Warrior Princess A U.S. Navy SEAL's Journey to Coming out Transgender

by Kristin Beck, Anne Speckhard

Overview

Chris Beck played high school football. He bought a motorcycle, much to his mother’s dismay, at age 17. He grew up to become a U.S. Navy SEAL, serving our country for twenty years on thirteen deployments, including seven combat deployments, and ultimately earned a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. To everyone who saw him, he was a hero. A warrior. A man.

But underneath his burly beard, Chris had a secret, one that had been buried deep inside his heart since he was a little boy—one as hidden as the panty hose in the back of his drawer. He was transgender, and the woman inside needed to get out.

This is the journey of a girl in a man’s body and her road to self-actualization as a woman amidst the PTSD of war, family rejection and our society’s strict gender rules and perceptions. It is about a fight to be free inside one’s own body, a fight that requires the strength of a Warrior Princess.

Kristin’s story of boy to woman explores the tangled emotions of the transgender experience and opens up a new dialogue about being male or female: Is gender merely between your legs or is it something much bigger?

Product Details

BN ID:	2940016650302
Publisher:	Advances Press
Publication date:	06/03/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	264
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kristin Beck, formerly Chris Beck, served twenty years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, going out on thirteen deployments—seven of them in combat. Chris Beck was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star with Valor. Upon retirement Kristin served in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Science & Technology Office and continues to serve in a consultant capacity to the U.S. Special Warfare Operations. Kristin is also the founder of Healing Grounds, a newly formed nonprofit community service organization focused on providing landscape assistance and psychosocial support via a nursery and a calming gardening experience for returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Kristin recently “came out” transgender and supports the LGBT community.

Anne Speckhard, Ph.D. is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School and author of Talking to Terrorists and Fetal Abduction

Editorial Reviews

Speckhard and Beck have teamed up to give us one of the smartest and most important books of the year. Warrior Princess is the story of Kristin Beck, formerly Chris, a decorated Navy SEAL and American patriot who faced a lifelong struggle to come to terms with her gender identity. Beck is a natural protagonist…strong, hardworking, and deeply patriotic. Whether a pacifist or a hawk, advocate or opponent of LGBT equality, Warrior Princess is a raw, honest, and surprisingly relatable read.

Washington, D.C. - OutServe Magazine

"Kristin Beck is a woman of extraordinary courage. Her story is an inspiration to all and a call to arms for those who wish to live authentically. Her bravery as a SEAL rivals the bravery she exhibits in crossing the seemingly inviolable gender boundary. Ms. Beck is a hero who has sacrificed for her country and shed light on this most misunderstood area of human behavior."

Washington, D.C. - Randi Ettner, Ph.D.

“This momentous book shares vividly the real life experiences of a veteran SEAL who goes on to transition as a civilian. The raw adrenaline-packed events explicitly describe growing up, marriage, combat and leave and are experienced through anecdotes to the audience. The dramatic combat action and the shared emotional responses to both the war and the gender dysphoria are conviction of the traumas of both combat and transition."

Washington, D.C. - Kevan Wylie, M.D.

"Warrior Princess is a profile of courage, both physical and personal. It shatters one's perceptions of what courage is and how it is shown. Courage isn't just about physical bravery, it is also about personal bravery. Dr. Anne Speckhard does a marvelous job of taking us on a journey about being transgender in the military. Warrior Princess should be required reading by anyone supporting our troops, whether they support transgender issues or not."

Washington, D.C. - Colonel Carl A. Castro

“There’s no need for the military to be a one-size-fits-all world. This story will widen your perspective about the meaning of gender and how much it matters—or doesn’t—for successful military service. This inspiring account is also written for anyone working with veterans and their transition to civilian life, no matter what the issues might be.”

Washington, D.C. - Diane H. Mazur