But it was a group chat for work. In anything even a little bit security driven it’s only for work related activities, just like email. I can’t imagine talking about anything related to sex or medical operations on teams.
It may have just been a meme dump, or a place to vent and get support.
Maybe someone is asking how well insurance covers a procedure or how to ask the doctor. Maybe someone is asking what is considered proper etiquette post-transition when they’re in a new social role. Maybe someone is asking who wants to get drinks after work.
I doubt it was gorey or pornographic. As you say, it’s work.
Spy work requires a fair amount of social skill and socially being aware of your partners and their ticks and habits and personality. Like in many professions, socializing is part of the job.
The firings stem from out-of-context chat logs leaked by far-right commentator Chris Rufo on Monday. Sources tell Erin in the Morning that the chat functioned as an ERG-adjacent LGBTQ+ safe space, where participants discussed topics like gender-affirming surgery, hormone therapy, workplace LGBTQ+ policies, and broader queer issues. Rufo, however, framed these conversations as evidence of misconduct, claiming that “NSA, CIA, and DIA employees discuss genital castration” and alleging discussions of “fetishes, kink, and sex.” To Rufo and his audience, merely talking about being transgender and the realities of transition is enough to be labeled “fetish” content.
I just watched the Jesse Waters clip linked in the above quote. He claims that the chat was pornographic and uses as justification an out-of-context quote from one trans woman saying she gets euphoria every time she pees after her bottom surgery, and that it’s easier than it’s ever been. No details, not even a “because I have a vagina now” or a “because I don’t have a penis”. She only said that peeing is now easy and makes her happy.
Every example you gave is still inappropriate, as they are not about work. I worked in the public sector and that would have been shut down. Federal employees are held to a higher standard, especially if they have a high security clearance. They get funny about spending because it is tax payers dollars. Using a work computer on a government account during paid hours to talk about personal things, nope. There are a bunch of rules they were breaking.
I’m not saying they they weren’t targeted, but they were still in the wrong.
Then I’ll repeat that they are spies, and socializing is part of the job. Being a spy is a social job. You are a better spy if you know and socialize with your coworkers and can recognize their patterns of speech and habits and actions. This makes for more unified and cohesive propaganda and social engineering. They are in fact getting paid to become better acquainted with each other and the work that the agency is doing so that they are more effective agents.
With virtual work, there is no watercooler or parkinglot. This is a virtual space for people to meet and chat.
But it was a group chat for work. In anything even a little bit security driven it’s only for work related activities, just like email. I can’t imagine talking about anything related to sex or medical operations on teams.
It may have just been a meme dump, or a place to vent and get support.
Maybe someone is asking how well insurance covers a procedure or how to ask the doctor. Maybe someone is asking what is considered proper etiquette post-transition when they’re in a new social role. Maybe someone is asking who wants to get drinks after work.
I doubt it was gorey or pornographic. As you say, it’s work.
Spy work requires a fair amount of social skill and socially being aware of your partners and their ticks and habits and personality. Like in many professions, socializing is part of the job.
I just watched the Jesse Waters clip linked in the above quote. He claims that the chat was pornographic and uses as justification an out-of-context quote from one trans woman saying she gets euphoria every time she pees after her bottom surgery, and that it’s easier than it’s ever been. No details, not even a “because I have a vagina now” or a “because I don’t have a penis”. She only said that peeing is now easy and makes her happy.
Every example you gave is still inappropriate, as they are not about work. I worked in the public sector and that would have been shut down. Federal employees are held to a higher standard, especially if they have a high security clearance. They get funny about spending because it is tax payers dollars. Using a work computer on a government account during paid hours to talk about personal things, nope. There are a bunch of rules they were breaking.
I’m not saying they they weren’t targeted, but they were still in the wrong.
Then I’ll repeat that they are spies, and socializing is part of the job. Being a spy is a social job. You are a better spy if you know and socialize with your coworkers and can recognize their patterns of speech and habits and actions. This makes for more unified and cohesive propaganda and social engineering. They are in fact getting paid to become better acquainted with each other and the work that the agency is doing so that they are more effective agents.
With virtual work, there is no watercooler or parkinglot. This is a virtual space for people to meet and chat.