Local faith groups host a national conference

By CAROL REEVES
Gazette-Times reporter

What God thinks of gays and lesbians has been vigorously debated within religious communities in recent years. But there has not been a lot of talk about how God views those who believe they were born the wrong sex or think having to choose between male and female genders is too limiting.

As a result, transgender people are just as likely, if not more likely, than those involved in same-sex relationships to wonder whether churches, synagogues or mosques will welcome them into their fellowship.

“We’ve been socialized into thinking of gender as a binary construct, but the reality is there’s a whole spectrum of experience among humans when it comes to how we express our sexuality,” said the Rev. Tara Wilkins, executive director for the Community of Welcoming Congregations, an interfaith association of 74 congregations across Oregon that affirm people of all sexual orientations and gender identities.

“We believe God created us along a spectrum of identities. It’s only cultural norms that say if you don’t fit into this very rigid definition of gender, you’re outside of God’s grace,” Wilkins said. “Unfortunately, transgender people of faith often have to give up church because many faith communities aren’t equipped or sensitized to their experience.”

Wilkins hopes an event coming to Corvallis will help change people’s attitudes.

“Transforming Faith: A Transgender Witness,” a national conference for those interested in inclusive ministry, is expected to draw between 150 and 200 people to First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave., on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22.

The meeting’s sponsors include Wilkins’ organization, the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. and the Religion and Faith Program of the national Human Rights Campaign. Three local congregations — First United Methodist, First Congregational United Church of Christ and the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship — have also been involved in planning the one-of-a-kind gathering.

“We’re making history in Corvallis,” said Wilkins. “To our knowledge, there has never been a conference with national speakers that focuses on faith and transgender issues.”

Gays and lesbians, parents of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender persons, straight allies, cross-dressers and transgenders who have no intention of ever having sex reassignment surgery as well as those who have are planning to attend.

It’s important to note there is no universal definition of what “transgender” means, said Wilkins, who is openly lesbian.

She described one couple as a perfect example of the complexity of gender identity issues the conference is designed to address.

The two of them came out together as lesbians, but one eventually transitioned into a man. When they decided to marry, the woman had to reevaluate whether she was still a lesbian.

Most people don’t realize transgenders face choices all day long as to who they’re going to be, Wilkins said. They have to decide whether to use the men’s or women’s restroom in public places. Claiming one sex over another can lead to easier access to medical services or health.

Simple things like what pronoun transgenders prefer to be called or using two different names depending on which gender they’re manifesting at the time can pose challenges for the people around them.

“Many of them feel isolated. They’ve been wounded and they have no community,” explained Wilkins, a former Anglican and Presbyterian who left the church while in seminary when she realized she could not be openly lesbian and ordained. She is currently in the process of affiliating with the United Church of Christ and hopes to have standing as a UCC minister early next year.

A lot of fundamentalist faith communities use sacred texts “to beat us up,” she continued, but at the Transforming Faith meeting, speakers will offer scriptural interpretations that are affirming.

“The sponsors of the conference believe we are all created uniquely and are loved by God. To have a setting where you can explore spirituality and sexuality in a comfortable, accepting environment is life-giving for many (transgender) people,” Wilkins said.

The three local church sponsors are members of the Community of Welcoming Congregations. Because they have worked together before to put on similar events, conference organizers were confident Corvallis would be a good choice for hosting the event. It was also important, Wilkins said, to move out of Portland to show that there are progressive communities all over the state.

The Rev. Gretchen Woods, senior pastor of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, said her church was glad to be a part of the Transforming Faith event.

“Our denomination is one that’s been groundbreaking in supporting the gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender community,” she said. Unitarian Universalists have been performing same-sex commitment services since 1984 and accepting transgender ministers since the 1990s.

“We’ve been involved in this issue for quite awhile in terms of helping people understand themselves as transgenders and helping straight people understand there can be another way to be in the world,” Woods said.

The Corvallis congregation, in particular, has been committed to providing opportunities for people to learn more about the issues transgenders face. “We can be united in our human needs and in our hopes and hurts without having to be uniform in our human expression,” she added.

She is hopeful the conference will not only attract transgenders, but people who are open to learning more about how to minister more effectively to those who express their sexuality in different ways.

Registration will stay open until the conference starts Saturday morning. Anyone interested in attending only on Sunday is welcome as well.

The goal is to create “an atmosphere of affirmation and blessing,” Wilkins said. “We want participants to know God loves us and is with us in our struggles to be all of who we are.”

If you go

WHAT: “Transforming Faith: A Transgender Witness,” a national conference on inclusive ministry

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22

TIMES: A pre-conference reception will be held Friday from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2945 N.W. Circle Blvd. On Saturday, the conference runs from 9 a.m. until about 9 p.m. On Sunday, it runs from 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Breakfast will be served at 7 a.m. each day.) Registration is available at the door.

LOCATION: First United Methodist Church, 1165 N.W. Monroe Ave.

COST: $140 both days (includes five meals), $80 Saturday (three meals) or $60 Sunday (two meals). Students pay $65 both days, $50 Saturday or $30 Sunday.

INFORMATION: 503-665-8741 or www.welcomingcongregations.org

Highlights

Some of the highlights of the “Transforming Faith: A Transgender Witness” conference Oct. 21-22 are:

SATURDAY

• Shabbat observance led by Rabbi Maurice Harris of Temple Beth Israel in Eugene.

• Keynote address by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott, author and professor emeritus at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. Her books include “The Divine Feminine: Biblical Imagery of God as Female,” “Godding: Human Responsibility and the Bible,” “Sensuous Spirituality: Out From Fundamentalism” and “Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach.”

• Workshops on a variety of topics including non-Christian religious perspectives on gender and gender identity, dismantling binary gender constructs, inclusive public policies, pastoral care within the trans community and issues facing families of transgender persons. (Also offered Sunday)

• Premiere of the documentary “Call Me

Malcolm,” with comments from the film’s lead character, the Rev. Malcolm Himschoot, an openly transgendered man ordained at the age of 27 who is actively involved in social justice ministries.

• Evening concert featuring the Transcendence Gospel Choir from San Francisco.

SUNDAY

• Worship service led by the Rev. Erin Swenson, a Presbyterian minister from Atlanta who in 1996 became the first known mainstream Protestant minister to make an open gender transition while remaining in ordained office.

• Keynote address by the Rev. Justin Tanis of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, D.C., an author and contributor to “Take Back the Word: A Queer Reading of the Bible” (2002) and the forthcoming “Queer Bible Commentary.”

• Shower of Stoles Project — a display of stoles gathered from gay, lesbian and bisexual church leaders who have been barred from church service because of their sexual orientation.

Carol Reeves covers religion for the Gazette-Times. She can be reached by e-mail at carol.reeves@lee.net or by phone at 758-9516.