Blog - TransEpiscopal

Giving Thanks for Mary and Ron Miller

11/1/2019

On this All Saints Day we give thanks for the life of Mary and Ron Miller, faithful, longstanding leaders in the Consultation, the coalition for independent peace and justice organizations of the Episcopal Church, of which TransEpiscopal has been a member since 2007. Mary died one year ago and Ron Miller just died earlier this month. A remembrance of Ron and Mary from Episcopal News Service and the Diocese of Maryland was posted earlier this week here. It includes quotations from Presiding Bishop Michael Curry who preached and presided at both of their funerals. The Presiding Bishop's homily at Mary Miller's service can be seen here and at Ron Miller's service be seen here.

The below reflection is from Donna Cartwright, founding member of TransEpiscopal and current member of our steering committee.

Fifteen years ago, when trans Episcopalians were beginning to organize and bring our issues and concerns before the church, the going was tough. We encountered suspicion, misunderstanding and in some cases an unwillingness to engage, in some cases even from others in the progressive wing of the church.

I met Mary Miller in that context -- she was a strong ally from the start, and a helpful guide in navigating the internal politics in the church. I met Ron Miller not long afterward, and got a more thorough understanding of the breadth of social justice commitments inside and outside the church that wonderful couple exemplified.

A few years later, when Mary and Ron sold their home in South Baltimore and moved a few blocks from where I live, our friendship deepened. Mary and I had a regular lunch every few weeks, where I learned a great deal about the inner workings of the church (as one who came to faith late in life, this was very helpful for me).

I miss them both a great deal. We can best honor and remember them by carrying on their work.

- Donna Cartwright

Press Releases

7/18/2009

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For Immediate Release:

Anaheim, CA (July 17, 2009): For the first time in its history, the Episcopal Church has taken official actions in support of transgender civil rights and inclusion at its 76th General Convention.

“It was a true privilege to participate in the legislative process of this Church, to bear witness to transgender lives and experiences, and to urge the Episcopal Church to fully include and to stand in solidarity with us,” commented the Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge, a member of TransEpiscopal and Integrity USA. “I am thrilled to be able to say that the General Convention voted overwhelmingly to put the Episcopal Church on record in support of such legislation as the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, and analogous efforts at municipal and state levels. But I am even more moved to say how many people spontaneously shared with us how their eyes have been opened, their hearts turned, by our presence and stories here. To have someone stop me in a coffee line to say, ‘I had never thought about this issue before, and I’m going to take what I have learned here and share it with my little congregation in the Ozarks’ means more than I can say.”

Today the Convention completed approval of resolutions supporting the enactment of anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation protecting transgender people at local, state and federal levels. The House of Deputies passed these resolutions overwhelmingly on Wednesday, and the House of Bishops then approved these resolutions today in near-unanimous votes.

These actions took place as the United States Congress debates both the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Act and the Employment Nondiscrimination Act, which respectively address hate crimes and discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, and disability as well as gender identity and expression.

Testifying in hearings at various levels of the Convention were representatives of the organizations TransEpiscopal and Integrity USA, including the Episcopal Church’s first openly transgender Deputy, Dante Tavolaro of Rhode Island.

In addition to today’s actions, earlier this week the Convention approved two other transgender related resolutions. The first adds “gender identity and expression” to its nondiscrimination policy for hiring lay employees, while the second calls for the revision of church paper and electronic forms to allow a wider range of gender identifications.

“As we celebrate this moment and give thanks for the amazing allies walking with us, particularly Integrity USA and the Consultation, we look forward to progressing further toward full inclusion of transgender people —and, indeed, all people -- in all areas of ministry in The Episcopal Church.”

Contacts: Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge at cepart@yahoo.com
Rev. Michelle Hansen at hansen_michelle@sbcglobal.net
And see our blog coverage of Convention at blog.transepiscopal.com

****************************************************************************************
From Integrity USA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ANAHEIM, CA (July 17, 2009)--The Episcopal Church turned an important corner at this General Convention and Integrity applauds the hard, faithful work of the bishops and deputies who brought us closer to the full inclusion of all the baptized in all the sacraments. We came to this convention committed to moving the church beyond B033 and forward on equality for the blessing of same-sex unions--and we are beyond gratified that we have realized both of those goals.

Thirty three years after promising a "full and equal claim" to the gay and lesbian baptized, the Episcopal Church has affirmed equal access to ordination processes for all orders of ministry for all the baptized, has approved a broad local option for the blessings of our relationships, and has called the church to work together toward common liturgical expressions of those blessings.

It is a great day for the church and a greater day for the witness to God’s inclusive love.

"While Integrity’s advocacy work is not yet done," said Integrity President Susan Russell, "the actions here in Anaheim liberate us to get on with our evangelism work--proclaiming the good news of an Episcopal Church that welcomes not only LGBT people looking for a spiritual home but ALL those seeking a faith community that shares their core values of justice, compassion, inclusion, and love."

"We celebrate this historic movement forward and we commit ourselves to this church we love and serve to continue to witness to the good news of Christ Jesus present in our lives, our vocations, and our relationships. We call others to 'come and see' what we have found and seen and experienced in the Episcopal Church."

"Integrity applauds the hard work of all our allies in this struggle and lifts up particularly the witness of our TransEpiscopal colleagues whose courageous work at this convention has been truly extraordinary. We look forward to working with all our allies as we move forward together into God’s future, giving thanks for the good work here in Anaheim that has brought us closer to that church with 'no outcasts' to which former Presiding Bishop Edmond Browning called us.

