Retired Navy Seal Comes Out as Transgendered

Publishes memoir called Warrior Princess

In the super-secret world of the U.S. Navy SEAL, Chris Beck carried around a explosive secret of his own during his 20 years with the elite, all-male unit: He's transgender.

In the memoir Warrior Princess, published Tuesday, retired Navy SEAL Kristin Beck—formerly Chris—writes about life struggling with her sexual identity, and coming out.

The 46-year-old Beck, who retired from the SEAL Team 6 only months before it raided Osama bin Laden's hide-out, explains that she decided to undergo hormonal therapy some time after leaving the service in 2011.

Beck served 20 years as a Navy SEAL, including seven combat deployments, earning a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.