A transgender military chaplain who was celebrated by the Canadian Armed Forces on ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’ has been disciplined for making an inappropriate comment or request of another individual, according to the Department of National Defence.
Captain Beatrice Gale, was celebrated by the Department of National Defence (DND) in a video released in 2023 that discusses the chaplain’s gender transition.
“A painful journey and transition from man to woman, Padre (Capt.) Beatrice Gale from the @RMCCanadaCMR in Kingston shares her personal story,” a March 17, 2023 post on the Canadian Armed Forces social media account said.
DND has confirmed in an email to The Epoch Times that Capt. Gale was “found to have committed a service infraction” on April 3 and has since been suspended from the role of chaplain.
“When the Chaplain General was initially informed of the allegations, the mandate for Capt. Gale to serve as a military chaplain was immediately suspended,” the email said.
Additional sanctions included losing two days of pay and 20 days of leave, other than for medical reasons. Capt. Gale has also been assigned to administrative duties at the Royal Military College, spokesperson Andrée-Anne Poulin wrote in the email.
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“This incident stems from an inappropriate comment or request to another individual. Neither member was in a position of authority over the other,” the email said.
“The Military Police (MP) conducted a detailed and thorough investigation into this matter, and after consultation with the Crown, the MP determined that the evidence gathered did not meet the threshold for criminal charges.”
Military police charged Capt. Gale with “infractions in relation to military service” and a summary hearing was held.
“All breaches of discipline and allegations of breaches are taken with the utmost seriousness by the Chaplain General. Certain behaviours not only cause immense harm to all those impacted and affected by them, but they also violate the sacred trust between military chaplains and those they are called upon to serve,” Ms. Poulin said in the email.
“The Chaplain General will consider the implications of the summary hearing’s verdict in order to determine if additional administrative actions within their authority are required.”
Capt. Gale was the focus of a National Defence publication marking the 2024 Transgender Day of Visibility roughly a week before the summary hearing was held.
“Contributions like those of Chaplain (Captain) Gale, the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) first openly transgender chaplain, who has been generous and candid about her coming out journey, are important,” the article said.
“Greater diversity and inclusivity enrich the workplace and enable us to leverage the range of perspectives and expertise needed to address today’s complex challenges,” DND wrote.
Capt. Gale talks in the video, released last March on social media, about transitioning at the age of 43.
“What I bring to the cadets here is the same thing that any other chaplain would. Most of the cadets that I talk to actually don’t see me as transgender. They see me as a chaplain,” Capt. Gale said. “For me it’s a really humbling role, to be able to be here to talk to people and their concerns, their fears.”
That influential position, Capt. Gale said, sends a message to the LGBT community.
“It makes us stronger when we share our challenges and I hope that being a transgender chaplain sends a message to the LGBTQ plus community that the Royal Canadian Chaplains service cares, that it cares for that community.”
Last fall The Epoch Times reported that the Canadian military issued a new directive that banned military chaplains from using prayer during official functions, replacing them with “spiritual reflections.” The directive also removed faith symbols such as the cross, the star of David, or the crescent on the chaplain scarf, replacing it with the chaplaincy logo.
The military rescinded the policy following backlash from its members and the public.
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