Anastasia Biefang

Lieutenant Colonel of the German Air Force, First openly transgender battalion commander in the Bundeswehr

Anastasia Biefang

Lieutenant Colonel of the German Air Force, First openly transgender battalion commander in the Bundeswehr

Anastasia Biefang is a lieutenant colonel in the German Air Force and the first openly transgender battalion commander in the German armed forces. For 40 years, Anastasia Biefang lived as a man before making public what she has long felt: she is a woman. Born in Krefeld in 1974, Anastasia Biefang has been an officer in the German Armed Forces since 1994. She studied education at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich and, after her specialist training, went through various command and staff assignments within the Bundeswehr. She completed the Bundeswehr General Staff Course at the Command and Staff College in Hamburg and subsequently served, among other things, as an advisor in the Federal Ministry of Defence. In 2017, she became commander of the Information Technology Battalion 381 in Storkow (Mark) and led it until 2020. Since then, she has been head of unit at the Cyber and Information Space Command in Bonn. During her time in service, she has been deployed twice to Afghanistan. In 2015, Anastasia Biefang came out as a transgender woman and made her transition visible and public. The documentary film "I am Anastasia", released in 2019, accompanies Anastasia in her transition to womanhood and follows her entry into service as a female commander. Anastasia Biefang has been volunteering with the QueerBw association since 2016, advocating for LGBTIQ rights inside and outside the Bundeswehr. She has been the deputy chair of QueerBw since 2019. Since 2020, she has been writing the column "Die Transperspektive" for the LGBTIQ magazine MANNSCHAFT.

Languages
  • English
  • German

About Anastasia Biefang

Anastasia Biefang is a lieutenant colonel in the German Air Force and the first openly transgender battalion commander in the German armed forces. For 40 years, Anastasia Biefang lived as a man before making public what she has long felt: she is a woman.

Born in Krefeld in 1974, Anastasia Biefang has been an officer in the German Armed Forces since 1994. She studied education at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich and, after her specialist training, went through various command and staff assignments within the Bundeswehr. She completed the Bundeswehr General Staff Course at the Command and Staff College in Hamburg and subsequently served, among other things, as an advisor in the Federal Ministry of Defence. In 2017, she became commander of the Information Technology Battalion 381 in Storkow (Mark) and led it until 2020. Since then, she has been head of unit at the Cyber and Information Space Command in Bonn. During her time in service, she has been deployed twice to Afghanistan.

In 2015, Anastasia Biefang came out as a transgender woman and made her transition visible and public. The documentary film "I am Anastasia", released in 2019, accompanies Anastasia in her transition to womanhood and follows her entry into service as a female commander.

Anastasia Biefang has been volunteering with the QueerBw association since 2016, advocating for LGBTIQ rights inside and outside the Bundeswehr. She has been the deputy chair of QueerBw since 2019.

Since 2020, she has been writing the column "Die Transperspektive" for the LGBTIQ magazine MANNSCHAFT.

Topics

  • Diversity in organisations and companies
  • LGBTIQ and society
  • Leadership strength and responsibility of queer leaders
  • The path to one's own identity - overcoming fears