Alexandra Larsson (born 1974) is a retired

Swedish Air Force The Swedish Air Force ( sv, Svenska flygvapnet or just ) is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces. History The Swedish Air Force was created on 1 July, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the es ...

officer and IT specialist. When she was 22, she became the first woman in the Swedish armed forces to come out as

transsexual Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignment ...

. Larsson was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1996, advancing to captain (2003) and major (2011). After serving as an intelligence officer, she went on to head one of the leading IT projects at Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters.

Biography

Born in

Linköping Linköping () is a city in southern Sweden, with around 105,000 inhabitants as of 2021. It is the seat of Linköping Municipality and the capital of Östergötland County. Linköping is also the episcopal see of the Diocese of Linköping (Church ...

in 1974, Alexandra Larsson was one of the most industrious girls at school but felt uncomfortable. From the internet, she discovered that there were others who had the same sexual feelings as hers. When she joined the Air Force, she first hid behind her uniform but then decided to open up, revealing her outlook in a power-point presentation. It made her feel much better. After coming out, she took part in the Stockholm Pride Parade, walking beside Sweden's chief of defence and the minister of defence. In connection with a 2014 conference on "Perspectives on Transgender Military Service from Around the Globe", she commented: "I’m sure their presence made 50 more people come out. That aspect of symbolic leadership is so, so important." In addition to her military career, Larsson graduated in political science at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion RFSL The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights ( sv, Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners och queeras rättigheter, RFSL, formerly ) is a Swedish organization working for LGBT rights. Lawy ...

, Sweden's LGBTQ association. Larsson retired from the armed forces in 2017 and now works for Combitech AB where she is Chief Information Architect & Head of Ecosystem Facilitation.

References

External links

Alexandra Larsson's profile on LinkedIn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsson, Alexandra 1974 births Living people People from Linköping Swedish Air Force officers Women air force personnel Swedish LGBT people Transgender military personnel Lund University alumni Transgender women 21st-century LGBT people