History-making trans Space Force colonel refuses to back down from right-wing haters

Space Force Colonel Bree Fram, one of the highest-ranking out transgender officers in the United States military, has spoken proudly about her history-making service as a transgender military member and her refusal to let right-wing online attacks get her down.

Fram ​is currently stationed at the Department of Defense to lead space acquisition policy. That involves assessing the nation’s current technological capabilities to maintain a technological advantage above the Earth by deploying resilient satellites and spacecraft. These objects can be used with other military equipment on Earth during times of crisis and conflict to provide a strategic edge.

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Her current job draws on her experience as an astronautical engineer, someone who helps design and develop navigational spacecraft and oversees their manufacture. With a master’s degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College and a master of science in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, her knowledge of space science and technology helps her team understand how different materials and mechanisms operate both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere, something crucial to maintaining spacecraft safety and reliance.

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​Fram publicly came out as trans in 2016 when the military officially dropped its ban on trans service members. She continued to serve from 2019 to 2021, when then-President Donald Trump instated a ban on trans military members, and she has continued to serve after President Joe Biden repealed Trump’s ban. She was promoted to colonel late last year.

“[LGBTQ+ people] have served since the [American] Revolution,” Fram said in a recent interview. “You had amazing heroes of the Revolution who just happened to be gay. You had over 400 documented cases of transgender people serving during the Civil War for the Union. And so that history is all there, but when we’re given that opportunity to do so openly, we can be even more valuable to the service.”

Fram recently endured right-wing online harassment after Libs of TikTok, the anti-LGBTQ+ X account run by Chaya Raichik, made a post misgendering and ridiculing her.

“It was quite the weekend on social media,” Fram said, adding, “If anything, if video and photos of me are shared, I see that as an opportunity for someone to see that LGBTQ people are successful wherever they are.”

Fram has advocated for trans people outside of her military service. She has discussed trans and military issues on national and international media, including ABC and NBC Nightly news, France 24, BBC, PBS News Hour, and NPR’s All Things Considered, Morning Edition, 1A, The Washington Post, Military Times, and LGBTQ Nation.

She has also served in leadership roles at SPARTA, a non-profit advocacy group for trans military service members, from 2015 to 2023. She also edited With Honor and Integrity: Transgender Troops in Their Own Words and co-wrote the forthcoming book Forging Queer Leaders: How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity, two books that focus on how queer inclusion benefits society at large.

“We as a country in times of crisis, in particular, have always tapped into and benefited from the diversity of this nation,” she said. “Diversity is not just a buzzword; it’s a strategic necessity. Our military is stronger when it reflects the society it serves. Being visible and vocal in the military as a transgender officer is about more than just me. It’s about paving the way for those who will follow.”