No ‘Gender-Norming’ in ‘G.I. Jane’

As the screenwriter who developed “G.I. Jane” with Demi Moore and director Ridley Scott, let me respond to Jerry O’Brien, who wrote that we “insult all of the men who achieved their SEAL badges when you imply a woman can do it” (“Women in SEALs Training? Get Real,” Counterpunch, Sept. 1). O’Brien goes on to voice his fear that “the training will be lightened” for women because of the film.

First, did he see the film? I suspect not. If he had, he would know that it takes the position that women should be competing head-to-head with men without benefit of “gender-norming,” without dual standards. That’s why you see Jordan O’Neil (played by Moore) shave her head to match the guys. That’s why you see her eschew the use of a two-step to get over the obstacle wall. That’s why you see her rankle at the 30-second deduction awarded her after running the O-course. All this because she knows she will never be accepted by the men unless she trains and competes with them on equal footing.

I know of no one associated with the film who believes standards should be lowered to accommodate women in military training.

The bulk of O’Brien’s argument seems to be that women don’t have the physical strength of men. It’s true that most don’t. But what about the few who do? Would he disqualify the exceptional ones just because they have breasts?

O’Brien notes that the women of his military generation were doing push-ups on their knees. See the movie, and you’ll see Demi Moore knocking out one-armed push-ups--and her knees aren’t even close to the floor. And that’s just the actress: Tough as she may be, Moore isn’t the Olympic-caliber athlete she’s portraying.

Really, the whole strength argument is a wobbly one. How strong do you have to be to pull a trigger? To push a button that launches a missile? Have you noticed that we don’t wage war at battle-ax range anymore?

Why not talk about endur ance? Thirty years ago, the first female marathoners lagged behind the best male runners by 90 minutes. Today that gap has narrowed to less than 15 minutes. It doesn’t take a visionary to imagine a day of equilibrium.

Why not talk about the things women do better than men? Air Force doctors believe that female pilots, because of their smaller frames, may better handle the wrenching G-forces experienced during dogfights. Because of higher body fat, women are less vulnerable to hypothermic water--a real threat to any SEAL, both in training and real-world scenarios. Because of their genetic role as child bearers, women’s threshold of pain may surpass that of men’s.

In researching “G.I. Jane,” I spoke with many special-op personnel, Navy SEALs among them. Invariably, I heard stories about big buffed-out guys who failed to make the program. That’s because it’s not enough to be physically tough; you need to be mentally tough as well. It was the ability to “gut it out” that got an individual through training--and that ability knows no gender.

The personal experience O’Brien cites dates back to 1974, when he tried out for Airborne Ranger School. Clearly, his attitude about women is as dated as his experience.

Go out and buy a new calendar, Mr. O’Brien. You’ll find they go all the way up to 1997 now.