Retired US Navy SEAL fights for transgender acceptance.
(Article via CNN, 13 AUG 2014. Source.)
Despite 20 years as a U.S. Navy SEAL, including 13 tours of combat service in Iraq and Afghanistan,&nbsp;Kristin Beck&nbsp;says her struggles for acceptance and respect as a transgender American represent her most difficult mission.&nbsp; Beck is a highly-decorated veteran who once stood atop Saddam Hussein&rsquo;s palace, trained in special tactical warfare, and served on SEAL Team 1, SEAL Team 5, and SEAL Team 6 as Senior Chief Christopher Beck of the U.S. Navy.
Executive produced by Herzog &amp;amp; Company (HCO) in association with Easy Day Media Group, LADY VALOR: The Kristin Beck Story, is produced by&nbsp;Mark Herzog&nbsp;and&nbsp;Christopher G. Cowen,&nbsp;and directed by&nbsp;Sandrine Orabona&nbsp;and Mark Herzog.&nbsp; The two-hour film will premiere on CNN/U.S. on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 9:00pm and 11:00pm Eastern.
In 2013, approximately 18 months after her retirement from active service, Beck was the first person to come out publicly as a transgender former Navy SEAL in an extended profile on CNN&rsquo;s&nbsp;Anderson Cooper 360&deg; &ndash; surprising friends, colleagues, and family. &nbsp;She also disclosed her identity on LinkedIn.&nbsp; &nbsp;While many around her have been supportive, some have expressed more bigotry than she ever expected.
&ldquo;CNN Films is proud to have commissioned such a unique and important film. &nbsp;LADY VALOR is a powerful statement on our preconceived notions and prejudices of transgender Americans.&nbsp; Kristin Beck is a dynamic individual, whose outspoken voice allows us a deeper understanding of such an emotionally intense, personal transformation,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Vinnie Malhotra, senior vice president of development and acquisitions for CNN Worldwide.
During the film, Beck also returns to her college, Virginia Military Institute, for her 25th class reunion.&nbsp; Gazing out onto a football field, she points to the men and women participating in the game activities and says: &ldquo;some of us need to have a little different journey.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s what we defend.&nbsp; That&rsquo;s what all these young men right here defend.&rdquo;
LADY VALOR premiered as an official selection of the SXSW Film Festival&nbsp;and has since been an official selection at Hot Docs, Outfest Los Angeles, The Human Rights Watch Film Festival, and Frameline38 festivals in 2014. &nbsp;LADY VALOR will be available, in simulcast on Sept. 4, through CNNx&nbsp;for iPad, as well as through &ldquo;Watch CNN&rdquo; via&nbsp;www.CNN.com, and CNN&rsquo;s mobile applications.&nbsp;&nbsp; The two-hour film will also encore on CNN/U.S. on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 9:00pm and 11:00pm Eastern.
Beck&rsquo;s personal reflections and more information about her active duty service will be published via&nbsp;www.CNN.com/ladyvalor&nbsp;before the premiere of the film on CNN/U.S.&nbsp; More information about LADY VALOR may also be found by visitingwww.LadyValor.com&nbsp;and by following&nbsp;@CNNFilms&nbsp;and&nbsp;@theLadyValor&nbsp;via Twitter.