Warrior princess : a U.S. Navy Seal's journey to coming out transgender

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? Cover......Page 2 Endorsements......Page 4 TitlePage......Page 9 Copyright......Page 10 Dedication......Page 11 TableOfContents......Page 12 Foreword......Page 15 PressRelease......Page 17 Preface......Page 18 Prologue......Page 23 HotZone......Page 24 TheHomeFront......Page 28 PhotoInsert_2......Page 29 WWIIandHomecomings......Page 31 TheSixties......Page 35 TheGreatGenderDivide......Page 37 AFathersPaymentForward......Page 41 SafePlace......Page 44 Misbehaving......Page 46 Obsession......Page 48 FindingGod......Page 51 ZenAndTheArt......Page 53 JakesMeanSpiritedJoke......Page 55 VirginiaMilitaryInstitute......Page 58 TheFirstTIme......Page 60 SecondLife......Page 62 PhotoInsert_3......Page 63 CallToDuty......Page 74 FrogmanLuck......Page 78 Sailboat......Page 80 WeddingBellsAndBosnia......Page 83 VictoriasSecret......Page 85 MoreFrogmanLuck......Page 87 DogAndPonyShows......Page 90 LostUAVsandTankBattles......Page 92 TheSheepdogAndTheReindeerGames......Page 96 TheresAWarOn......Page 98 ABadTurnInAfghanistan......Page 103 PerilsOfTraining......Page 106 EmpathyEarnedTheHardWay......Page 109 Reentry......Page 111 TalibanBirthday......Page 114 DontAskDontTell......Page 117 WarGames......Page 121 SurvivorGuilt......Page 123 DressingForDinner......Page 126 SamanthaOneLastTryAtMarriage......Page 128 DullingThePain......Page 132 TheWarriorPrincessEmerges......Page 134 PhotoInsert_4......Page 137 RetirementAndLivingDouble......Page 141 FakeSeals......Page 143 Extortion17......Page 145 PTSDTreatment......Page 147 Hunting......Page 149 CatsInTheCradle......Page 151 TheMisfitMansion......Page 155 BodyImage......Page 157 Gasparilla......Page 159 BriefingWithTheDeputyAssistant......Page 161 BuildingTension......Page 166 BlowbackAtHome......Page 176 Coming_Out......Page 179 ANewMisfit......Page 183 TheTGirls......Page 188 NoMoreDisguises......Page 193 MakingNewAdjustments......Page 195 SoundBytes......Page 196 TellingSOCOM......Page 198 PTSDonTheRoad......Page 202 VAandCareCoalition......Page 205 WalkingTheGauntlet......Page 207 TheInnerSeal......Page 210 ChangingBodies......Page 214 APsychologicalPerspective......Page 217 Acknowledgments......Page 224 AboutTheAuthors......Page 225 Glossary......Page 229 Resources......Page 237 Endnotes......Page 239 Bibliography......Page 241 "Chris Beck played high school football. He bought a motorcycle, much to his mothers 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 pantyhose 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 mans 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..."--Jacket. "Chris Beck played high school football. He bought a motorcycle, much to his mothers 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 pantyhose 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 mans 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 ..."--Jacket