After 20 years fighting for her country, Beck decided to retire and fight for herself. She transitioned in 2013 to a wave of publicity. A former member of SEAL Team Six coming out as a woman made for good television. Anderson Cooper interviewed her in prime time on CNN, and the network later made a 90-minute documentary about her journey called “Lady Valor.” She covered up her biker-gang tattoo with a ladybug, quit her job as a military consultant and hit the road to make her living lecturing about human rights.
On tour, she talks about staring down Taliban warlords, kicking down doors to capture insurgents and sparing the life of an armed guard who would become a friend. She talks about coming home to a place that’s supposed to be safe and getting beat up outside of a bar for wearing a dress.
“I have a right to some happiness,” she said. She lobbied on behalf of a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate in hiring based on sexual orientation or gender, and she advocated for LGBT protections in the military.
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