Caroline Paige: The Inspirational Story Of The First Transgender Officer To Serve Openly
“If I had just given up and said right, I’m leaving to transition… I would never have known that they would have accepted me.”
The UK Armed Forces' first openly transgender officer has been talking about the challenges of military service and her struggle to choose between the Royal Air Force or living life as her true self.
Caroline Paige enjoyed a 35-year career with the RAF as both a jet and helicopter navigator.
In this Forces Radio BFBS Special, she talks to Mike Howarth about her personal and professional life, playing the songs that mean so much to her.
LISTEN: On Track With Caroline Paige
She takes us on an emotional journey, from one of her earliest recollections of gender identity – when she was caught by her father, a former Royal Artillery Sergeant, wearing one of her sister’s dresses as a child, to the happier side of her teenage years and joining the air cadets.
We hear how she flew F4 Phantoms as a navigator in the Air Defence role during the Cold War in her twenties and about her time on tour in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Her story tells us how she struggled to decide whether she should leave the Royal Air Force in order to transition, or stay in a job she loved and live life to other people’s expectations.
We hear how the RAF reacted to her transition and the strain it had on relationships with family and friends.
Buckle up, sit back and hear an incredible story from a truly inspirational woman.
Cover Photo: @caz_paige
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