Army provokes feminist backlash after first transgender soldier to serve on the frontline joins panel discussion on ‘women in leadership’ at Sandhurst event
- Petty Officer Deborah Penny became the first trans soldier to serve on the front lines
- Soldier took part in the discussion about ‘living experiences’ of women in the armed forces
- But campaigners questioned the decision, as she joined the army as a man
The military has provoked a feminist backlash after the first transgender soldier to serve on the front lines appeared on a panel at a “women in leadership” event.
Petty Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny took part in a discussion about the “lived experience” of women in the armed forces at the Sandhurst event this week.
WW2 Penny, who served for over 40 years for the British Army in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, is the Commissioned Officer for Diversity and Inclusion.
The decision to select WW2 Penny on the five-member panel on biological women drew a backlash from campaigners who claimed her experience was “irrelevant” to women, as she joined as a man and served in roles that female troops could not.
Helen Joyce, the director of advocacy for campaign group Sex Matters, shared The Telegraph that the trans soldier “came into the army as a man and did things as a man that women couldn’t.”
Petty Officer Class 2 Deborah Penny participated in a discussion about women’s “lived experience.”
She added: “It’s hugely insulting to present this to women as something useful for their careers, they can’t do the same,” she said.
“It’s offensive and really suggests that there are no women who can be women in leadership. I think it would have been better if they didn’t do the event.’
The most recent government statistics show that only 13.81 percent of officers were women in 2021, as female soldiers continue to be underrepresented in the military, particularly in leadership positions.
The Department of Defense also came under fire on social media after Hannah Colbeck, co-chair of the Army Servicewomen’s Network, posted photos of the event online.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (stock) was where the controversial conversation took place this week
‘Great today (at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst) to support the (Army Engagement) team in delivering a Women in Leadership event. Splendor and ceremony of the Commander’s Parade, followed by a Lived Experience Panel and questions,” she said.
Social media users complained that WW2 Penny’s spent time in the Commandos in 1986 – where women were not allowed to enter at the time. All combat roles were only made available to women five years ago.
Despite criticism, senior army members have praised the armed forces’ “progressive” decision. Former Chief of the Army Lord Dannatt said having a trans woman was ‘a good way to reflect all dimensions of the female point of view’.
WW2 Penny has previously told of her long transition process between 2004 when she came out and 2010. Transgender people were allowed to join the military in 1999 – a year before gays, lesbians and bisexuals could.
Last year, the soldier was nominated for a national diversity award for lifetime achievement, recognizing her as someone who “actively presents to external audiences of schools, communities and businesses to break down barriers and dispel myths about transgender, LGBTQ+ and being a woman.” ‘. in today’s military’ and is a ‘pioneer in diversity training’.
Earlier this year, British Army officer Abigail Austen, the first officer to begin gender reassignment surgery while serving in the military, claimed she was told to shoot herself when she revealed to her commanding officer that she was trans.
An army spokesman said: “The comments on social media about this individual and any reinforcement of it are unacceptable and do not reflect what the military stands for, a place where everyone is welcome.
“We are an inclusive employer, where every member of our workforce is valued and they all have the right to participate in networking events to support each other’s personal experiences in our service.”