A longtime foreign policy expert and conservative scholar is re-introducing herself to Washington.

Giselle Donnelly is publicly acknowledging her gender identity after a career built as Thomas Donnelly, according to a report in the Washington Post.

Donnelly, who spent decades hiding her gender and years in self-reflection, is now living openly as a trans woman.

The 65-year-old is a resident fellow in defense and security studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, has been supportive of her transition. AEI executives said that Donnelly is the same person with the same principles that had always made her a good fit for the organization.

A documentary, "The Makeover," that details her transition and her relationship with her second wife, makeup artist and former naval nuclear instructor Elizabeth Taylor, is set to debut next month. The two met several years ago following Donnelly's separation from her first wife, and bonded over a shared love of national security, wine, gender fluidity, and BDSM.

Donnelly said she understands not everyone in Washington will immediately accept her, but expressed that she wants the national security community to judge her for her work.

"I ask for people’s indulgence. That line of gender and sexuality is deeply personal for everybody,” she said. “I’m appreciative of what I’m asking of people. But as long as I can keep doing useful work, I’d rather be judged principally by that.”