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Transgendered Ministers & TG Religious Conferences

Transgender Religious Summit Breaks New Ground
First-of-its-kind conference held January 19-21, 2007 in Berkeley

BERKELEY, CA - The first conference to be held on transgender issues at a Christian seminary wrapped up on Sunday afternoon. The conference was held at the Pacific School of Religion (PSR) and co-sponsored by the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) in Washington D.C. and PSR's Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS). Attending the conference were more than transgender leaders and their allies from the United States and Canada. Participants represented many different faith traditions, although Christian and Jewish denominational leaders had the highest representation.

 

Topics discussed included denominational policy, outreach to transgender communities, transgender religious leadership, public policy, and issues of theology and worship. Among the presenters were Rev. Justin Tanis, program director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, Rev. Erin Swenson, transgender minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), Rev. Cameron Partridge, an Episcopal priest and doctoral student at Harvard Divinity School, Donna Cartwright, member of the Oasis commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, and Reuben Zellman, a rabbinical student from Oakland, CA.

 

The conference was co-sponsored by the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry   and the National Center for Transgender Equality  .  (Full article available here .)

Transforming Faith - Transgender Conference, Corvallis

History has been made in Corvallis, Oregon as the first national faith conference for and about transgender persons, their families and friends was offered here October 20 – 22, 2006.

Transforming Faith: A Transgender Witness is the title of this national conference inspired by the vision and passionate commitment of Rev. Tara Wilkins, Executive Director, The Community of Welcoming Congregations. Keynote presenters and preachers included: Virginia Mollenkott, Justin Tanis, Malcolm Himschoot, Maurice Harris and our Erin Swenson, National MLP Liaison on transgender education and former Co-Moderator, More Light Presbyterians.  (Original article here .)  

       Rev. Erin Swenson                                                           Rev. Drew Phoenix

Transgendered Ministers

Some of the following are no longer in active ministry, but I have identified them as Reverend in acknowledgement of their prior status.

Rev. Laurie J. Auffant         Unitarian Universalist

Called to serve Follen Church Society of Lexington, MA, the first out transgender person in UU ministry serving a congregation as a minister of religious education.

Rev. Pat Conover                  United Church of Christ (UCC)

M.Div., Ph.D., Ordained Minister, United Church of Christ (UCC), Information Officer of Church and Society, Policy Advocate for the Poverty Affairs Office, member of the Religious Committee International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE).

Rev. Sean Dennison              Unitarian Universalist

First out transgender person to serve as parish minister of a UU congregation, serving at South Valley Unitarian Universalist Society in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Rev. Sara Herwig                  Presbyterian

Former director of operations for the International Foundation for Gender Education (IFGE), now seeking ordination as the first openly transsexual minister in the Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Malcolm Himschoot      UCC

Ordained minister in the United Church of Christ (UCC), minister at Plymouth Congregational Church in Minneapolis MI, subject of a movie about a transsexual seminary student, Call Me Malcolm, produced by the UCC.

Rev. Sara Jones                     Church of England

Transsexual woman from Ross-on-Rye, ordained a priest by the Bishop Anthony Priddis at Hereford Cathedral, now serving as assistant curate in the Ross Team ministry.

Rev. Julie Marie Nemecek    Baptist

Associate Dean of Adult Studies at Free Methodist Spring Arbor University, Ann Arbor, MI, fired after 16 years of service following her transition.

Rev. Drew Phoenix               United Methodist Church

Reappointed to serve as minister in charge of St. John's United Methodist Church in Baltimore, MD, following his transition and approval of the Judicial Council of UMC clergy.

Rev. Justin Tanis                   Metropolitan Community Church

M.Div. from Harvard Divinity School, D.Min. from San Francisco Theological Seminary, former director of leadership development for Metropolitan Community Churches in West Hollywood, CA, author Trans-Gendered: Theology, Ministry and Communities of Faith.

Rev. Rebecca Ann Steen      United Methodist Church

Took a leave of absence from the Baltimore-Washington Conference after serving for 17 years as a pastor to undergo transition, applied to return to pastoral ministry, but blocked by her fellow clergy in the conference.

Rev. Erin Swenson                Presbyterian

Ordained Presbyterian minister (PCUSA), Morningside Presbyterian Church, Atlanta GA, licensed marriage and family therapist, specializing in gender-identity issues, first mainstream Protestant minister to transition while remaining in ordained office, nationwide lecturer, co-founder of the Southern Association for Gender Education, Inc.

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