Joanne Rushton
Encyclopedia
Sergeant Major
Joanne Wingate (born in 1960) is the first publicly known transsexual-soldier to transition and serve in the post cold-war British Army
.
Rushton started her transition in August 1996 and eventually had her "sex-change" at the end of January 2000. Only a few months after her SRS (Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
) the Army terminated her service in May 2003, effectively firing her. This was in total disregard to their own "new guidelines/instruction AGAI 76" on the issue of "transition within the Army" issued especially to protect people like her. As Joe Rushton, she served in Kosovo
, Bosnia
and Northern Ireland
with the REME Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
and was also part of the army boxing team.
She was the first person in the service to openly change gender and also take the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) to an employment tribunal for Discrimination in 2003. Given that the Gender Recognition Act was first signed into law in 2004, she was legally (under old legal British precedents) considered male, and subsequently lost her case. This despite promises before her transition by the UK Government that it was OK to change sex while in the forces.
In 2003 an article about her with headline "Transsexual Loses Case" and a report about Petra Henderson Royal Signals with Title "Sex-Swap Soldier Speaks out" appeared on page three of the British Army's daily newspaper ("Sixth Sense" 20 November 2003).
Sergeant Major
Sergeants major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. In Commonwealth countries, Sergeants Major are usually appointments held by senior non-commissioned officers or warrant officers...
Joanne Wingate (born in 1960) is the first publicly known transsexual-soldier to transition and serve in the post cold-war British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
.
Rushton started her transition in August 1996 and eventually had her "sex-change" at the end of January 2000. Only a few months after her SRS (Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
Sex reassignment surgery male-to-female
Sex reassignment surgery from male to female involves reshaping the male genitals into a form with the appearance of and, as far as possible, the function of female genitalia. Prior to any surgeries, trans women usually undergo hormone replacement therapy and facial hair removal...
) the Army terminated her service in May 2003, effectively firing her. This was in total disregard to their own "new guidelines/instruction AGAI 76" on the issue of "transition within the Army" issued especially to protect people like her. As Joe Rushton, she served in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
with the REME Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers is a corps of the British Army that has responsibility for the maintenance, servicing and inspection of almost every electrical and mechanical piece of equipment within the British Army from Challenger II main battle tanks and WAH64 Apache...
and was also part of the army boxing team.
She was the first person in the service to openly change gender and also take the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD) to an employment tribunal for Discrimination in 2003. Given that the Gender Recognition Act was first signed into law in 2004, she was legally (under old legal British precedents) considered male, and subsequently lost her case. This despite promises before her transition by the UK Government that it was OK to change sex while in the forces.
In 2003 an article about her with headline "Transsexual Loses Case" and a report about Petra Henderson Royal Signals with Title "Sex-Swap Soldier Speaks out" appeared on page three of the British Army's daily newspaper ("Sixth Sense" 20 November 2003).