Bigots are raging because an LGBTQ+ woman has replaced a fired US Navy warship commander

Bigots are, yet again, collectively losing their marbles because a queer woman has replaced a fired US Navy warship commander who was dismissed for holding a rifle with a scope mounted backward.

Earlier in the year, a US navy official social media account shared a photograph of commander Cameron Yaste – of the destroyer USS John S. McCain which is currently deployed in the Gulf of Oman – holding a rifle and looking through its scope, which was mounted backward.

A backwards scope would invert the weapon’s magnification rather than enhance it, meaning it could not be properly focused or used to take an accurate shot.

Remember this guy? He just got fired.

Cmdr. Cameron Yaste was relieved of his duties as commanding officer of the USS John S. McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer now operating in the Gulf of Oman.

Yaste was photographed earlier this year firing an M-4 rifle, which some… pic.twitter.com/lX0O1R40iP

— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) August 30, 2024

“From engaging in practice gun shoots, conducting maintenance, testing fuel purity and participating in sea and anchor details, the #USNavy is always ready to serve and protect,” the now-deleted post was captioned.

The image resulted in ridicule from social media users and even a tongue-in-cheek post from the Marines on their own social media account, which was captioned “Clear Sight Picture”.

As per reporting by Newsweek, the US Navy confirmed Yaste has been dismissed from duty on Friday (30 August) “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command the guided-missile destroyer” and faces demotion to the role of naval officer.

Yaste’s temporary replacement on the boat has been announced as Captain Allison Christy, deputy commodore of Destroyer Squadron 21.

However, upon news of Christy’s appointment, bigots on social media were quick to ‘transvestigate’ her whilst also claiming she is a “DEI hire”, noting she took part in a panel on LGBTQ experiences in the navy a decade after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ alongside her spouse Nicole Lobecker.

A quick look at Christy’s social media shows she is not trans.

Transvesigation refers to deeply problematic conspiracy theories which falsely claim individuals, typically women, are transgender and are hiding their “true” gender identity. These claims are often purported by those who already hold anti-trans views and define femininity and gender by misogynistic and racist standards.

Notable examples of transvesigation include Michelle Obama, French president Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte and athletes like Nandini Agasara and Imane Khelif.