A trainee firefighter has been accused of jumping the qualifying queue after failing the physical exam as a male and then said they were changing genders to “take advantage of the lower grades” required by female candidates.
The candidate, known as David, initially failed to pass the exam as a man by not obtaining a high enough score.
But shortly after receiving the news, it was claimed that the firefighter announced that they would be changing genders.
According to Spanish regulations, a woman can be classified by obtaining a lower score in physical tests due to differences in strength between sexes.
It comes as Spain introduced its Trans Law last year, which allows anyone to legally change gender without medical evaluation or justification on psychological grounds.
The Times reported that another candidate, Raúl Asenjo, initially qualified to become a firefighter.
In the image: A firefighter tries to extinguish a forest fire in a pine forest in the town of Conil de la Frontera, in southern Spain.
However, when David went from 201st to 101st in the candidate rankings, Asenjo was knocked down and no longer made the cut.
Now, the newspaper reported that Asenjo is considering legal action against Madrid City Council, which is responsible for the hiring.
Asenjo, 21, claims he lost his chance to become a firefighter when David said they were going to change their sex.
In the image: a firefighter tries to extinguish a forest fire next to the town of Tabara, near Zamora.
Asenjo said in a statement sent to Spanish media: “I was candidate 126, the last on the list to qualify.” However, I have been moved to position 127, so I am out of the race as a 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.’
‘This candidate has claimed her status as a woman with the sole purpose of benefiting from more flexible rules (for women) and thus 100 people advance in the selection process.’
Asenjo also claims that before changing his sex, David had been part of a misogynistic anti-feminist group Men Going Their Own Way, a community that advocates for men to separate themselves from women and society.