct 30 at 2015 1:37 PM

SSgt Tom Williams — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 13:37:49 -0400

To me, a male, married and two children, would hesitate to even think of joining the military. I served in the USMC, 1966-1970. Served in Vietnam, Purple Heart recipient. With gays being allowed to do what eve3r they do, and now transgender, I would not want to join. We are destroying the military from the inside out.. I also would not want a woman on the front lines. If you have a penis, your a man, and vice versa.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 30 at 2015 4:59 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 16:59:49 -0400

Change is a very difficult thing but, contrary to popular belief, military members have led the way in accepting change throughout history. It is difficult for the common Soldier to see the overarching policies and how to implement/enforce those policies above their immediate chain of command. I commanded a company when the DADT policy was repealed and the thought, training, and policy implementation that went into that transition was intentional to keep Soldiers safe from individual Soldiers who are slow to accept change or ignorant to how to treat their fellow Soldiers.

I don't have to agree with any of these policies, but i believe that change, if it is going to happen, will come through individual Soldiers providing well thought out, consistent feedback to their chain of command that will allow the policymakers to formulate the best plan to bring about the change. Slamming the military because they want to see change today is not constructive and will, typically, make their career take a difficult pass, which may be a sacrifice he/she is willing to make for the cause.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Oct 30 at 2015 9:23 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 21:23:39 -0400

The military should make it a complete dive instead of half assing it.

Response by PFC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2015 6:17 PM

PFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 18:17:32 -0400

Regardless of getting surgery that makes you look like a women you are still genetically a man regardless of what you refer to yourself as

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 31 at 2015 6:40 PM

SSgt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 18:40:24 -0400

This is why among other things, that
transgender should NOT be allowed in the military, and I stand by that!

Response by SGT Phil Baxter made Nov 11 at 2015 9:20 PM

SGT Phil Baxter — Wed, 11 Nov 2015 21:20:40 -0500

Sorry either you are male or female.. no mixed in the service not good for moral...

Response by Cpl Private RallyPoint Member made Dec 18 at 2015 6:21 PM

Cpl Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 18:21:01 -0500

If you want to continue being in the army so bad, you'll deal with their rules. You thought there wouldn't be some sort of hangups when you changed your sex? Sad that after 10 years in the military, you still don't know anything about the military.

Response by SFC Pete Kain made Dec 26 at 2015 1:41 PM

SFC Pete Kain — Sat, 26 Dec 2015 13:41:25 -0500

Seriously surgery on active duty for this? Crap in the 70's you could receive an article 15 for a tattoo or sunburn if it impacted duty performance. Just what the hell has happened to this Country?

Response by PVT William Bresch made Dec 29 at 2015 9:16 AM

PVT William Bresch — Tue, 29 Dec 2015 09:16:37 -0500

Unless you can change your DNA sequence, meaning a complete biological change of all your genes, Yes Sir !!!

Response by Cpl Patricia Lail made Jan 21 at 2017 5:07 PM

Cpl Patricia Lail — Sat, 21 Jan 2017 17:07:44 -0500

Though she has every right to be upset, she knows how changes work. New rules and regulations do not happen overnight. They take a process and heavy amounts of information to approve or disapprove them. She should suck it up and wait for the decision. If she is still not satisfied she can go another route she decides upon.

Response by Maj Rob Drury made Jan 15 at 2019 3:30 AM

Maj Rob Drury — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 03:30:06 -0500

OMG; these POSs had children and subjected them to this?

Response by PVT Charles Campbell made Feb 26 at 2020 6:00 PM

PVT Charles Campbell — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 18:00:53 -0500

When I was in United States Army Captain Cass was a female and at all times she was always referred to as yes sir unless she was personally dressing you or you were personally addressing her it was yes sir