Autumn Sandeen

Sandeen was born Stephen Mark Sandeen in Northridge, California. Her father is Jack Sandeen, a film and television costumer and later the wardrobe department head at Walt Disney Studios. ==Navy service==

Sandeen served as a fire controlman in the US Navy from 1980 to 2000. She worked in bases throughout the Northern Hemisphere She was discharged with a 100% disability rating (service-related). ==Gender transition==

In the late 1990s, Sandeen began seriously considering transitioning after she left the Navy. She started the process in February 2003 In 2012, she was issued a new birth certificate that acknowledged her female identity. She received a letter officially confirming her identification as female in Department of Defense records effective April 12, 2013. GLAAD hailed Sandeen as the first service member to publicly change her gender identification under the Department of Defense. ==Transgender activism==

Sandeen served as board member within the Transgender Advocacy and Services Center San Diego from 2006 to 2008. Sandeen currently blogs for The Transadvocate. She lives in San Diego, California. ==References==