Autumn Sandeen

Autumn Sandeen is a transgender activist and US Navy veteran. In 2013, she became the first US service member to succeed in petitioning the Defense Department to publicly change her gender identification on all her military records.

Early life 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). In 2012, she was issued a new birth certificate that acknowledged her female identity.

Sandeen currently blogs for The Transadvocate. She lives in San Diego, California.