NEED TO KNOW
- A pastor came out as transgender during a recent church service in Rochester, N.Y.
- Rev. Phillipa Phaneuf made the announcement while wearing a stole with a rainbow pattern
- “The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man,” she said
A pastor came out as transgender during a recent church service.
Rev. Phillipa Phaneuf was speaking at the North Chili United Methodist Church in Rochester, N.Y., on Sunday, Nov. 23, when she made the announcement.
“I did not get into ministry to talk about myself or my personal life, but sometimes there are things that happen in a pastor’s personal life that [are] going to find [a] way out,” Phaneuf, 51, said, as seen in video footage shared by the church.
“I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning,” the pastor, wearing a stole with a rainbow pattern, continued. “I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender. The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”
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Speaking to her congregation about “what will change” through her transition, Phaneuf said, “My voice, it might go a tad higher. My pronouns — she, her — but I’m not gonna be the pronoun police, okay, because I don’t think that anybody will misgender … out of malice.”
Further explaining that the “process is a transition,” Phaneuf added that her “full name” was among other changes.
As for what would not change, Phaneuf said, “We might become known within the community as an even safer space for people who have felt marginalized.”
“Notice what I said, an ‘even safer space.’ I didn’t say that we’d become that, because I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing now unless I have felt the love and support from all of you,” she continued.
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According to Phaneuf, the United Methodist Church is supportive of her decision, as are other members of the religious group, including the bishop and district superintendent. “They are the first ones that I went to, to say, ‘How can I do this in a pastoral sort of what, to let the congregation know that I love them and that we can do this in such a way that we can stay in ministry together,’ ” she said.
Phaneuf also told The Advocate, “I’m surrounded by loving kindness. The affirmations have been amazing,” while the United Methodists of Upper New York added in a statement, “This moment is a significant step in Rev. Dr. Phaneuf’s journey of authenticity and faith.”
The pastor’s parents, however, do not share the same support. Phaneuf explained, “They texted me this morning and asked me to tell you all that they do not support me and that they have chosen their convictions and their beliefs over supporting their child.”
“And that’s okay,” Phaneuf — who is months into hormone replacement therapy — continued, later adding, “We all have to live the way that we live.”
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Phaneuf said living as her true self has so far been a rewarding experience.
“It was just within that first week that I was really, truly happy for the first time in a very long time,” she said.
The pastor continued, “That’s a beautiful thing, and that’s what we want for the people in our lives, isn’t it?”
“Whether we can wrap our heads around some of the decisions that they make, at the end of the day, we really want the people around us to be happy,” added Phaneuf.
