User:Lizbendalin

Liz Bendalin is the femme name of a male to female transgender person.

Liz was born and grew up in Papua New Guinea, where her parents who were serving as missionaries. Following graduation from high school, she attended [Wartburg College] in Waverly, Iowa where she received a music education degree. She also attended [Wartburg Seminary] in Dubuque, Iowa and [Augustana Hohschule] in Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany.

Liz has been transgender her entire life, and is very comfortable in her own skin. She first came out when she was 19. Since that time she has been out in various aspects of her life, while remaining closeted in others. Although she would prefer to be completely out, due to family and professional situations, she is unable to do so at this time.

Liz was raised in a "normal" home, to "normal" parents. Nothing they did made her the way she is. She had a very active youth being heavily involved in music and athletics. She was successful both socially and academically in her educational experiences.

Liz's life has been impacted greatly by her being transgender. She was in seminary training to be a pastor when this aspect of who she is was revealed. She was asked to withdraw from seminary without completing her education - just 18 hours short of her master's degree. She also lost a job as a youth director at a large church when she shared her 'secret' with a person she felt she could trust, and that trust was broken.

It is because of these experiences that Liz has decided to venture out into the community to educate others about being transgender. She hopes that through sharing her experiences and insights that others who are transgender will not have to experience what she has. Knowledge and understanding are key to ending the discrimination that those in the GLBT community experience every day.

Both she and her spouse work passionately and actively in the GLBT youth community. They are known as allies and advocates.

Liz and her spouse are very active in their local church. where they teach Sunday School, sing in the choir and serve on various boards. Faith and spirituality are important to Liz, in spite of her past experiences, and she enjoys speaking to worshiping communities about being transgender and Christian, and reconciling her Christian faith with her views on homosexuality.

Liz's outreach into the community has two primary aspects. First, she speaks publicly on transgender issues through her website: [Gender 101]. Secondly through her [blog].