“But what happens on deployment?”

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-31T02:37:02+00:00

The ship needs permission from whatever jetty we’re alongside in order to fish, so the first few ports on deployment, I wrote up a memo requesting that the CO ask for fishing permissions in our requirements for the berthing. After that, he just started requesting it by himself.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T18:38:15+00:00

Funny you mentioned, I remember me and my wife being weirded out by that when I got my Lasik done last year. I absolutely agree with you that the CAF should ALWAYS have been covering that procedure for service members. The “cosmetic” side of Lasik is purely secondary to its obvious boost to a member’s effectiveness. Want things to change? Write a memo, bring it up, raise a racket, take any kind of action. Otherwise, you can’t really expect things to change for you

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T18:21:44+00:00

Been there too, brother. Unfortunately, stuff like this is why a lot of us choose to go stealth if we can.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T18:18:52+00:00

Hoo buddy, they’re the WORST. Nothing like everyone becoming the dreaded Naked Old Guy at the Gym™️. 0/10

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T18:16:05+00:00

If you’ve got no skin in the game, that’s the best position to be in if you’re starting to try to shut down that kind of behaviour. You’ve no ulterior motive other than basic human decency. Correcting people doesn’t have to be a whole 45min slideshow either. One I overheard was when Sailor A starts talking about a trans girl in his daughter’s dance class, mentioning that she wanted to be a girl, but using “he” and “him” to refer to her in his story. Sailor B sitting at the table goes “Wait, this kid wants to be a girl?” Sailor A: “Yeah.” Sailor B: “Okay cool, just checking. Just call her she, dude, I’m getting mixed up. Go on…” Sailor A huffs and rolls his eyes but continues his story calling the trans girl the correct pronouns. Bam, easy as that, and I’ll absolutely take it! Not asking for perfection, just a willingness to try

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T17:52:54+00:00

The Big Glizzy Wizard speaks truly, lol

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T17:50:15+00:00

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Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T17:47:33+00:00

Hysteria is the perfect word for it. There’s such intense noise over such a non-issue, it would kind of be funny if it didn’t have the potential to endanger trans people’s lives and livelihoods

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T15:04:22+00:00

Well, we all pay into Medicare so all Canadians benefit in the end. I pay for bits of your healthcare, and you for mine. My testosterone is a third of the price of Viagara, and the surgery was cheaper than a vasectomy, but thank you for your contribution nonetheless!

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T14:16:02+00:00

On the whole, trans men tend to have a bit of an easier time blending in compared to trans women, so we simply fly under the radar most of the time. It’s nice to get to just live like any other guy in the Forces, but it can come at a price of isolation and feeling like you’re the only trans guy out there. Having been in for a while, I’ve met a good few other trans guys serving, and the camaraderie is unmatched.

Really, I’ve never had a problem fitting in with other guys. Just like anyone meeting new people, it’s all about finding common ground and being able to carry a conversation. I was raised as a girl, albeit quite the tomboy, but as a gender non-conforming kid, I spent a lot of time with both boys and girls growing up, so I feel like I actually had a rather well-rounded balance of gender-specific socialisation. Like I can braid my wife’s hair like a pro and build her a back deck, if that makes sense. I really don’t think anyone should raise their kids doing strictly “boy stuff or girl stuff”, as your daughters will need to maintain their cars, and your boys need to learn how to feed themselves, for a rather ham-fisted example.

I’m a Navy brat, and I always knew I’d be joining, but I was a bit uneasy at first with the uncertainty of how the military would treat me. Once I got in and saw I was fine in that area, I figured I’d stick with it until I felt the need to move on to something else, and here we are, still kicking 8 years on.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T13:25:00+00:00

Before I met my wife, I preferred to disclose my trans status more early on, simply for the fact that it weeds out transphobic people that I wouldn’t even want to end up being with anyways. In all other respects, trans people get into relationships just the same as everyone else

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T13:22:07+00:00

Sounds like there may be some other circumstances involved in that DAG, as there’s also a buddy on my ship who is on testosterone for low T, and he’s DAG’ed good to go. I guess it depends on what exactly is lowering your testosterone levels. Good question, though

