If you think you can keep seperate your CDing and making any kind of career in the Army...your nuts!
If you think you can keep seperate your CDing and making any kind of career in the Army...your nuts!
A couple of thoughts that come to mind.Originally Posted by Pythos
1. The military is always slower to adopt social changes. Look at DADT. There are many valid reasons for this, but the bottom line is that it will probably always be that way.
2. The DSM still has Crossdressing as a disorder. Although we know it wouldn't impact our ability to defend our country, disorders are something the military just automatically uses to exclude.
3. The military is still a macho organization. Changes that go against that will no doubt be slower. Maybe this ties back to #1.
Alexis - The best of luck to you. I did 20 years with a TS clearance before I started dressing so I can't tell you a lot. I didn't know any Crossdressers or any along the transgendered path, so it is hard to contribute there. I will say that anything that is on base is subject to federal inspection. I have seen full car inspections when the threat was high. I even remember one in the sixties when I was a kid because the bank on base was robbed. Unless things have changed, you sure don't have any privacy when living in barracks either, although that varies based on the service and the current local command. So keep gathering information and be careful. But this isn't Big Brother. They don't figure out your computer when you get a security clearance and track all of your activity no matter where you connect although I wouldn't push it on-base. They don't put a tail on you for your whole term of service. When you apply for a clearance, they investigate you and file a report and that is it unless someone files a security threat report to raise a flag. Be smart but you don't have to be paranoid.
Due to the draft and war in Viet Nam, I enlisted in the Air Force in 1971. Four years is a long time. Believe me, you cannot keep a secret in the military if it involves physical objects, like clothing. Your barracks and your room are searched in detail, without notice. Once my stash was discovered during an inspection. Luckily the officer chose not to make a big deal out of it, although it was clear the secret was out. Also luckily, I got discharged just a few months later.
At one small radar base I was assigned to, a tech sargent committed suicide. Afterward the word spread about the female clothing and makeup and such which was found in his house. I'd guess transgenderism played a part in the tragedy.
My suggestion? Think twice before you raise your right hand and take that oath.
Many, many people who I have already spoken to on here who managed to do it must be absolutely bats--t crazy then I guess....
Like Sue said, I'll "keep gathering information and be careful." Luckily the plans I've considered don't involve any clothing ever coming near base, and also I'm really still going to take things as I go. If I'm stationed in Korea, then I don't think there's any which way that I'll try and dress. If I'm stationed in Germany, where I actually speak the language btw and could blend in a bit more, if I can find someone off base to mail my stuff to then maybe I'll try to dress some there, but I'm going to take things as I go. I'm not desperate to dress, but taking measure of how I can safely do it first, I will do it when I can.
Also, incidentally, if I do get caught, I'm literally going to laugh it off as something done for fun or as a joke. Someone who crossdresses isn't necessarily a crossdresser. I got a buddy who's an infantry LT in the Army who has crossdressed a bunch of times for a laugh, has pictures up of it on his regular Facebook, he's not a crossdresser, and nobody really cares. Still, people could potentially find out more about it with me, but bottom line is I am going to be smart about it and really play it as I go. From talking to people on here and a few crossdressers in person who have served, I've gotten ideas on how I can probably do it safely like what I've shared here, but it depends on where my career with the Army takes me.
Last edited by ak88gurl; 12-28-2011 at 11:34 AM.
I don't think you can compare the military of 40 years ago to today any more than you can compare society at large in the same manner. As I've said previously, commanders have pretty much seen it all. As long as it isn't illegal, we don't really care. I'm not going to bust a great soldier over some petty crap like having women's clothes. Think of it as a traffic stop. A cop isn't going to pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt on the interstate. Neither are they going to do the same for having a beer can in the bed of your pickup. But, if they pull you over for speeding, and then see the seat belt violation and the beer can, then they are going to start piling on the infractions. Good soldiers are hard to retain as it is. Why do you think that a female soldier who had a tattoo of two female symbols intertwined on her arm never had an issue? Everyone knew she was a lesbian and we knew who her girlfriend was - the battalion commander is the one who pointed that detail out - but no one cared because she did a good job. Is it equitable? No, but most things aren't applied equally anyway. Is it fair? You bet - she was a hard worker and dependable. She followed the rules and didn't flaunt it, so we didn't make the assumption based on the evidence, and all was well. The most invasive inspection you're going to get is a Health and Welfare check. These are targeted for certain items, and as such can't be used for fishing trips. As long as you don't have any military equipment you're not authorized, illegal or drugs not prescribed to you, too much alcohol, firearms, ammunition, etc, there's not too much to worry about. Remember, you have to establish a pattern of misconduct before anyone will actually do anything. A military job is about as secure as a union job, unless you commit a major violation, of which crossdressing is not. Also remember that the Army is big on uniformity. Flaunting your individuality may be admired in the civilian world, but it's frowned upon in the Army. Alexis is smart enough to know how to operate. My only real urging is to go to OCS, which will allow the avoidance of most of the concerns voiced here. It's no coincidence that I didn't get my ears pierced until I had gold bars on my shoulders.
