Swedish army lion gets the snip (8 years ago)

[Socialist Tera]

Swedish military lion gets the snip after women troops protest (Image)
The proud lion of Sweden's Nordic Battlegroup's coat of arms has been emasculated because a group of female soldiers lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice.
Christian Braunstein, from the Tradition Commission of the Swedish Army, said: "We were forced to cut the lion's willy off with the aid of a computer."
Although the army was happy to make the changes in the interests of gender equality, the artist who designed the insignia was less than pleased.
"A heraldic lion is a powerful and stately figure with its genitalia intact and I cannot approve an edited image.
"The army lacks knowledge about heraldry. Once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown." Vladimir Sagerlund told the Göteborgs-Posten.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... otest.html
http://www.thelocal.se/20080221/10064
Do you think it is a good idea? I think it is great idea because it shows that the military is gender neutral and moving away from the stereotypical, men fight, women stay at home gender roles. It is time that we gradually get rid of gender roles, current gender roles are not working at all.

[Teemant]

F*ck is this?

Sweden has seriously gone mad.

[Soselo]

A lion, the bloody king of the jungle introduced to me as a eunuch.

[Ashmoria]

that's funny

but of course it doesn't make it gender neutral because the prominent secondary sex characteristics of male lions shows that it is an emasculated male lion.

[Soselo]

that's funny

but of course it doesn't make it gender neutral because the prominent secondary sex characteristics of male lions shows that it is an emasculated male lion.

How diabolically fitting.

[Knask]

Your sources contradict your headline.

After an initial flurry of media reports in December last year, the Commander of the Nordic Battlegroup, Karl Engelbrektsson, revealed that it was he who he had ordered the alteration. This ran contrary to initial reports suggesting that the emasculation occurred following pressure from female soldiers.

[Ethel mermania]

that's funny

but of course it doesn't make it gender neutral because the prominent secondary sex characteristics of male lions shows that it is an emasculated male lion.

Shave the mane

[Herskerstad]

Let's replace it with something more applicable. An ostrich with it's head in the ground or would that offend some other group?

[Allmann]

Same reasoning and headlines has been done with regard to the Coat of Arms of Gothenburg also featuring a lion. As far as I know all the lions in the Coat of Arms of Gothenburg wether it is on a trashcan or on a flag still have the penis.

[Imperializt Russia]

Removing the genitalia won't make it "gender neutral", since a heraldic lion has a mane.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but lionesses don't have manes.

[Ashmoria]

Removing the genitalia won't make it "gender neutral", since a heraldic lion has a mane.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but lionesses don't have manes.

I think there may be one variety of lion where lionesses have manes but they don't appear in Swedish heraldry.

[Exxosia]

Other heraldic lions used in Sweden have a sheathed penis, so I think they could have followed traditional cues AND met the demands by downgrading from erect with ample testicles to subtly sheathed.

[Alto Mantovano]

Let's replace it with something more applicable. An ostrich with it's head in the ground or would that offend some other group?

Duh! It's a metaphor for rape! The ostrich sticking the HEAD INSIDE the ground!

[Romalae]

Let's replace it with something more applicable. An ostrich with it's head in the ground or would that offend some other group?

I'm an ostrich and I find this offensive.

[Imperializt Russia]

Let's replace it with something more applicable. An ostrich with it's head in the ground or would that offend some other group?

I'm an ostrich and I find this offensive.

How?
You've your head in the sand.

[Avaerilon]

Good to know they're sorting out real issues of importance in Sweden; they've got they're priorities right... that's for sure

Really, someone thought this was necessary? The lion is a traditional symbol of honour, martial skill, defence, and plenty of other things that suit an army. It's not denigrating anyone who isn't male just because it happens itself to be a male animal. Plus, as other people have pointed-out, genitalia or not, it's still obviously male due to the mane. If you're going to be offended by a heraldic animal because of its sex (which somehow denigrates people of the opposite sex), you're probably going to be offended by anything.

[The Huskar Social Union]

Good to know they're sorting out real issues of importance in Sweden; they've got they're priorities right... that's for sure

Really, someone thought this was necessary? The lion is a traditional symbol of honour, martial skill, defence, and plenty of other things that suit an army. It's not denigrating anyone who isn't male just because it happens itself to be a male animal. Plus, as other people have pointed-out, genitalia or not, it's still obviously male due to the mane. If you're going to be offended by a heraldic animal because of its sex (which somehow denigrates people of the opposite sex), you're probably going to be offended by anything.

