Trans soldier becomes first woman on frontline of British Army

She will be the first UK woman allowed to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat.

Britain’s first woman soldier to serve on the frontline is transgender.

Chloe Allen, who joined the service in 2012, serves as a member of 1st Battalion, the Scots Guards.

She said she is proud ‘to be able to make history’.

The 24-year-old started her transition last month and has begun hormone therapy treatment.

Speaking to The Sun, she said: ‘It is a great honor to be able to make history and at the same time do my job, it’s just brilliant, I’m just looked at as a normal person.

‘I’d love to inspire people to just come out and be themselves, as much as it’s a big bad world, it’s not as bad as what people think it is, and it’s easier when you’ve got your mates and your bosses behind you.

‘I didn’t set out to make history, it’s just the way it’s happened.’

Allen told the newspaper she was caught wearing women’s clothes, but it took eight months to a year before she told anyone.

‘My transition has been as easy as it could have got for me, the battalion has been brilliant, the Army has been brilliant, the lads have been brilliant.’

The British Army banned women from Ground Close Combat units, battalions where troops are required to ‘close and kill’ with enemy combatants, until the rules were changed in July.

It is considered one of the most dangerous jobs in the armed forces.

General Sir James Everard, Commander of the Field Army, said: ‘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. Recent awards from Stonewall and the opening up of all elements of military service to women are clear evidence of this.

‘Being the first of anything takes courage. I applaud Guardsman Chloe Allen for being a trendsetter and wish her every success.’

Source: www.gaystarnews.com