The Virginian Pilot is carrying a lengthy story on Christopher Todd Beck, a retired 46-year-old Navy SEAL who now lives openly as Kristin Beck. Beck has authored a book "Warrior Princess,"in which she describes two decades as a member of the Naval Special Warfare command, including SEAL Team 6, with seven combat deployments, including service in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As one might imagine, some of the local spittle flecked Christofascists and Neanderthals are going berserk. To say that some of the comments are ugly is an understatement. Thankfully, some commentators are giving the hate mongers as good as they have given. Perhaps there is hope for Virginia yet. Here are highlights from the Pilot article:
Her military file has her listed as Christopher Todd Beck, a retired 46-year-old Navy SEAL who spent five years in Virginia Beach, earned a Bronze Star with valor and a Purple Heart and served in three different SEAL commands - including the exclusive SEAL Team 6.
What it doesn't say is that Christopher now lives openly as Kristin Beck, a woman who never would have been allowed to serve had she been honest about her transgender identity.
In a memoir titled "Warrior Princess," released Saturday with little fanfare by a tiny publishing company, Beck describes two decades as a member of the Naval Special Warfare command, with seven combat deployments, including service in Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Beck describes the internal struggles - believing he was a female trapped in a male body - that began when he was just a boy.
The inner conflict didn't fade, even as he pursued his career as an elite commando in an exclusively male profession.
In one excerpt, Beck describes the irony of being dressed as an Afghan man to blend in with Taliban men who'd expressed a deep hatred of women.
It wasn't until after retiring in 2011 as a senior chief petty officer that Beck came out as a transgender woman, identifying as Kristin.
Beck now works as a military contractor in the Tampa, Fla. area. One of her previous bosses, retired SEAL and astronaut William Shepherd, wrote the book's foreword, praising Beck's courage.
This is the "sum of all fears" for conservatives! You have a former Navy Seal who is transgender. The comments are going to get very interesting from members of the Patriot Party, you know, the one that believes in equal rights for all. Hey conservatives, see if you can find it in your hearts too just say "thank you for your service" instead of bashing please. Oh, it's too late I see!
Then there's this one:
But I guess when a person's mind is not open enough to take in new information and possibilities the world is a scary place. My wife and I prefer to keep being the people our son's friend could come talk to when he was dealing with his sexuality issues and knew his mother would hate him because she had often stated that homosexuality was a perversion and evil. And having a son who said "You're still my friend,so what if you're gay!" was about one of the proudest moments.
Here's a photo of Beck in Afghanistan:
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