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I am surprised that more and more CEOs and other business executives are coming out trans, the latest is…

Becoming Christine: Transgender CEO Hallquist Prepares to Go to Work As a Woman
By Terri Hallenbeck
November 04, 2015

Dave Hallquist was dressed in a maroon button-down shirt and black trousers during a tour of the Vermont Electric Cooperative headquarters last month in Johnson. The former engineer wore comfortable shoes and a black leather men's watch while showing off a state-of-the-art control room, noting how technology has helped to shorten the length of power outages in the 74 towns VEC serves. Hallquist has brought the state's second-largest utility back from bankruptcy, and, after a decade as its chief executive officer, has become a knowledgeable ambassador for the 107-employee co-op.

The next day, Hallquist was back on the job, this time staffing a VEC booth at Renewable Energy Vermont's conference at the Sheraton hotel in South Burlington. But the CEO looked different in pumps and a stylish black-and-white blazer. A delicate pearl bracelet had replaced the watch. Shoulder-length auburn locks topped off the new look of VEC's leader. Affixed to her lapel, the name tag read: Christine Hallquist.

In an interview for WCAX a couple of months ago she said,

Hallquist is known for striking deals, a smart businessman at the forefront of innovative energy projects. He's a respected leader, pitching in when the lights go out. He's also the town moderator in Hyde Park. And now he wants to be known as someone else.

"Christine Hallquist is who I really am," he said.

Dave Hallquist is transgender-- basically born with a male body and a female mind.

"I would never want to go to my grave knowing I didn't tell the world about this," he said.

Dave says the need to finally live the truth stems from a dark place, a place of suffering. He was bullied and beaten as a child by classmates and by nuns, who he says demanded an exorcism on the eighth-grader because he was different from the other boys.

And she had to come out to her family, her wife knew since around the time they were married but the kids didn’t.

"At first there's obvious personal shock," son Derek said.

"This is a person we've been around for 30 years of my life... who is completely changing into a different person and that's hard, and recognizing it's hard. But we keep coming back to the fact that we really love each other," daughter Kiersten said.

The family stuck together. And Derek is documenting his father's transformation. But they all admit it's been tough and still is, especially now that Dave's transition is further along. He's taking estrogen and testosterone blockers. He's changing and going public with his new identity.
[…]
In fact, I prefer being out and hanging with Christine now. Because I can tell she's happy," Derek said.

But their hearts go out to their mom, Pat, back at home, who's struggling with the public revelation.

"We all agreed we are super worried about mom," Derek said.

The whole family is in group therapy. The marriage, though, is in question.

"We are very lucky in that we have had each other in this," Kiersten said.

Reporter Darren Perron: What's your biggest fear in coming out publicly?

Christine Hallquist: My biggest fear now is for my wife and family and how they adjust... When you've loved and lived with someone for 35 plus years, forgive me, I'm going to cry... I love my wife dearly. Of course this is a struggle for transgender folks.

I hope that they can work it out. It is not easy many families are torn apart but there are many families that get through it.