A TRANSGENDER soldier has blasted her barracks in southern Spain after being told she cannot share the locker rooms used by other female servicepeople.
Francisco Javier, 42, changed her gender to female under the country’s so-called ‘Ley Trans’, or Trans Law, but has kept her original name and intends to keep her masculine appearance.
Javier says she has the support of her daughter and co-workers but does not feel recognised by army bosses at her barracks in Carmona, just outside Sevilla city.
Javier claimed to the Sonsoles Onega TV programme that she has since been asked to avoid common changing areas, and has instead been ordered to use a room reserved for senior commanders.
She said: “They tell me to change in a senior management room, where there are also women… I have an assigned time to change first and last minute so as not to cross paths with the other colleagues.”
The soldier of two decades said she wants to be treated like any other colleague and to be able to use the same facilities as the other female staff.
She rejected claims that she wanted to ‘take advantage’ of the Trans Law.
When asked about her identity, Javier explained: “I am not transsexual, I am transgender, the law allows me to keep my name, maintain my physical condition and change my gender.”
When asked about her experience as a woman, Javier said: “I can’t explain why I feel like a woman. It’s a feeling. What difference does it make if I have a beard or am six feet tall?”
The Trans Law sparked bitter divisions in the coalition government, as well as in the feminist movement, on its path through parliament last year.
Under the new legislation, in effect from last March, people can choose their name and legally registered gender without taking any previous steps or needing medical supervision, as was the case previously.
This applies to anyone aged 16 and over, while for minors there are some conditions. Those aged 12 to 14 will need the blessing of the courts, while 14- to 16 year olds will need the permission of their parents or legal guardians.
