HRC Blog

Jennifer Natalya Pritzker, a member of Chicago’s prominent Pritzker family, came out as transgender on Friday.

Col. Pritzker is a major philanthropist who has given significantly to transgender causes, including the recent funding of a $1.35 million grant to study transgender service in the U.S. military through the Tawani Foundation, which she founded. She has been a Human Rights Campaign supporter for many years.

Last month, the Palm Center announced that Col. Pritzker’s Tawani Foundation would be a funder of a new multi-year research initiative on transgender military service, examining transgender-inclusive policies in foreign militaries and reviewing the types of policy changes that would best accommodate transgender U.S. troops without undermining readiness.

Col. Pritzker is a highly-decorated colonel whose service includes 11 years of active duty in the U.S. Army followed by 16 years in the Illinois Army National Guard.

The Human Rights Campaign thanks Col. Pritzker for her support and sends hearty congratulations to her as she enters this new chapter of her life.