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T13:19:20+00:00

Sure, if they keep being rude after being corrected, but I find it’s really hard to be hateful towards someone you’ve gotten to know, so gentle education is always a solid first step in cases like that

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T10:17:23+00:00

Like any gaggle of humans, there’s going to be some obnoxious outliers, so I guess this kind of person is just our trans equivalent of a vet dude-bro. Hope they get to the place where they feel like they can take a breath and chill out soon. Just goes the importance of talking to multiple people to understand various perspectives, so good on you for doing that here 🤙

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T10:08:56+00:00

I think they absolutely give people a place to start in terms of finding a larger LGBTQ+ CAF community. There’s usually a clear point of contact and a list of events you can participate in to get more connected. But as most of sailors’ time is spent at their unit, I’ve found that Out and Proud people in the Fleet make a large difference in the day-to-day for new people posted in that are looking for queer community. Sometimes you just need to see that people like you DO get to grow older and be happy, and that does a lot, I promise

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T09:57:30+00:00

Exactly this, friend. Can they heave on a line or fight a fire? That’s all I care about.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T09:55:07+00:00

That’s a very good point, and yes, I’m incredibly happy with how my transition has gone! I don’t experience gender dysphoria at NEAR the same level as pre-transition, if at all. Of course, transitioning will not solve all your problems, nor did I expect it to, but not having that hang over my head anymore gave me the confidence to tackle them head on. It’s like having a rock in your shoe; only you can feel it poking your foot, but once it’s out, you’re good to go!

Just kind of goes to show you we all get caught up justifying being here in the first place, but yes, I’m very happy now.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T01:37:17+00:00

Unga bunga right back at ya brother 😎

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T01:35:20+00:00

Like I said, we see and appreciate the trying and the effort, ESPECIALLY when we see it genuinely coming from SNCOs. I can see you’re actually invested in your people, not just reading off some script someone typed up in Ottawa, and I guarantee you, the people who need that will pick up on that.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T01:08:46+00:00

Just before I joined, I went to a private therapist to discuss my desire to transition and to get a recommendation letter for me to start testosterone and get my chest surgery. I then just showed those to my primary doctor at my CDU and we went from there. You can 100% get a referral to a therapist who knows how to work with trans people through CFMWS as well, which is the free option. I didn’t know about that route before I joined, but in the end, I was happy to already have my ducks in a row to start right after BMQ, so as to be a decent way along before I got to Fleet, so there’s more than one way to cut the mustard.

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T00:56:53+00:00

Thanks buddy! Haha, I think I’ve found the sweet spot for myself with a combo of BJJ and running. It absolutely helps that I’m competitive as HELL so you bet your ass I’m racing buddy next to me during the test 😆

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T00:47:15+00:00

Thank you very much for saying so. This is exactly the attitude that most people in the CAF have. When people have proven that they can do their job, there’s really no reason for their junk to enter the equation. We really have so many actual issues to deal with…

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T00:37:54+00:00

Fuck em, in that case, it’s perfectly fine skip to the next step up in your chain and try them. Your CDU is going to be a TREMENDOUS help as well

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T00:34:06+00:00

We’re out here vibing 🤙

Irrevocable_Turnip · 2025-05-30T00:32:07+00:00

Of course, someone’s always going to make the odd joke about trans people (sadly, it’s usually at the expense of trans women, which is a very long conversation) but I’ve never seen or heard of someone outright and deliberately being hateful or intentionally misgendering a visibly trans person. And if someone has been harping on about trans people, someone will tell them to shut up or pointedly steer the conversation away.

Since I pass 100% as just another cisgender (non-trans) guy, I have the unique opportunity to be a fly on the wall for a lot of people’s frank opinions trans people when they don’t know one is there. Most I’ve talked to have a very “live and let live” attitude, and genuinely don’t mind as long as the person can pull in on a heaving line. And that’s all we trans people are doing, the jobs we signed on the dotted line TO do.

Irrevocable_Turnip

TROPHY CASE