First Transgender Firefighter Comes Out

The first male-to-female transgender firefighter opened up about her experience being a firefighter with the Fire Department of New York. She is not only a third-generation firefighter, but she’s been welcomed by the department after opening up about being transgender. The New York Post reports that her father is still on the job (he responded to the Twin Towers during 9/11) and that she works in an almost exclusively male department.

“It’s a tremendously courageous decision,” one fellow firefighter told the paper.

While there have been many only gay and lesbian members of the FDNY, she is the first transgender firefighter to come out about her gender identity.

“I am appreciative of the support that the FDNY has given me during this time in my life,” she said on the record. “However, it is my expressed wish that the details of my personal and professional life remain private.” As a result, the newspaper has not revealed her name.