Bree fram
Bree Fram is an astronautical engineer, public policy expert, author, speaker, former Congressional candidate, and retired U.S. Space Force colonel. She was forced to retire from the military in 2025 due to Trump administration policy regarding transgender people.
Bree came out publicly as transgender on the day the transgender ban in the military was dropped in 2016. At her dismissal, she was the highest ranking out transgender officer in the military and she was the first, and only, out transgender officer selected for and promoted to the grade of O-6.
Prior to recommissioning into the Space Force in 2021, Bree served 18 years in a wide variety of Air Force positions including a Research and Development command position and an oversight role for all Air Force security cooperation activity with Iraq. Bree deployed to Qatar and Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In her final assignment she was stationed at the Pentagon where she built the first Space Force acquisition policy and then led requirements development for future capabilities.
Bree is passionate about space, service, leadership development, technological advancement, storytelling, and creating inclusive cultures. She has appeared on national and international media, including ABC and NBC Nightly news, MSNOW, France 24, BBC, PBS News Hour, and NPR. Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Defense One, Military Times, Inkstick, and LGBTQ Nation. She is an editor of two books on Transgender Military Service and an author of Forging Queer Leaders: How the LGBTQIA+ Community Creates Impact from Adversity.
Bree created the Forged in Fire LGBTQ+ Leadership Podcast and was the executive producer and co-host from 2022 to 2025. She also co-led the Department of the Air Force LGBTQ+ Initiatives Team from 2023-2025, and served as a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics’ Diversity Working Group from 2019-2023 to increase diverse representation in STEM and aerospace.
She also served in leadership roles at SPARTA, a non-profit that advocates and educates about transgender military service, from 2015-2023, culminating as President and Board Chair. Her work for SPARTA focused on national-level policy and advocacy to develop a more inclusive military.
Bree has been married for more than 20 years to her wife, Peg, and they have two kids.
To keep her sane, Bree hikes mountains in the summer and skis down them in the winter. If she can't get to the mountains, she's probably trying something nerdy and almost certainly liking it.
For more about Bree visit her at breefram.com