Bree Fram

Bree Fram is an American astronautical engineer, transgender rights activist, and retired military officer. She served in the United States Air Force during the Iraq War and was deployed to Iraq and Qatar as part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Fram later served as an officer in the United States Space Force and, as the first transgender person to be promoted to the rank of colonel, she was the highest-ranking transgender officer in the United States Armed Forces. She came out as a transgender woman in 2016, while serving in a command position, and served through the re-imposition of the transgender military ban from 2019 to 2021. Fram co-led the United States Department of the Air Force's LGBTQ+ Initiatives Team and, from 2021 to 2023, served as president of the military transgender advocacy nonprofit organization SPARTA Pride. She was forced to retire from the military in 2026, following President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14183 that barred transgender people from serving in the armed forces. On January 20, 2026, Fram announced her candidacy in the 2026 U.S. House election for Virginia's 11th congressional district.