Queer Places:
1988 Wellesley Ave, St Paul, MN 55105
Barbara Satin (born
July, 1934) is an American transgender activist.[1] She has advocated for the needs of LGBT seniors, and for the inclusion of transgender people in communities of faith. Satin serves as a consultant for the National LGBTQ Task Force.[2][3]
Satin was born David George Mcdonell in 1934 in St. Paul, Minnesota.[1][4] She felt feminine from an early age, but kept it to herself as she didn't have the vocabulary to express these feelings.[1][4][5] Satin was raised in a devout Catholic family, and attended seminary for two years as a teenager, but dropped out due to her feelings about her gender.[1][4][5] Satin finished her secondary education at a Catholic high school, then enrolled at the College of St. Thomas, graduating with a B.A. in sociology.[1] While in college, she learned about Christine Jorgensen, a trans woman widely known for having gender-affirming surgery, and realized that there were other people like herself.[1][4][2] After college, Satin trained as a fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force.[1][5] She was medically discharged due to a kidney infection.[1][2]
After leaving the Air Force, Satin worked in public relations for an insurance company for 30 years.[1][2][4] She took early retirement at age 54.[1][2][4] Satin got married in 1958. She and her wife have three adult children.[1] At the age of 60, Satin came out as transgender.[4][6][5] Satin chose the first name Barbara after "the first young woman that I fell in love with", and the last name Satin because "it's something that always attracted me and always a part of my wardrobe".[4] She found an LGBT-affirming church in Minneapolis: Spirit of the Lakes, part of the United Church of Christ.[1][4][5] Satin became active in the congregation, and was the first openly trans member to serve on the denomination's Executive Council.[1] In 2014, Satin created the Trans Seminarian Leadership Cohort.[2][5] With the Spirit of the Lakes church, she helped develop an affordable housing facility for LGBT seniors, one of the first of its kind in the U.S.[1][2][5] In 2015, Satin was invited to the White House to discuss the housing concerns of LGBT seniors. She was also invited to participate in the 2015 White House Conference on Aging.[1][5] In 2016, Satin was appointed to the advisory council of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships by President Barack Obama.[6][7][8] In 2021, Satin participated in the inauguration prayer service for President Joe Biden.[5][9] In 2023, Satin received the Carmen Vázquez SAGE Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging.[3][10] Satin serves as a consultant for the National LGBTQ Task Force. She previously worked as their faith director for 15 years, retiring in 2022.[2][3]
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