Porter, Amanda

Amanda Porter [now known as Amanda Hecker] was born in 1950 in Lansdale, PA and was assigned male at birth. She attended Grove City College, receiving her BA in History, and enrolled in ROTC. After college, she joined the Air Force, and after being discharged attended Temple University, receiving her MA in Industrial Arts Education. Porter is married and has three children.

Porter is a transgender rights educator and activist. She was the Vice President of the Lehigh Valley chapter of the Renaissance Transgender Association, where she gave transgender education presentations on Transgender Equality, Gender Dysmorphia, and Transgender Inclusion in the Workplace, and has spoken at multiple Keystone Conferences. Porter’s goal is to make transgender people visible everywhere.

Porter lives in the Lehigh Valley area today.

Amanda Porter [now known as Amanda Hecker] was born in 1950 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Amanda is a trans woman and transgender rights educator and activist. In this interview, Amanda repeats her goal of wanting to make transgender people visible everywhere. She discusses her time in the Air Force and in college, during which she thought of herself as “cross-dressing.” She then later explains how she begin to learn the word “transgender” and ultimately identified as such. Amanda also explains her relationship with her wife, children, and friends before her coming out to them, but also elaborates on her time hiding her true identity. Furthermore, she touches on her current life being retired and owning a business. Finally, Amanda expands on how being a part of a transgender support group gave her the courage to be comfortable with herself as a woman, in addition to how it eventually led to her presenting on public speaking platforms and wanting to support others who struggle with the implications of being transgender in society.