Trans Men And Soldier Imagery
And how to differentiate it from militaristic glorification
I’ve been seeing a lot of push back against what people are referring to as “military forcemasc” or “forcemasc revolving around the military” as well as a general distaste by liberals for the utilization of the image of a soldier in transmasc or trans man spaces. I’ve been meaning to make a post like this for a while because while I responded to a post in particular (the OP is pulling the “it was a joke” technique. Not sure what the punchline was it was literally just a blunt statement followed with “not falling for that” and also specified it was a “serious issue” Whatever) I feel like somebody needs to come out and explain in more detail what is going on and where to draw the line. Many people who call themselves leftists are alarmingly liberal in their understanding of what the military actually is, and how the military complex differs from the individual soldier, and what glorification actually looks like. Disclaimer: I will not be discussing kink. I will talk about how this all applies to kink in a separate post.
A lot of transgender men in particular express themselves using the image of a soldier. Let’s explore why this is a recurring theme first.
The Soldier As A Masculine Archetype
Before I begin, let me make one thing clear. The soldier itself is not the military industrial complex. The soldier is an individual person.
A soldier has also, for a very long time, been overwhelmingly male. Women and of course, because we are not accepted by general society as “real men”, trans men, are excluded from enlistment and from being a soldier. The very first and very simple component to trans men using soldier imagery is that thinking of oneself as a soldier or representing oneself as a soldier, a masculine archetype, is highly gender affirming.
This in itself is not inherently wrong. To me, it makes a lot of sense. The difference is where the man goes with this next. How does he use the soldier to express himself? How does he view the military?
The Struggles Of Being Transgender As A “War”
Many trans men visualize themselves as soldiers fighting and suffering through a “war.” That war being the adversity and oppression experienced for being a minority. In this version of the trans soldier allegory, the soldier is somebody who suffers.
Your Fellow Trans Man As Your Brother In Arms
Not only do many trans men express suffering for their identity through the harrowing lense of a soldier’s struggle, but they visualize the collective pain and anguish experienced by their fellow trans men who are fighting the same “war” as their fellow soldiers, fighting desperately along side one another to be seen and to be accepted. The oppression we collectively experience, the “war”, puts immense stress and pressure upon our shoulders. It collectively traumatizes us. We take comfort in the company of our fellow soldier and the brotherhood so that we do not break down and give up.
This War Has Actual Casualties
Just like a soldier, your fellow trans man may die in this “war.” Literally. He literally may die. He may succumb to the immense pressure and horror and give up, unable to go any further, or he may literally be murdered by somebody else.
Homosexuality And Bonding Through The Horror
Soldiers often found comfort in each other that went far beyond the general sense that somebody was fighting alongside you and that you weren’t alone. Many soldiers fell in love in secret, intertwined by a unique struggle that only they can truly understand having experienced it, deepening their bond. I think it’s obvious why a lot of gay trans men may feel drawn to expressing their feelings for another trans man in this way.
Societal Expectations, Bigotry, Rigid Gender Roles and Policing As The Millitary Complex
This might be the biggest tell that somebody is not using the imagery of a soldier to glorify the military. Trans men that use soldier imagery to express the collective suffering we endure imply that we fight against our will against a complex that enslaves us and seeks to use us and then throw us away for our bodies. This doesn’t sound like a very positive view on the military industrial complex, does it? Using this allegory literally requires the awareness that the military industrial complex is predatory and evil.
What Does Glorifying The Military Look Like Then?
Unfortunately, trans men are not immune to propaganda and he may take the other route. Fortunately, it is fairly easy to spot militaristic glorification. Let’s take a look at the easiest ways to spot it.
Focus On Enlistment Or The Military And Not The Struggle Or Soldier
A trans man who glorifies the military may focus on the military as an industry and not on any particular individual and especially not their struggle. And if they do, the struggle is portrayed as honorable and necessary. They may show that they feel it is shameful to be traumatized by war, and they may reflect this in their views about oppression, stating that we are weak, we are not oppressed, and we are blowing things out of proportion. Looking at you, transmeds. A trans man who glorifies the military may make it clear that he wants to enlist and wants enlistment to be possible for trans men, not because he wants trans men to be seen as equals, but because he thinks that the military is the “final boss” of passing, and that in order to prove oneself as a man, we should be allowed to be a part of the military.
Fascination With Subjugation And Power Fantasy
Trans men who glorify the military show signs that they are fascinated with a classic male power fantasy. They are attached to the idea of being able to dominate people, believe this is inherently masculine, and enjoy the idea of being powerful and deadly with a focus on subjugation and superiority. They often insinuate that this is normal for men, and that the lack of drive to be the most dead inside, the most powerful, the least compassionate and the most deadly means you are not a real man.
Modern soldiers are often voluntarily enlisted. Trans men who glorify the military see this as honorable and use a lot of modern military imagery and soldiers, not imagery of soldiers that were forced to fight against their will. He may also go a step further and insinuate soldiers that were forced to fight and came back with PTSD were weak men.
Eh. Probably the easiest way to tell. Is he a chud? Did he vote for a certain talking orange ballsack with 3 yellow hairs on his head? Does he deny the brotherhood he shares with other trans men? Is he constantly trying to other himself from the lgbtq community out of insecurity? Yeah. Stay away from this guy.
Comparisons Of Actual Imagery
Now, let’s test your eyes. Can you pick out which of these images is glorifying the military and which ones are not? To a lot of uneducated people, these might look the same.
(I found these images on Pinterest and was unable to track down artists. I do not claim to own these pieces of art and if anyone knows the artists I will credit them as soon as I am pointed in the right direction. These were the best images I could find. I generally try to find artists first, but literally could not find anything of use to this post that had any trace of an artist. I tried reverse image searching too.)
