Austen Hartke is the author of Transforming: The Bible and the Lives of Transgender Christians, a book on theology and personal narratives published by Westminster John Knox Press in 2018. He is also the creator of the YouTube series Transgender and Christian, which seeks to understand, interpret, and share parts of the Bible that relate to gender identity and the lives of transgender individuals. Austen is a graduate of Luther Seminary’s Master of Arts program in Old Testament/Hebrew Bible Studies, and is the winner of the 2014 John Milton Prize in Old Testament Writing from the same institution. He has spoken at conferences all over the country, including events for The Reformation Project, Gender Spectrum, Wild Goose, Q Christian Fellowship, the Philadelphia Transgender Health Conference, and the Why Christian Conference. Currently Austen is a 2019 Bush Foundation Fellow, and is researching best practices for rural churches that are interested in becoming LGBTQI2A-affirming. As a transgender person of faith, Austen's greatest passion is helping other trans and gender-non-conforming people see themselves in scripture.