Kristin Beck, a former member of the
U.S. Navy SEALs, says she didn't come out while in the military
because she feared for her life.
The 46-year-old Beck, formerly Chris
Beck, who served 20 years as a SEAL, came out transgender in the
biography Warrior Princess.
Beck began her transition after
retiring in 2011.
In an appearance on Anderson Cooper
360, Beck said that if she had come out transgender while serving
“I might be dead today.”
“If it got out while I was on active
duty … It's hard to say what the reaction would be,” she said.
“That's a fear I have right now.
There's a lot of prejudice out there. There's been a lot of
transgender people who are killed for prejudice, for hatred.”
“When the book came out, [I received]
some amazing support and some amazing praises. But also some pretty
amazing bigotry and hatred.”
When Cooper asked, “What do you hope
happens?” Beck answered: “I want to have my life. … I fought
for 20 years for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I want
some happiness.” (The video is embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)