Government Clearances

[KarenSusan]

Girls,

I just applied for a job that said a secret clearance would be required. Any background check on me would reveal based on credit card purchase patterns and club affiliations (TGForum, Tri-Ess) that I am a CD.

Does anyone know what the government policy is on this? Can a CD/TG person hold a secret or higher clearance?

[EricaCD]

Several good friends of mine managed to get clearances notwithstanding nastier things in their past. However, do not try to hide your CDing (or anything, for that matter) from the government during a background check. Whomever is doing your check should at some point ask a catchall "Is there anything else we need to know?" If you haven't already told the investigator, be sure to tell at that point.

Erica

[Paula Thomas]

Karen (KarenSusan?) - At one time a "shady past" such as this would indicate that the person may be subject to blackmail to keep their secret(s) safe, and were therefore a bad security risk.

If it is not an automatic disqualifier, you need to be up-front about it, so that no one has reason to believe that you would jepordize any information just to keep it your CD activities a secret.

DO NOT LIE ABOUT IT!!!

[Julie Avery]

Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I had a secret clearance, and my sense of Big Brother's worries about sexuality was, "Can this person be blackmailed?" I would agree with Erica's and Paula's posts for this reason: if you're not afraid of the truth about yourself being made public, you can't be blackmailed. I'd like to think that Big Brother is efficient enough not to be distracted by ideological concerns (I mean to say, doesn't care about your sexuality), except to the extent that it may put you in a position to rat him out under pressure.

[Katrina]

The answer the investigator wants to hear from you is "I am prepared to tell/I have already told everybody about this". Basically, if you can be "outed" by blackmail, then they will be more reluctant to give you the clearance.

[jeniinnylons]

Well I passed my Govt background check with flying colors.

In credit checkd they are looking for what your credit history looks like. I know that my agency is not allowed to hire or to stay if you owe over a certain amount.

When it comes to being a member of a group they are looking for more like terriosts, skin head, black panther etc... type groups.

I am employed by DHS

[Marlena Dahlstrom]

I know Lacey Leigh has said she knows several CDs with highly classified clearances.

Again, the key thing is they were upfront about their dressing and made it clear they had gone/were ready to go public -- i.e. they couldn't be blackmailed about it.

[Kate Simmons]

From what I understand, the NSA has an open group of gay and TG people that have regular meetings, post meeting times on the information board, etc. This was from a book I read about the NSA. I guess if the information cannot be used against you, there shouldn't be a problem. I also met a CD last year who is in the CIA. Ericka Kay

[Scrunchie-Bunchie]

Given that Hoover, the FBI chairman was a rampant cross-dresser, I doubt there'd be a problem. The answer to "are you a transvestite" is "everybody needs to have some fun".

[robyn1114]

I'm military and I have to redo my secret clearance from time to time and I haven't had any problems.

[JoAnnDallas]

I am retired USAF/CIA and was assigned to the USAFSS. Those of you that are in the USAF know what the SS is. LOL Never had a problem with getting a clearance and when I went to work at NASA, not problem there either. I recently got cleared with the Homeland Security and Customs Agency. Again no problem. One thing I have found that once you are cleared the first time, updates are not as strict in the background checking area.

[PaulaJeanette]

Hi,

Several years ago, I received a DoD TS/SCI clearance. I already possessed a Secret clearance and they did a background check for the upgrade. Between clearances, I had gone thru a divorce and my first wife had found my lingerie so she probably suspected I crossdressed. I don't know what she said to the investigator but understand I can find out by asking for a copy. Interviewees are all told this point. To date, I haven't asked for it...don't know if I will.

My advice, just be careful...you don't want to open any doors if it isn't necessary.

Good luck,

PaulaJeanette

[tekla west]

Back in another life I worked for the Bechtel Corporation, and I had to get all that stuff. The deal then at least, was all about how open you were about it. Secrets are suspect to blackmail, where no one can threaten you with disclosure about what is public and common knowledge. Since everyone around me knew - and the clearance was for working in the documents archive, which housed, among other things, security blueprints for nuclear power plants - they did check very hard. But I was told going to to tell them everything, and sure enough they checked on it. Everyone said, "Yeah I know" end of story.

However, I would not be surprised if the climate today is not exactly as liberal as it was under Reagan.

[trannie T]

In all the recent cases of government employees betraying their country and violating their security clearances I do not recall any regarding crossdressing, transgender issues or homosexuality. We may be a menace to society but not to homeland security.