The transgender pastor

Available for over a year

June Joplin was born outwardly a boy, but at the age of 11, at a Christian summer camp, two things became very clear to her: that she was supposed to be a pastor, and that she was supposed to be a girl. Becoming a pastor was the easy bit. June studied to become a Baptist minister in Richmond, Virginia, married and started a family. Yet the sense that she was really a woman never left her – and by her own admission, the struggles with her gender identity led to a depression which at times made her difficult to live with. Eventually, by now living in Canada, she decided to come out as a transgender woman to her congregation and face the consequences. In conversation with Mike Wooldridge, June Joplin tells her story and reflects on the cost of doing what she felt was the right thing. Presenter: Mike Wooldridge. Producer: Rosie Dawson A CTVC production for BBC World Service (Photo: June Joplin)