This is Kristin Beck.

Kristin Beck is the author of a new memoir, Warrior Princess, about her service in the US military as a Navy SEAL and her decision to transition after her retirement in 2011. She is the first Navy SEAL known to identify as transgender.

In [her memoir], Beck describes how, over the course of her 20 year military career, including thirteen deployments over the globe, she slowly became more and more aware that was she meant to live life as a woman — a vexing and often tormenting realization for a long-time member of an elite all-male unit that went on to capture and kill Osama bin Laden.

...Beck's openness about her post-SEAL life makes her something of an anomaly among SEAL memoirists, who tend to write behind pseudonyms, especially when discussing classified military intelligence. By contrast, Beck includes dozens of pictures from her deployments and her life at home, pre- and post-transition, in Warrior Princess.

...At the same time, Warrior Princess is still poised to have an effect on military policy. Even after the long-sought repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which barred gay servicemembers from discussing their sexuality, transgender individuals remain banned from entering military service. ...So perhaps this memoir, which documents the [experiences] of one of the U.S. military's most effective and loyal agents, will lay the groundwork for even greater inclusion in the armed forces.

Beck posted a picture of herself as Kristin on her LinkedIn profile earlier this year, which is how most of her colleagues found out about her transition. The response, Beck says, was overwhelmingly positive.

I hope she continues to receive such great support, especially from her fellow SEALs, who recognize her courage in and out of the war theater.

[H/T to Transgender Law Center.]