Biography

Served in Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm as a combat medic with the Navy and Marines. Was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, Southwest Asia Service Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon.

As a child and in her teens she suffered from gender dysphoria, feeling that she should have been born female instead of male. She began a gender transition in her twenties, ending with sexual reassignment.

In 2003 she was honored with a National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Leadership Award, along with writer/producer David Lee, Los Angeles City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa and Rosie O'Donnell and partner Kelli at the 14th Annual National Gay and Lesbian Leadership Awards. The award commended them for their outreach support in the Gay and Lesbian Community. She has also been given the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network's Randy Shilts Visibility Award.

Was crowned Miss Tennessee Entertainer of the Year in 1999, the last of her seven beauty/talent pageant wins before retiring from the pageant circuit.

Lives in Los Angeles, California and contributes much of her time promoting "Deep Stealth" a company she co-owns with business partner Andrea James.

We are all human, nobody is perfect or has a perfect life. My motto is, "Do the best you can with what you've got and remember the Golden Rule!" Thanks!

He never was ashamed to go anywhere with me. And he treated me just like a normal girl, and that was the most wonderful feeling, to have an attractive, masculine, nice man treat me as a woman, like I wanted to be treated. It put me at peace and gave me a feeling of self-confidence that I have never had. - about Barry Winchell