Christine Hug
Born1981
Zürich, Switzerland
Died10 July 2023 (aged 41–42)
Allegiance  Switzerland
Service/branchSwiss Army
Years of service2001–2023
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Commands heldPanzer Battalion 12

Christine Hug (1981 – 10 July 2023) was a Swiss military officer. In September 2019, she became the first openly transgender officer in the Swiss Army. Hug commanded the Panzer Battalion 12, which consisted of almost one thousand soldiers.

Early life

Hug was born in 1981 in Zürich.[1] She studied military history in school.[2]

Career

Hug joined the Swiss Army at the age of twenty, eventually reaching the rank of Oberstleutnant (Lieutenant colonel) in the General Staff.[3][4] She commanded the Panzer Battalion 12, consisting of seventy tanks and almost one thousand soldiers.[1][5]

In March 2019, after informing the Chief of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General Philippe Rebord and Federal Councilor and Federal Department of Defense Head Viola Amherd, Hug came out as transgender, making her the first transgender officer in the Swiss Army.[3][2] She then informed all members of the army whom she worked with, sending an email to seven hundred military staff.[5] At the time that Hug came out, the Swiss Army considered transgender people to be medically unfit and would not consider them for military recruits.[5] Hug advocated for women and transgender people to serve in the Swiss military.[1]

Personal life

Hug was married and had one daughter.[5]

Hug was a transgender woman, and came out publicly in March 2020.[5] Hug began hormone replacement therapy two years prior, in 2017.[5] In 2018, she underwent gender-affirming surgery.[5] She chose the name Christine after having a conversation with her parents, who said they would have named her that had she been assigned female at birth.[5]

Death

On 10 July 2023, Hug died in an accident.[6] She had been preparing to go on a vacation to Hungary with her wife and daughter with their horses when she was killed.[2] While loading the horses into a trailer, Hug fell backwards and hit her head.[2] She was taken to a hospital by helicopter, where she died from her injuries.[2]

After her death, President of the Swiss Officers' Society Dominik Knill, released a statement calling Hug a "loveable person and loyal comrade, but also a great and authentic representative of a pragmatic advancement of women in the army."[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The first trans female officer in the Swiss army killed in an accident". dayfr.com. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Erste Transfrau des Schweizer Militärs tot - jetzt steht Ursache fest". Focus (in German). 24 July 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 "A sex change in the army". SWI swissinfo.ch. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Isler, Thomas (22 July 2023). "Nachruf: Christine Hug, Frau Oberstleutnant, die ein Mann war". NZZ Magazin. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Diese Transfrau befehligt ein ganzes Bataillon". 20 Minuten. 3 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "La première femme officier trans de l'armée suisse tuée ." www.titrespresse.com. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Christine Hug: Offiziere trauern nach Unfalltod um Christine Hug". 20 Minuten. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
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