Awesome post and thanks for making it!
I might go to OCS, but I really am inclined to wait at least a couple years. I am also still really interested in seeing what I could possibly do with SOF, more so than being an officer, and if I try and do that then I really will try and pretty well curtail any CDing activities for at least a good while. Unless I go SF though, if I stay in then I will probably go to OCS after a couple of years.
If you decide to go to OCS later, make sure your graduation date is after the fourth anniversary of the day you report to basic training. We had a candidate who graduated on Thursday and his 4 year mark was the following Sunday. There's a difference in the money.
While stationed in Germany in 1971 (army) there was a CDer stationed not far from us. She even had an article about herself printed in the Stars and Stripes. I guess the point I'm trying to make is- nobody seemed to care. But then again I'm pretty certain that if the right brigade, battalion or company commander got wind of somebody CDing they would do something about it. So do be careful. A lot of people in command probably think that DADT probably pertains to the CDing community also. Once again don't take chances.
Well I'll tell you this. Due to clearance issues etc, and the DADT policy at the time, my CDing was an "open secret 800 pound gorilla" sort of situation. Due to the background check for my clearance, they discovered I was a CDer. Due to "the possibility of getting blackmailed" issue, they told everybody. So everyone knew....and no one could ask me about it, nor could I tell anyone about it. The only issues I had (go figure) were with the proverbial ultra-consereviative born-again religious nut commanders who would occasionally turn up. I got no respect, either professionally or personally, regardless of my actions. They were all convinced I was going to burn in hell for eternity for going against "gods law" or whatever. Lame, ain't it. After 20+ years I was glad to move on. And to be clear, not everyone was like that. Most folks either didn't care or were oblivious. Only a few commanding officers I worked for seemed to have an issue - these were the ones who spent 12 hours a day at work followed by 4 hours a day at church ... and 12 hours a day at church on the weekends. Some life, right.
Crysten
"Addicted to Victoria's Secret".
Good information, and a good reference to work from
....and I think this issue will be the next article in my fledgling blog
thanks
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -- Mark Twain
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If they can get away with THIS in the Army.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haHXgFU7qNI
....just saying....
True, if you use your own computer but are on their, base using their network, routers etc. then you are under their rules.
As a fairly new LT who is also a crossdresser, I just want to repeat some of the above mentioned advice. Be careful about your Cding, and be the best soldier you can be. I am a fire support officer in an armor company, and the stupid stuff soldiers do concern my commander and 1SG way much more that a bunch of women's clothes (not to demean our collective weakness lol). Just in the past 3 months we have had two cases of domestic violence, one demotion because a soldier was having inappropriate conversations with a 14 year old girl on facebook, and an "attempted suicide attempt" (aka the soldier didn't like being in the army and took just enough pills to look like suicide but not actually be close to dying). One of my soldiers had a video taken of him in full makeup, and admitting he likes sucking on women's toes. The CO, 1SG, my FSNCO, and myself all saw it, and ya know what? He still got a waiver for early promotion because he is a good soldier and is technically and tactically proficient. He and one other soldier (who took the video lol) got early promotions ahead of their peers. Did his little foray into CDing injure his career? As of right now, no. But who knows the future, maybe that video will come back to haunt him one day.
I guess the main point of my post is that if you keep your head down and do what your LT, PSG, 1SG, and CO ask you to do, you should be fine. And that is my advice to anyone putting on a uniform, CD or not. If you make their life easy, aka not get in trouble, they will leave you alone for the most part. And if you excel at your job, they will probably recognize your achievement.
The fact that you are asking these questions in advance and show that you have an analytical mindset shows me, at least, that you have the ability to far exceed your peers. Most other guys are wondering how much pu$$y they are gonna get on the weekend, not if their shoes are gonna match their bra and purse. Cding doesn't really even enter into how a soldier thinks about another soldier unless it is shoved in his/her face.
