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Donnie Anderson was born on November 30th, 1947 in Providence, Rhode Island. When Donnie was two and a half, her family moved to nearby Cranston, where she and her younger brother grew up in an “idyllic” suburban environment.
As a child, Donnie had no access to information or language surrounding trans identities; in fact, she felt that she was the “only person on earth” with those feelings. At age nine, when Donnie approached her mother to discuss her identity, her mother made her feelings clear: “We will never ever, ever, ever, ever talk about this again.” The conversation sent Donnie into the closet for the next six decades.
When she was fourteen, Donnie attended a conservative Christian camp in upstate New York, where she was taught religious beliefs with strict rules about how to exist in the world. In college, she encountered people who were spiritual in a different way, and she began to reconsider her beliefs.
Donnie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education from Barrington College. Soon after graduating, she got married. She and her wife had two daughters together. As a young spouse, Donnie believed very strongly in traditional gender roles, and it was a major shift in their family and in Donnie’s worldview when her wife began working outside of the home. After 25 years of marriage, they divorced when her wife fell in love with another woman. Donnie’s following marriage lasted 20 years, up until Donnie realized she was a transgender woman.
After attending a conference on transgender identities as an ally, Donnie decided she couldn’t live as she had been any longer. She came out to her family in August 2017, and, at their request, waited until May 2018 to come out publicly. She then took a three month sabbatical from work to transition socially. She received overwhelming support from her friends, colleagues, and larger community; in her interview, Donnie shares, “I didn’t know I had the support system that was there for me.”
Donnie also holds a Master’s in Religious Studies from Providence College, and a Doctor of Ministry from Eastern Baptist Seminary. For much of her career, she has oscillated between pastoral roles and positions in religious organizations. She served as Executive Minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches and the Rhode Island Bible Society for almost 13 years. During her tenure, the council became the only state council of churches in the United States to support marriage equality.
After she retired, Donnie felt freer to get involved in partisan politics. In 2022, she ran in the Democratic primary to represent Rhode Island’s Senate District 1. In 2023, she was elected Chair of the Rhode Island Democratic Women’s Caucus. Later that year, a book about her life titled Seven Sundays with Donnie was published.
Donnie currently serves as the Minister of Pilgrim United Church of Christ in New Bedford, MA. She sees Jesus as “the great liberator,” and believes firmly in the ability to exist as both a transgender individual and a Christian. Today, Donnie also enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, whose complete, unwavering acceptance affirms her decision to live as her most authentic self.
