Emma Shinn: Transgender Military Veteran Leads New Fights for Colorado’s Queer Community

Trans military veteran, advocate and ally, defense attorney, and creator of the Name Change Project: any one of those traits would have been enough to grant Emma Shinn mention as a Power Winner. But for Shinn, who tirelessly fights for her community, these things are all a necessary part of creating the change that she wants to see.

“I typically think LGBTQ folks are discriminated against and face more pressures in the legal community because they are minorities, so to be able to be a voice for them and guide them through the process of name change is really valuable, both to me and to my clients,” she told OUT FRONT.

Originally enlisted as a Marine, Shinn was a subject of highlighted in an OUT FRONT article this summer, right after Trump first made his announcement about not allowing trans individuals to serve in the military. She is an outspoken advocate for trans military rights and proud to have served her country, despite how trans veterans are currently being treated.

“Trans people have been serving since the dawn of time,” she stated during that interview, when asked about her military service record and her views on inclusion. “It’s just whether we’re serving openly or not.”

Shinn feels that because she is successful as an out, trans woman in law and in life, she can use her own positive example to try to convince others to live their truths as well. She thinks that the best way to do so is to empower queer people by sharing her own story, and that she can help fight prejudice by being out and successful.

“I help by being visible,” she explained. “If people can see me, see I am a professional woman, the kind of person I am, they will see that all those preconceived notions and prejudices aren’t there. We are just like everyone else; we are people, at the root of things, that’s what it boils down to. Experiencing education with trans people is going to reduce that, just like it did with the LG and the B part of our acronym.”

However, she realizes that even those who are comfortable with their identities don’t always seek the help they need. Whether it is fear of changing a name or finding out how to do so, or fear of fighting a lawsuit and facing prejudice, Shinn tries to help people realize that there are safe places to turn for those who need help.

“Often, people who are LGBTQ don’t want to seek help because they are worried they are going to be judged, so they feel more comfortable with me because I am queer and trans and I am not going to judge them,” she explained. “After last year’s election, it was very important to help people who were feeling uncertain about what was to come, so myself and a group of others got together to form the Colorado Name Change Project; that right there is powerful to me.”

Shinn recognizes that in order to be happy and productive members of society, trans people need to be able to live as themselves.

“I think the earlier people can transition, the better their lives will be,” she said. “A lot of my earlier struggles could have been avoided if I felt supported in my community to be who I really am. Obviously, there are some people where it is a phase, especially early on in their lives, so being able to take the right steps, talk to mental health providers, being cognizant of exactly how that person is presenting, is really important. Is it persistent, insistent, and consistent? If those things are there, most likely, it is not a phase.”

Shinn keeps herself incredibly busy, working as a lawyer and for her charity, and she will continue to fight the good fight for equality. To learn more about her name change work and how to update gender markers and names, visit NameChangeProject.org.