Nancy Wichmann

Family Background and Significant Events

The lack of religious focus in my family of origin and my gender identity issues would often predict one's rejection of God, yet I consistently found myself being drawn back to the church.

From an early age I sensed that I was different from other kids. At an age when girls were supposed to be "icky" and had "cooties," I was far more comfortable with girls than boys. Being transgender pitted me against all the authority figures in my life, especially my parents.

Being born into a military family, we moved a lot. Church never seemed to be a priority in our family, except to me. When we moved to South Carolina, there was a church halfway down the block. I wasn't aware of differences in denominations when I entered the Southern Baptist church on my own. I was so proud when I earned my nine month perfect attendance pin for Sunday School.