It was the commander of the Nordic battle group who ordered it changed, not because of protests by female soldiers. He felt it was inappropriate.

But even then its still pretty obvious its a male lion, so i dont get the backlash for it, well i get it a bit, it has been around for ages and apparently lions without genitalia where meant to be presented to traitors but even then.

[Alto Mantovano]

Good to know they're sorting out real issues of importance in Sweden; they've got they're priorities right... that's for sure

Really, someone thought this was necessary? The lion is a traditional symbol of honour, martial skill, defence, and plenty of other things that suit an army. It's not denigrating anyone who isn't male just because it happens itself to be a male animal. Plus, as other people have pointed-out, genitalia or not, it's still obviously male due to the mane. If you're going to be offended by a heraldic animal because of its sex (which somehow denigrates people of the opposite sex), you're probably going to be offended by anything.

It was the commander of the Nordic battle group who ordered it changed, not because of protests by female soldiers. He felt it was inappropriate.

The swedes are quite bent.

[Herskerstad]

I'm an ostrich and I find this offensive.

How?
You've your head in the sand.

Sand? Like middle eastern sand? Now you're just being islamophobic.

Lunar ground.

[Scepez]

Oh...what a delight.
Honestly, this is starting to look like censorship.

[The Holy Therns]

Yes, how dare they censor the lion's inspiring penis? The rest of the sword-wielding lion is mere background, clearly the penis is the star of the picture and the lion just won't work as a military symbol if its proud appendage is not there. Where has Sweden come to when pictures of lion penises are not treated with the respect they deserve as rigid pillars of martial might, thrusting valiantly into the heat of battle?

[Ifreann]

Swedish military lion gets the snip after women troops protest (Image)
The proud lion of Sweden's Nordic Battlegroup's coat of arms has been emasculated because a group of female soldiers lodged a complaint with the European Court of Justice.
Christian Braunstein, from the Tradition Commission of the Swedish Army, said: "We were forced to cut the lion's willy off with the aid of a computer."
Although the army was happy to make the changes in the interests of gender equality, the artist who designed the insignia was less than pleased.
"A heraldic lion is a powerful and stately figure with its genitalia intact and I cannot approve an edited image.
"The army lacks knowledge about heraldry. Once upon a time coats of arms containing lions without genitalia were given to those who betrayed the Crown." Vladimir Sagerlund told the Göteborgs-Posten.

Source:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... otest.html
http://www.thelocal.se/20080221/10064
Do you think it is a good idea? I think it is great idea because it shows that the military is gender neutral and moving away from the stereotypical, men fight, women stay at home gender roles. It is time that we gradually get rid of gender roles, current gender roles are not working at all.

The Local seems to think this decision originates with one Karl Engelbrektsson* and was not the result of pressure from female soldiers. So there's that. But I can dig it.

---

A lion, the bloody king of the jungle introduced to me as a eunuch.

Not having a visible penis makes it a eunuch? Cos I'm no expert on feline sex bits, but I was under the impression that they keep their penises on the inside when not in use.





*#GetEngelbrektsson

[Solaray]

It still has a mane, so not only was this pointless to begin with, but it also failed.

[Avaerilon]

It was the commander of the Nordic battle group who ordered it changed, not because of protests by female soldiers. He felt it was inappropriate.

...yes, I never said it was female soldiers who got it changed I stated someone felt it denigrated female service personnel because the lion was obviously male. If you read what I wrote again, you'll see I never jumped to that conclusion (having already read it was a [male] commander who ordered the change). I know other people have made that mistake, but I never did

[Dread Lady Nathicana]

It's a penis. And not a particularly graphic one either. A good portion of the population has them, both humans and animals. Removing it ... ye gods, are we back to the Great Emasculation levels of pants-on-head-stupid here? Oh lawdy lawd, someone might be offended that nature hath provided outies as well as innnies for reproductive organs. I think I may just get the vapors simply thinking about it. Three scarves waved in shock out of five.

Someone needs to check Sweden's water supply. The silly has been getting increasingly strong there.