Emma Shinn is a military and criminal defense attorney.
History
Shinn served nearly 20 years in the Marines before temporarily retiring as a Captain in 2014. In 2016 Shinn transitioned from Male to Female. Shinn enlisted in the Marines at age 18 in 1994, serving in the infantry for 11 years, specializing in anti-tank assault (TOW and Javelin Gunner). In Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, Shinn was an infantry platoon sergeant. Upon returning to the US, Shinn completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an attorney on 12 August 2005. She was temporarily retired as a judge advocate in May 2014 due to combat-related post-traumatic stress. She later returned and is currently the rank of Major. Shinn identifies as both Trans and Queer.
Shinn also served as a Marine in California, Okinawa, North Carolina, the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Tunisia. As a judge advocate, Shinn served in Virginia, Rhode Island, Okinawa, Guantanamo, the Pentagon, and San Diego. Shinn has also served as the president of SPART*A, a group of transgender people who currently serve or have served in the military. She is also the co-founder of the Colorado Name Change Project, a non profit dedicated to assisting trans Coloradans with their legal name changes and gender marker corrections.
Shinn transitioned in 2016, the year openly transgender people were allowed to serve under rules set in place by President Obama. Even though President Trump reversed the ruling in 2017, Shinn persevered and returned to active duty in 2019.
References
Transgender people and the United States military
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people