Army
Transgender Scots Guard To Be First Frontline Female
A transgender Scots Guard is to be the first frontline female soldier.
Chloe Allen, a 24-year-old male-to-female transgender who joined the Guards as 'Ben', has recently started hormone therapy.
An Army spokesperson told Forces TV that the UK military is in the process of investigating the long-term effects of combat roles on women's bodies.
He added, however, that Chloe Allen will undergo regular reviews in the same way as any frontline soldier does.
Chloe has said that she shouldn't have worried about coming out because the entire battalion 'has been brilliant'.
"I'd love to inspire people to just come out and be themselves".
In July, Gen Sir Nick Carter recommended to David Cameron that women should be allowed into frontline roles, and Gen Sir James Everand, commander of the field army, has since said of Allen:
"I'm delighted to have our first woman serving in a ground close combat unit. The British Army is really proving itself as an inclusive organisation where everyone is welcome and can thrive".
Capt Hannah Winterbourne also came out as transgender earlier in the year and has similiarly spoken highly of the Army's forward thinking.
Cover image: Ibagli
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