Paula Stone Williams and Jonathan Williams: The story of a parent's transition and a son's redemption
Paula Stone Williams e Jonathan Williams: A história da transição de um pai e da redenção de um filho
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,
religiosa sem fins lucrativos,
churches in America,
igrejas dos Estados Unidos,
em 70 mercados diferentes.
a estrada menos percorrida,
that was going to become.
se tornaria difícil.
ou quatro anos de idade,
or four years of age
I would lose everything.
minha orientação sexual, perderia tudo.
not only sets you free,
não apenas o liberta,
a maior parte da vida
religious world,
religioso conservador,
is not all that great for your career.
não é tão bom para sua carreira.
every single one of my jobs.
de meus empregos.
mas sofreu muito.
and coworkers had rejected me;
e colegas me rejeitou;
"You really messed with me."
"Você me deixou mesmo confuso".
exemplo de macho alfa amável".
of an alpha male who was gentle."
was it for my own son?
foi para meu próprio filho?
não era uma opção.
was not an option.
brought me craft beer
e minhas filhas me trouxeram
e um pote caseiro de picles,
which, in my estimation,
perfeito para o Dia dos Pais.
this spiral of denial,
nessa espiral de negação,
que tudo havia mudado,
that everything had changed.
and mourning and sadness,
de dor, luto e tristeza,
pela reconciliação.
o pai de alguém de mais de 30 anos
of 30 plus years decides to transition
para o gênero feminino.
comes from choosing the narrow path.
sempre vem da escolha do caminho estreito.
out and met me at a hotel in New York,
e me encontrou num hotel em Nova York,
and this woman answered.
veio tomar nosso pedido.
came to take our order.
mas só havia uma na mesa: minha esposa.
at the table and it was my wife,
women at the table.
everything about me,
que sabia tudo a meu respeito,
que era final de setembro em Nova York,
September in New York,
após o Dia do Trabalho em Nova York.
after Labor Day in New York.
here I stand in my wrong jeans.
aqui estou eu com meu jeans errado.
blue eyes I love so much,
azuis que amo tanto,
sem acreditar.
back at me in disbelief.
going to be easy."
faz a transição,
whether they want to or not.
querendo ou não.
que encantador".
"That's messed up, I'm out of here."
"Que confusão, vou cair fora".
was going to work.
nenhum dos extremos iria funcionar.
on to the road of trials.
ao caminho das provações.
os ingressos para a temporada do Mets,
the Mets season tickets --
de bicicleta ao Heckscher Park
through Heckscher Park
that I now know he wished weren't hers.
do corpo que agora sei
emprestado sem pedir,
por você me incentivar a ser fã do Mets,
me to be a Mets fan
para as grandes decepções da vida.
for life's really big disappointments.
e queijo todo sábado
sandwiches every Saturday
que não queria viver,
he didn't want to live,
pudesse ter um pai.
that I could have a dad.
if my dad had ever existed.
consciously, intentionally --
consciente e intencional,
and her transformation was complete,
e sua transformação estava completa,
estava apenas começando.
another choice to heed my father's advice
outra jornada, outra escolha
e continuar por esse caminho estreito.
I believe there is a God.
acredito que existe um Deus.
podem ser difíceis,
on the New Jersey Turnpike.
quando sua alma está no corpo errado.
when your soul is in the wrong body.
acabei no sacerdócio.
não era nada pessoal.
it was nothing personal.
for the tribe to survive,
é necessário para a tribo sobreviver.
sexuais são o inimigo;
are the enemy;
left his job teaching in West Philadelphia
deixou de ensinar no oeste da Filadélfia
para encontrar uma resposta.
to find an answer.
the bridge's construction began.
o início da construção da ponte.
from decompression sickness.
executive engineer
a engenheira executiva substituta
à sombra daquela Ponte do Brooklyn.
of that Brooklyn Bridge.
that her friends in church
a apoiariam em sua transição,
of a new church in Brooklyn.
igreja no Brooklyn.
of forward-thinking people,
de pessoas avançadas,
to really conservative churches.
ligados a igrejas muito conservadoras.
our own church's livelihood.
o sustento de nossa própria igreja.
between these warring worlds.
entre esses mundos em guerra.
in your old world.
em seu velho mundo.
uma trégua por minha causa?"
an olive branch for my sake?"
any idea what it feels like
a seus verdadeiros amigos
to your true friends
uma decisão a tomar.
down that narrow path through nights,
por esse caminho estreito pelas noites,
outra coisa senão seu verdadeiro eu.
other than her true self.
à margem do rio naquele dia,
his suffering, his grief, his confusion.
e a confusão dele.
to that conversation,
redemptive going on,
havia algo de redentor acontecendo,
conhecerem Paula.
to meet their -- Paula.
na sala de jantar,
at the dining room table,
a single, confident question.
fez uma pergunta única e confiante:
e o riso acalmou,
and the laughter subsided,
de volta ao quarto delas,
back into their room
e a batizaram com um novo nome.
of my granddaughters at my home,
as minhas cinco netas vieram a minha casa,
of the Rocky Mountains.
in the cool waters of the river
que passa por nossa cidadezinha,
de Jonathan me perguntou:
girls said to me,
tubing on the river?"
esperaria seu pai chegar aqui.
gets here for that.
that ought to be his call."
decision you would.
a mesma coisa que você.
a encontrar o caminho estreito
to find the narrow path
the long, dark night,
that a child who is secure,
that only they can hear.
que só ela consegue ouvir.
who is safe and unharmed
que está segura e ilesa
conheceram a vô Paula,
met their GrandPaula,
e vi enquanto elas caminharam pela rua.
down the street,
balançavam freneticamente.
because you always do --
porque você sempre faz isso.
morder a rosquinha
take a bite of her doughnut,
of burdens and challenges.
de obrigações e desafios.
to see this through to redemption.
persistiríamos até a redenção.
and eating their doughnuts,
e comendo suas rosquinhas,
pra ninguém em particular,
path of redemption,
estreito da redenção,
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