'On the inside, I am a lesbian': Male Spanish soldiers are legally changing genders to get women's benefits

Women in the Spanish military reportedly enjoy various benefits on account of their sex — such as boosted pay, improved pensions, and better sleeping arrangements. A handful of male soldiers have figured out a novel way to address this systematic inequality: claim to be women.

According to the Spanish newspaper El Español, male soldiers have begun to exploit the "Trans Law," which socialist parliamentarians managed to pass in early 2023 despite strong opposition from conservatives and feminists.

Under the new law, men no longer need to take cross-sex hormones for two years or undergo medical evaluations in order to call themselves "women." Now, they just have to fill out some paperwork and formally request that their ID card and passport reflect their preferred gender identity.

The Telegraph highlighted how the passage of this law coincided with the rollout of added benefits for women in the military and in the security forces as a means to drive up female recruitment.

Ostensibly seeking to exploit the one law in order to enjoy the fruits of the other, 41 men in the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa have legally changed their gender identifiers in the last year. The majority of these newly minted "women" are serving in the military or the police. Only four of the men bothered to legally change their names, and there is no indication that anyone has changed their marital status, according to El Español.

Roberto Perdigones, one of the men now listed on official documents as a woman, is a 35-year-old corporal in the army stationed in Ceuta. Perdigones has a beard, male genitalia, a biological son, and a strong physical attraction to women.

Perdigones told El Español, "On the outside, I feel like a heterosexual man, but on the inside, I am a lesbian. And it is the latter that counts. This is why I made the legal change to become a woman."

Perdigones indicated that "affirmative action measures" incentivized men to switch genders on their documentation.

Since first identifying as a woman last year, he claims he has acquired improved sleeping quarters, his own bathroom, and a fatter paycheck.

"For changing my gender, I have been told that my pension has gone up because women get more to compensate for inequality," Perdigones told El Español. "I also get 15 per cent more salary for being a mother."

"I even have a private room in the barracks, all to myself, with a private bathroom," continued the corporal. "This is because I cannot be with men as I am a woman, and I did not consider it appropriate to be with biological women out of respect for them."

In addition to better accommodations and pay, Perdigones does not have to abide by the hair and jewelry restrictions imposed on male soldiers.

Outside the military, Perdigones told the paper that there are additional benefits. For starters, when applying for various police and security roles, he only has to satisfy the requirements set in women-specific physical tests, which reportedly tend to be less demanding. His status as a woman also gives him a fighting chance in custody battles over his son.

An unidentified officer with Spain's civil guard, one of the country's two national police forces, told the Spanish newspaper that some of his colleagues have been exploiting the "Trans Law" as a "kind of rebellion" against such leftist policies.

"I have already seen several cases among my colleagues, and it is going to increase, because there are quite a few people who have requested it and are in the process," said the officer. "So, from time to time, the number is going to be much higher."

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