Paula Stone Williams and Jonathan Williams: The story of a parent's transition and a son's redemption
폴라 스톤 윌리엄스, 조나단 윌리엄스: 아버지의 성전환과 아들이 얻은 구원
Paula Stone Williams is a pastor, counselor, speaker, LGBTQ ambassador and gender equity advocate. Full bioJonathan Williams - Religious leader, storyteller
Jonathan Williams likes to tell stories and throw parties, so he started a church that allowed him to do both. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
of a large, religious nonprofit,
비영리 종교단체의 CEO였습니다.
churches in America,
that was going to become.
or four years of age
I would lose everything.
not only sets you free,
religious world,
is not all that great for your career.
every single one of my jobs.
and coworkers had rejected me;
"You really messed with me."
of an alpha male who was gentle."
was it for my own son?
was not an option.
brought me craft beer
which, in my estimation,
this spiral of denial,
that everything had changed.
달라졌다는 걸 인정하는 거였죠.
and mourning and sadness,
of 30 plus years decides to transition
comes from choosing the narrow path.
out and met me at a hotel in New York,
뉴욕의 어느 호텔에서
and this woman answered.
came to take our order.
웨이터가 저희의 주문을 받으러 와서는,
at the table and it was my wife,
women at the table.
기억이 나지 않았습니다.
everything about me,
September in New York,
after Labor Day in New York.
here I stand in my wrong jeans.
하는 생각 뿐이었습니다.
blue eyes I love so much,
크고 파란 눈을 마주쳤고
back at me in disbelief.
going to be easy."
whether they want to or not.
이보다 좋은 일은 없다구요" 하고,
"That's messed up, I'm out of here."
was going to work.
말들은 아무런 소용이 없었죠.
on to the road of trials.
the Mets season tickets --
야구 시즌이면 메츠 경기를 보러 갈 때...
through Heckscher Park
that I now know he wished weren't hers.
아버지가 갖고 싶지 않았던 것도 있었죠.
me to be a Mets fan
for life's really big disappointments.
준비를 시키려는 의도였단 걸요.
sandwiches every Saturday
he didn't want to live,
that I could have a dad.
이 모든 일을 해내신 거죠.
if my dad had ever existed.
그만 의심하기로 했습니다.
consciously, intentionally --
and her transformation was complete,
아버지의 변화는 완성되었습니다.
another choice to heed my father's advice
해야할 선택이 남아있습니다.
I believe there is a God.
on the New Jersey Turnpike.
무슨 요일이 됐든 힘들겠죠.
when your soul is in the wrong body.
신에 대한 믿음도 흔들립니다.
it was nothing personal.
개인적인 원한이나 감정때문이 아니었습니다.
for the tribe to survive,
공통의 적이 필요하다고 생각합니다.
are the enemy;
left his job teaching in West Philadelphia
교육일을 하고 있었는데, 그런 아들이
to find an answer.
the bridge's construction began.
생을 마감했습니다.
from decompression sickness.
executive engineer
기술간부로 일하기 시작해,
of that Brooklyn Bridge.
that her friends in church
of a new church in Brooklyn.
of forward-thinking people,
멋진 사람들이었지만,
to really conservative churches.
재정적으로 묶여있기도 했습니다.
our own church's livelihood.
할 수 있을지 모른다고 판단했기에,
between these warring worlds.
in your old world.
생계를 이어가고 있어요.
an olive branch for my sake?"
any idea what it feels like
to your true friends
진짜 나의 모습을 보여줬다는 이유로
down that narrow path through nights,
비좁은 길을 걷는 것과 같았습니다.
other than her true self.
남을 수 있기 만을 바라게 되었죠.
his suffering, his grief, his confusion.
혼란을 이야기하는 것을 들었습니다.
to that conversation,
redemptive going on,
반짝이는 것을 느꼈습니다.
to meet their -- Paula.
소개해줄 때가 되었다는 생각이 들었습니다.
at the dining room table,
a single, confident question.
외마디 질문을 던졌습니다.
and the laughter subsided,
back into their room
of my granddaughters at my home,
모두 집으로 초대했습니다.
of the Rocky Mountains.
in the cool waters of the river
girls said to me,
tubing on the river?"
gets here for that.
that ought to be his call."
decision you would.
to find the narrow path
the long, dark night,
that a child who is secure,
that only they can hear.
who is safe and unharmed
met their GrandPaula,
down the street,
because you always do --
take a bite of her doughnut,
of burdens and challenges.
to see this through to redemption.
우리는 구원을 얻을 거란 사실입니다.
and eating their doughnuts,
path of redemption,
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Paula Stone Williams - Religious leader, counselor, advocatePaula Stone Williams is a pastor, counselor, speaker, LGBTQ ambassador and gender equity advocate.
Why you should listen
The Reverend Dr. Paula Stone Williams knows the truth will set you free, but only after it upends your carefully constructed narrative. Her devotion to authenticity caused her to leave her comfort zone as a nationally known religious leader and follow her heart to transition from Paul to Paula. She lost all of her jobs and most of her friends. Williams also discovered the massive differences between life as a male and as a female in America.
Williams is the pastor of preaching and worship at Left Hand Church in Longmont, Colorado, a pastoral counselor with RLT Pathways and a sought-after speaker to corporations, government agencies, universities and religious institutions on issues of gender equity and LGBTQ advocacy. She has been featured in the New York Times, the Denver Post, New Scientist, Radio New Zealand, Colorado Public Radio and The Huffington Post. Her TEDxMileHigh talk on gender equity has had more than one million views.
Paula Stone Williams | Speaker | TED.com
Jonathan Williams - Religious leader, storyteller
Jonathan Williams likes to tell stories and throw parties, so he started a church that allowed him to do both.
Why you should listen
After teaching fifth grade in West Philadelphia for seven years, Jonathan Williams decided to join the family business and become a pastor like his father. He started a church in Brooklyn, NY, and just three months later faced a religious and personal reckoning when his father announced her transition from male to female. Williams decided that his church would become an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, forever shifting the landscape in his personal and professional life.
Williams continues to lead Forefront Church in Brooklyn. In January 2019, he released his book, She's My Dad: A Father’s Transition and a Son's Redemption, published by Westminster John Knox Press. Williams has told his story to the New York Times, Huffington Post, Christian Standard Magazine, Faithfully Magazine and Rebel Storytellers.
Jonathan Williams | Speaker | TED.com