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I am writing this because of the large number of comments and private messages I've received concerning the actions and beliefs of the Navy Psychologist in my story, A Change of Orders. If you haven't read the story, and intend to do so, you might want to come back to this later as some of the discussion will give away a significant piece of the challenges laid out for the hero(ine) in the plot. Okay?
For a really good review of what is and what was in the services regarding reading the following New York Times article from November, 2012.
The first key issue is that this is not a recent story. The original copyright is 1998, and it was written over a period of 2 years, so I started the story right after I retired from the Navy. This is the height of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in the armed services. Gotta tell you, people who told or who were discovered were still very much in trouble. 17,000 gay and lesbian military members were forcibly separated in the years of DADT until it was repealed and the Navy Admiral serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs led the change to allow gays to serve. That does not begin to account for the men and women who wanted to serve, and made the conscious decision not to enlist or apply to the academies because they would have had to live a lie in order to serve under DADT. This is the context, historically, in which my story was written. If you think that any military psychologist or counselor would have responded positively to a sailor, or worse, an officer, dealing with anything remotely like gay feelings, you need to take into account the culture of the time in which the story is set.
That is the bias the psychologist in the story enters the picture. First of all, she is a Navy Medical Officer. She is not a civilian. Her job is about good health, order and discipline. It is not stated directly in the story, but she is Navy. No way a classified program is going to bring in an outside consultant because they can't be trusted to protect the secrets and classifications. Whiticker is the best, as stated in the story, but she's the best the Navy has, not the best Harvard Medical has. Moreover, she is a senior medical officer, and she will be inculcated in the Navy Culture of that era.
More importantly to the story, I needed the conflict she provided. I'm not sure how to put this, but somebody had to push Elaine to deal directly with all the aspects of her change. When I was treated (by a Navy Psych) for eating disorders, he was really big on confronting my problem, and putting me into (supposedly) controlled situations where I had to face my demons. I hated his guts, but my point is, that is what Whiticker was doing - making Elaine confront the societal and cultural challenges associated with her change along with the obvious physical and emotional changes. As Extravagence said in her comment, ". . .that every female (regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity) needs to know how to interact with horny men for their own safety." She also has to know how to behave as a female in society. Once she knows, she can choose not to behave that way, but it is a choice and not a reaction to a bad break.
Okay, maybe in hindsight, and with this audience, I went overboard. I will point out that hyperbole is a useful storytelling tool and that it got an emotional reaction - which was my goal - just maybe not quite that emotional. Also, the story has been online now for almost 15 years on three different sites (nifty, fm and storysite), and this is the first time that these issues have been raised, so I was somewhat surprised by the reactions.
warm furry hugs!
Tiggs
Comments
As I noted in the comments to
As I noted in the comments to the story once I knew when the story was set the doctor's actions made perfect sense. What I found Jarring and annoying was not that the doctor tried to turn her patient Hetrosexual but that she seemed to have succeeded.
DADT
the biggest misconception for that mess was the people that thought they could suddenly go public. they could not. they kicked more people out over that than before. the whole point was what you do privately, you keep private. it was a joke and a mess to so many.
Indeed....
I'm one of those people who commented on the psychologist. I would like to take this opportunity to both thank you for the background information and to expand on my original comment a bit.
When I said I wanted to strangle the psychologist, it was not because she was not believable. The fact that I wanted to strangle her for her actions was not a criticism of the story. In fact, I recognized that some sort of catalyst was required and the actions of the psychologist served well. That aside, there are far too many people in the world (civilian or otherwise) who think the same way she does so, strangle urge or not, it felt real enough.
I'd say it's the mark of a good writer when the catalyst to move things along just fits into the setting. In this case, even not knowing the background, the psychologist did.
I loved that story!
A forced fem that made sense. Not too many of those out there, and normally I don't like forced fem stories.
Now I have your name down for here I'll look for others.
= )
I was going to mention that again, but you saved me the trouble. = )
I took note of the fact that the story was written at the height of DADT.
I needn't have bothered though, when I see people trying to execute mind control/conversion or identity death, my Berserker nature kicks in... (There are exceptions, but let us not digress)
Ultimately my promises of violence toward the characters don't mean that I don't like the story. In fact, if you can provoke such a reaction, it's a testament to your writing skills. = )
*HuggleSnugglePurrHappytailswish* ^_^
The setting
I was a military brat before I was a sailor in the Coast Guard. I served during DADT and through the first 6 months that it was repealed by Obama. Overall your story makes an excellent portrayal of the attitude of not just the Military Medical Corps, but also many of the other medical caregivers I have come in contact with. I am a T-girl and I have had all too often had the same old round and round about my orientation given who I would prefer to take to my bed. The sad truth is that even civilian shrinks want us gender variants to get in line with the rest of the world's expectations of what a "normal" girl would do.
On a funnier aside, when I was being given all of the necessary paperwork to swear in as a Coastie, the DADT paper was PINK. I had a little chuckle with some of the more manly types I was rubbing shoulders with.
Change Of Orders
I just finished the story and am still a bit stirred up. Psychatric folk seem eager to get into BDSM and tie you up by my personal experience. I haven't been on any medications in a decade and have come to the conclusion that the VA was guilty of malpractice but woe be unto him that tries to retaliate.
Sure the story was Science Fiction but certain parts of it felt quite traumatic.
It was a very engrossing story.
Gwen