Paula Stone Williams
Trans pastor & TED speaker | Lived as evangelical pastor for 35 years before transitioning
About
Paula Stone Williams is a pastor and author who transitioned later in life after 35 years as a male evangelical pastor. Her TED talk 'I've Lived as a Man and a Woman, Here's What I Learned' has been viewed over 10 million times and offers unique perspective on gender, privilege, and identity.
She serves as a teaching pastor and advocates for LGBTQ+ inclusion in religious communities. Her story bridges conservative religious and progressive LGBTQ+ worlds that rarely intersect.
With 3 talks at major events, she speaks on gender, privilege, faith, and identity.
What Paula Talks About
What I learned living as both a man and a woman
Gender, privilege, and the things you don't see until they're gone
Faith and identity: bridging religious and LGBTQ+ communities
Transitioning at 60: it's never too late to be yourself
How empathy changes when your perspective changes
Featured3 with video
The story of a parent's transition and a son's redemption
Paula Stone Williams knew from a young age that she was transgender. But as she became a parent and prominent evangelical pastor, she feared that coming out would mean losing everything. In this moving, deeply personal talk, Paula and her son Jonathan Williams share what Paula's transition meant for their family -- and reflect on their path to redemption. As Jonathan says: "I cannot ask my father to be anything other than her true self."
| Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TED | 2018 | 🇨🇦Vancouver, Canada |
| TEDxMileHigh 2017 | 2017 | 🇺🇸Denver, United States |
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