wanted to live or die, knowing he wasn t  long bridesmaid dresses being true to who she was.Each time he returned stateside, he came home angry.He punched holes in the wall.He punched a drunk in a bar and spent the night in jail.He deployed 13 times to stay away, his marriage dissolving in the process.He served with the elite Seal Team Six unit.After 20 years fighting for her country, Beck decided to retire and fight for herself.She transitioned in 2013 to a wave of publicity.A former member of SEAL Team Six coming out as a woman made for good television.Anderson Cooper interviewed her in prime time on CNN, and the network later made a 90-minute documentary about her journey called Lady Valor.She covered up her biker-gang tattoo with a ladybug, quit her job as a military consultant, and hit the road to make her living lecturing about human rights.On tour, she talks about staring down Taliban warlords, kicking down doors to capture insurgents, and sparing the life of an armed guard who would become a friend.She talks about coming home to a place that s supposed to be safe and getting beat up outside of a bar for wearing a dress.I have a right to some happiness, she said.She lobbied on behalf of a bill that would make it illegal to discriminate in hiring based on sexual orientation or gender, and advocated for LGBT protections in the military.It took time, but her parents learned to be supportive.It s been harder for her sons, whom she rarely sees anymore.Last year, Beck moved to Maryland s 5th District near Andrews Air Force Base  chiffon long bridesmaid dresses and her mother.At a Pentagon social event, Beck met a woman, Heather Stott, an active technical sergeant in the Air Force Security Forces.The two fell in love and got engaged.Beck had always seen herself as a sheepdog, someone eager to protect the community.Now that she had a home that felt like home, she decided the best way to serve would be to run for Congress.I know I m the underdog, she said, while leaving the house for a full day of campaigning, But I m going to freakin win.Beck s entrance into politics comes at a big moment for transgender issues.While there has been a surge in pop-culture acceptance (see: Caitlyn Jenner on the cover of Vanity Fair, Laverne Cox on the cover of Time magazine, and the acclaimed TV series Transparent ), civil rights for trans people lag behind.Beck would not be allowed to serve as openly transgender in the military.Even while Beck says she won t make LGBT issues a campaign priority, she has positioned herself as a de facto leader.When a community doesn t have that many spokespeople, anyone who decides to put themselves out front automatically becomes a spokesperson, whether they want to or not, said Dana Beyer a transgender woman who has also run for office in Maryland.It might not be fair, but it s the truth.And not everyone is convinced that Beck is up for that particular role.She s famous for speaking right off the cuff and having to backtrack, said Autumn Sandeen, a transgender activist and Navy veteran.Many activists found Beck s  long bridesmaid dresses on sale disparaging comments about Chelsea Manning ( If Bradley is truly Chelsea then she is a traitor to ME, Beck wrote on Facebook) and Jenner ( He s no hero, Beck said in a TV appearance, raising an eyebrow about the reality star s likely financial windfall) to be counterproductive.Beck is certainly a complicated personality.She makes a living giving speeches about her journey to self-acceptance but doesn t want to be thought of as a transgender candidate.Sometimes she s OK with the term trans other times she asks to be referred to by the Native American term two-spirited.She suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, manifested by sleep problems and a tendency to repeat herself.She gripes that Hillary Clinton may have lifted the term everyday Americans from her campaign.On a number of occasions, she asks not to be called a hero, even when no one has done so.But as big as her personality is, Beck is trying hard not to make this an identity-based election.equal pay for equal work, term limits for members of Congress, cleaning up the huge amount of human fecal matter in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.I try not to say much about the LGBT community, she said.It s a crazy burden to ask someone to speak for a community.The only time her website broaches the issue, in fact, she declares that gay rights, marriage and a host of other issues should not be directed by a few old white guys in Washington D.but left for the states to decide.This limited government ideology doesn t play well with most LGBT  elegant long bridesmaid dresses activists, who seek sweeping federal protections.And have they already mentioned that she s trying to take out an incumbent who strongly supported gay marriage in 2012?I wouldn t vote for a trans candidate just because she is trans, said Sarah McBride, the first openly trans person to work in the White House.And from what I know, there are policies that Kristin supports that give me pause.But anytime a transgender person is willing to tell their story and stand up and say this is my community, that s beneficial.So this is how Beck s pitch goes on the trail: She notes that she was a Navy SEAL, mentions how long Hoyer has been in office, calls him some rich millionaire who doesn t understand the plight of working people.In reality, Hoyer is one of the poorest members of the House, according to financial disclosures.last year on the speaking circuit.She does have a way of connecting with voters, adapting her spiel to specific audiences.At a College Park, Maryland, coffee shop, a teacher listened attentively to her arguments for free college education, even while another pair of customers shooed her away without making eye contact.She walked into a local fire station to chat up the crew and admired the Harley-Davidson parked inside, standing with her legs apart and chest out like an alpha male.I don t even remember the last time a politician showed up here, said Deputy Chief Chris Hunter.In a diner parking lot, she talked with David Jackson