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San Diego's first trans officer prompting changes

Posted at 11:38 PM, Apr 21, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-22 02:38:28-04

Christine Garcia, the first transgender police officer with the San Diego Police Department, opens up to 10News about growing up feeling like a girl in a boy’s body.

Garcia said her fellow officers were very supportive when she transitioned.

There have also been changes to SDPD policy, like officers using the pronoun of the gender the person identifies with and the name they want, not what is on their driver's license.

But recently, a small group was very vocal in their opposition to her, more precisely, her profession.

They showed up where Garcia was receiving an award at the LGBT Center in Hillcrest last Friday for Trans Day of Empowerment and began booing her.

Not because she is transgender, but because she is a police officer.

Others in the LGBT community gave her a standing ovation.

Christine Garcia will be honored for her community work at the LGBT Center's Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast on May 19, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Hilton San Diego Bay Front hotel. 

Watch the full story above.