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READ: ODNI Newsletter States Crossdressing Makes Man Better Intelligence Officer
READ: ODNI Newsletter States Crossdressing Makes Man Better Intelligence Officer
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Approved for release by ODNI on 03/12/2024, FOIA Case# DF-2024-00143
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INTELLIGENCE OFFICER
(U) BY ANONYMOUS
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(UII~ I wasexcitedto seethatthe ODNIin May howwe feel,physically andemotionally. It is howwe show
signedIntelligenceCommunity Directive(ICD)125 to im- , ourselvesto the world,whetherwe aremorecisgenderor
proveinclusionrelatedto genderidentity,transgender sta- moregenderexpansive. Terminology is notalwaysused
tus,genderexpression, andperceivedgender.Crossdress- accurately, andcrossdressing anddrag-which aredifferent-
ingis stillsomewhatcontroversial. I havebeensurprisedto things-both comeup.
see bothwhohasresponded favorablyto (orignored)me
crossdressing, and who has had a problem with it. It merits
attentiongiventheclimateof discussionaroundthetopic
andwhereit sits in the largerconversation
aboutgender
identityandexpression andprofessional
appearance.
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UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
The Dive is not cleared for public release.
Approved for release by ODNI on 03/12/2024, FOIA Case# DF-2024-00143
(U)Thetermcrossdressing
is morefrequentlyusedwhen identityasfixed,too,andmale,eventhoughI liketo wear
menweartraditionally
women-specificclothingthanfor dressessometimes. I seethisas similarto howwomenare
womenwearingclothingseenas men'sclothing.Thisis stillwomenif theywearpants,butpeopleseemedifferently
bothbecausetherearemorewomen-specific items-such whenI weara skirtto work.
asskirtsanddresses-andalsobecauselongstanding
genderbiasagainstwomenleadssomepeopleto question , (U)Dragis different.It isperformative
andtraditionally
whya manwouldwantto dressin women'sclothing. associated withgaymaleculture.
(U)It is challenging
for somepeopleto understand (U)Crossdressing canbe partof thejourneyof
crossdressing, andnon-binary or genderfluid people transgender peopleastheybeginto affirmtheir
becausegenderis a partof overallidentity.Manyof usthink trueidentity,butcrossdressing
is deliberately
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of ouridentitiesasfixed,andsomefindthisapproach to choosingto dresslikethegenderyouaren't.
genderthreatening to theirownidentity.I thinkof mygender
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(U) I THINI{ CROSSDRESSING HAS
MADE ME A BETTER OFFICER IN
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THE FOLLOWING WAYS:
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I'm betternowat understanding
actors.Myexperiences
foreign
dressingin feminineclothing
Y (UI/~) I'm moreawareof, andhopefully
supporting,my womencolleagues.I nowhavea better
havehelpedmerecognize andovercomemyown appreciationfor howit canbe uncomfortable to wear
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identity-based biasesandmindsets. Crossdressinghas women'sclothessometimes. I knowfirsthandhowwearing
helpedmeunderstand thatotherpeople-including heelscanmakeyourfeethurtandmakeit takelongerto
thosewestudyin the IC-experiencetheworld walksomewhere. AlthoughI likewearinga bra,I knowit
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