About Erika

My Story

I was born and raised in Missouri, served in Vietnam, and in 1970 returned to marry Barbara, the love of my life. With her help, I eventually earned a master’s degree in minerals exploration geology and began a career that took me to ten foreign countries and many parts of the U.S. But—always lurking in the background was the longing in my heart of hearts to be female.

In our twenty-seventh year of marriage, I came out as transgender. Amazingly, our marriage survived until the fortieth year when Barb passed away from cancer. Since then, I have retired and taken up writing and speaking, travelling, and volunteering with local charities.

Need a Speaker for Your Upcoming Event?

When faced with a family member, employee, or acquaintance who has come out as transgender, it is sometimes difficult to speak about the issue openly with them or others in your group who are affected. Moreover, discussions of sex and gender in classrooms, workplaces, churches or other group settings are often fraught with tension. Thus, many important questions go unasked.

I have spoken to college classes, church congregations, and other such organizational groups that find themselves in this situation with great success. My presentation style is personable and open, with a loosely structured approach that touches all the bullet points but remains open to honest questions from the audience. I answer such queries frankly and openly, and with a relaxed tenor that lets everyone know it’s alright to ask.

Contact me if you’d like to know more.