To be honest, when I saw the video of my soldier in full makeup, it took me a few minutes to even consider if he was a CD. Soldiers do some much stupid sh*t that it is barely a consideration, even coming form an officer who is a CD!
I recently retired from the Navy and was an on/off crossdresser during that time. The off times were while in basic and school, and while on the ship or deployed overseas. However, the times when I was shore based I was living off-base in my own apartment and was able to dress in private all the time. So basically what I am saying is just use some common sense...and you might have to put off your dressing urges for a year now and then while your deployed, but when home, got for it!
Well, would you rather watch that video, which I did, or the video of the marines pissing on the dead Afghanis? When you're in an isolated forward operating base and have too much time on your hands in between people trying to kill you, you have the tendency to blow off steam in some of the most ridiculous ways imaginable. I served two years forty years ago, There were openly gay/lesbian soldiers. There was a 'suspected' cross dresser, who was talked about but no one really knew.
Having resided in one of the largest military base complexes in the USA some of the most news worthy cases concerning pre-DADT regulations were heart breaking. Service personnel with absolutely stellar records of service were tossed out because ONE commander pushed the issue of sexuality. As to can see from the posts there are regulations concerning 'inappropriate' military behavior. The point to remember is that ONE person may have an issue with cross dressing and will make your life hell. If there is a regulation against any type of behavior, and, the commander chooses to apply the remedy for such behavior, the chain of command cannot ignore the issue. There have been personnel discharged from the local base due to conduct unbecoming, which was marital infidelity. In civilian life you can screw your neighbor, but, not if you're in the military.
As to service background checks, they can be superficial or detailed. When I went through one for one of the "spy" agencies, the background check was conducted by both FBI and CIA investigators, who knocked on every door in the neighborhood checking on my activities and integrity.
Just keep in mind, if somebody wants to make life hell for you, he can do it. Above all, if you're in the combat arms, keep your ass down and your head down further!
SLDN has some great info on this topic.
http://www.sldn.org/content/pages/transgender-service1
WOW there is some interesting info/opinions in here.Some really good advice too. My
it will be tough, and if you pursue it you should be VERY careful for the various reasons mentioned. As to why you should have to be, why the Militarty in general even cares... well there are rules for EVERYTHING. Quite literally everything. Even rules that contradict other rules. Welcome to the Army.
It doesn't have to make sense. What the many in "general public" don't understand is one of the basic principles of the military. You give up many of your rights, in order to protect theirs. That is the burden our nations fighting men and women carry.
Until you reach sufficient rank to be immune to BS, life will "suck".
An actual investigation for a security clearance is IN DEPTH. Depending on what they find initially will depend on how deep they dig. Financials, where you have lived, family, friends, past employers....it all gets looked into.
One thing I haven't really seen mentioned.....I would suggest not dressing anywhere even near post. If you haven't been exposed to it, cities surrounding installations are really just an extension of that installation. Every third car has a DOD sticker on the window, so is either a service member, or spouse etc. For large bases, you really have to get 50mi or so away before that thins out appreciably. Just something to consider if you are trying to make sure you don't run into someone you might know/recognize. That being said, the Army isn't THAT big of an organization. You will run into people you recognize in the least likely places.
Life for me would not be the same without my past service. Even with the sacrifices/deployment etc... it got me where I am and I am proud to have served.If its something you really want, then go for it. Regrets are forever, while hardships can be overcome.
This is reply #94 now. I remember being #2. I do not know where you are at now but you have a lot of good info from this thread.
I guess it is close to decision time and I think with the information you have here you would make a good military lawyer.
I still say go for it and you you should succeed and have a great career ahead of you. Yes wait till after 4 years before graduating and get the extra money.
I wish you all the best in a successful career.
Work on your elegance,
and beauty will follow.
So I just wonder how many people realize that she has almost certainly already signed all of the paper work and is probably already legally obligated to the Army? Not much point in shouting "Don't do it" at this stage because it's probably already been done. Now is the time to offer her real world advice that she can use to get through it.
Yes! This link has a full and accurate account of the state of TG affairs as it pertains to service in the US armed forces today. This should answer any questions that anyone might have. Thanks, Jamie!
I've gone to find myself. If I should return before I get back keep me here to wait for me so I don't go back out and miss myself when I return.
