San Diego LGBT Weekly
Autumn Sandeen
http://lgbtweekly.com/2012/03/15/no-longer-serving-isolated-and-alone/When I joined the military, I believed myself to be an ex-->-bleeped-<-; when Andy joined the military, he believed himself to be a lesbian – both of us hid our histories and our identities when we joined. I knew for the last four years of my military service that my transition from male-to female was a strong possibility; Andy has known for the last three years of his military service that he's a trans man. During the time I was married to my now ex-wife and in the Navy, I hid my trans-related history from my children; Andy's children don't know the word transgender is a word that could be connected to him. Whereas I was a "Jane-girl" who appeared so feminine that my military peers presumed I was gay, Andy is a "Tom-boy" who isn't suspected of being anything more than perhaps being lesbian – something that is legal to be now that DADT has been repealed. When I was married with my children, I was presumed to be a heterosexual male – I had what us LGBT servicemembers called "marriage privilege," and my sexuality wasn't questioned. Similarly, Andy's children provide him "family privilege" that protects him from being perceived by his peers as trans.
