Event:Deborah Parry – My life – Trans in the Army

WO2 Penny was born in Karachi West, Pakistan, and joined the army in September 1982 and went on to complete the Commando Course and subsequently served with 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery.

In 1999 she transferred to the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) as an Ammunition Technician and qualified as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operator.  On promotion to Sgt in she was assigned to 621 EOD Squadron RLC.

Throughout her career, WO2 Penny has deployed on overseas exercises to the United States of America, Belize, Sardinia, Norway, Belize and Brunei and she has undertaken operational deployments to Northern Ireland, Cyprus, Iraq and Afghanistan. 

WO2 Penny came out to the army and her family and friends as Transgender in 2004. After two years she was able to start the journey to transition. In 2012 she deployed to Afghanistan on her first of two tours and was the first Transgender soldier in an operational theatre.  Following this she used her experiences to provide advice to the Chain of Command on Transgender issues and set up a network for women and LGBTQ+ personnel at Bovington Garrison.

She currently holds the post as the Warrant Officer Diversity Engagement Team as part of the Army Engagement Group.

Most recently she was a shortlisted finalist for a lifetime achiever award at the National Diversity Awards 2022.