Firefighter accused of ‘queue jumping’ following sex change announcement after failing to 'make the grade' as man

11 December 2024, 15:58 | Updated: 11 December 2024, 16:09

A firefighter has been accused of 'queue jumping' after failing qualifying exams as man - only to announce they were becoming a woman to 'take advantage of a lower pass mark'.

The candidate, known as David L Y, has been accused by a fellow candidate of 'jumping the queue' after initially failing to achieve a score high enough to become a member of the emergency services.

Shortly after receiving the news, it's claimed the firefighter then announced they were changing gender.

Following the switch from the men's to women's category, David was admitted by Madrid city council.

Under rules in Spain, women have to achieve a lower threshold in order to qualify due to strength differences between sexes.

It's the latest controversial use of Spain's so-called 'Trans Law' which was passed last year, allowing anyone to legally change sex without having to justify the change on psychological grounds.

Raul Asenjo, a fellow applicant, accused David after initially qualifying to become a firefighter - a job that is generally guaranteed for life.

However, when David announced his intended sex change, he was moved from 201 in the queue to 101 - meaning he climbed the list where candidate rankings were concerned.

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As a result, Mr Asenjo was bumped down the list and ultimately failed to qualify.

Mr Asenjo pointed out that prior to changing sex, David had been a member of a particularly controversial Whatsapp group named 'Men Who Go Their Own Way' - an anti-feminist and misogynist group that calls for the segregation of sexes.

21-year-old Mr Asenjo, who is based in Madrid, said in a statement that he was considering taking action against Madrid's council, who oversee the recruitment of firefighters.

“I was candidate 126, the last one in the list to qualify. However, I have been moved to position 127 so out of the running as the result of the allegedly unfair and fraudulent use of the rules by one of the candidates who has been moved from position 201 to 101," he said in a statement.

"This candidate has claimed his status as a woman with the sole purpose of benefiting from more flexible rules [for women] and as such they advance 100 people in the selection process.”

A spokesman for Madrid council said it was investigating the case.