Contacts:
Louise Brooks, Director of Communications, tvprod@earthlink.net, (626) 993-4605

What a Difference Three Years Makes

7/12/2009

Donna Cartwright, GC 2009

TransEpiscopal has come a long way in the last three years. Back in 2006, I was the only member of the then year-old organization of transgender Episcopalians (and their friends, family and allies) at General Convention in Columbus, OH. While doubling as a volunteer for the Oasis ministry of the Diocese of Newark, I attempted to track and advocate for C030 a resolution to amend the national church's canons to include gender identity/expression in the nondiscrimination provisions of Canon III. I quickly learned that this job -- testifying in committee hearings, monitoring both the House of Deputies and House Bishops, and keeping in touch with our largely Internet-based group, as well as my fellow Oasis commissioners -- was far too big for a single person.

Although my testimony on our canons-amendment resolution (proposed by the Diocese of California) appeared to be well-received, and I got friendly "vibes" from several deputies on the committee, it was eventually reported to the House of Bishops with a recommendation that it be referred to commissions and boards during the next triennium. Ultimately, it was tabled.

Another trans-related resolution, proposed by the Diocese of New York, would have put the church on record as supporting secular legislation protecting transgender and other gender-variant people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations at the local, state and federal levels. Unfortunately, through some still-unexplained glitch, it was never placed on the calendar of convention legislation. When I arrived in Columbus on the third day of convention, it was effectively too late to do anything about that.

This year, we're doing so much better in so many ways that I am gratified almost (but not quite) beyond words. Instead of one person, we have a team of eight, including a trans-identified deputy. As of today (Sunday July 12) two trans-related resolutions have been reported out of committee and sent to the House of Deputies. One of them supports secular civil rights legislation covering trans as well as gay, lesbian and bisexual people; the other would amend the canons to add gender identity/expression to the church's nondiscrimination rules.

Another resolution (C048), supporting specifically trans-inclusive federal employment non-discrimination legislation, is still in committee, but hopefully will move forward soon. And a new resolution (D090) to encourage the church to revise its forms so that they are not limited to the either/or gender binary, has been introduced.

We've also done much to educate bishops, deputies and visitors about transgender people and issues. Many of us have testified in committee, and received favorable responses. We held a 45-minute "speakers corner" panel under the auspices of the Consultation in the exhibit hall that drew a couple of dozen people for a lively discussion. We have distributed many copies of our brochure at the Integrity booth.

The convention itself is quite overwhelming. Thousands of people fill a huge convention center and nearby hotels. Committees hear testimony and deliberate on resolutions with a skill and sophistication that would do many secular legislatures credit. Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, moves a large volume of resolutions and other business through a body with more than 800 members. The House of Bishops, while smaller and a bit less formal, is equally impressive.

This morning's eucharist was spectacular and moving, with several thousand people and scores of bishops. The liturgy was magnificent and the pageantry eye-popping. For me, yesterday evening's first-ever Trans-Episcopal eucharist, with 19 TransEpiscopal members, friends and allies gathered in a small meeting room in one of the hotels. Instead of a conventional sermon, each person in the room bore personal witness to the historic nature of our presence and the sacredness of our journey. Many eyes were tear-filled before the end of the service.

- Donna Cartwright, Diocese of Maryland

Long, Long Day

7/11/2009

It has been a long day, it has been tiring and wonderful at the same time. The morning started with the World Mission Committee meeting in subcommittees. They pushed through a bill on Transgender rights to the House of Deputies. It was an amazing thing to watch. At least one of the committee members was extremely emotionally moved in the hallway afterward. Tomorrow a different committee will deal with two more bills recommending legislation at the federal level to protect the rights of transgender people. It looks good for this one also.

The worst possible scenario would be to have the bills tabled or shuffled until there was no time left. The progress is remarkable.

The TransEpiscopal team also told our story at the Consultation's Speaker's Forum in the exhibit Hall. Five of us spoke about our stories, about past and present and possible futures. We had forty-five minutes, but took an hour. There was a small group of people listening, but they all stayed to the end. Part of what held attendance down was that the house of Deputies and House of Bishops were meeting at the same time.

The day climaxed with the Integrity Eucharist. There must have been at least a thousand people in attendance. Bishop Gene Robinson celebrated and a great sermon was given by Bishop Barbara Harris of Massachusetts.

At the end we were all just beat! I'm headed to bed. Tomorrow is another day.

God's Peace,

Michelle Hansen+

Thoughts on the House of Bishops

10/15/2007

I haven't posted directly to the blog before, but I feel obligated to offer some reflection on the recently concluded House of Bishops meeting. I believe the meeting was a watershed time especially for trans folk in the Episcopal Church. This assessment has nothing to do with what the bishops did, since they actually did nothing. My categorization has to do with the fact that the same time the bishops were meeting in New Orleans, the Consultation was meeting in Newark. This meeting of the Consultation was the first in which there was an official trans representation. Cameron Partridge and I were both honored and pleased to serve as representatives to this meeting. A friend of mine, another transwoman, asked me what accomplishments I hoped would come out of the Newark meeting. I told her the very fact that our part of the Body was represented was accomplishment enough for me.

During our meeting we monitored the House of Bishops, eventually crafting a well worded reminder to them regarding their responsibilities to the rest of us. Cameron has posted that document. I have no idea what kind of response it received in the bishops meeting. We are now three weeks past what Susan Russell has called the "day after". I feel calm enough to offer some thoughts.

My partner has assured me that the bishops did the only thing they could. They agreed to that which had already been decided at the most recent General Convention. I have come to see the wisdom in that assessment. However wise the assessment may be, I am left wanting more from those to whom I look for leadership. What more could they have done?

Well, they could have acted like leaders, now couldn't they? They could have stated categorically that, as the House of Bishops, they could neither accede to nor turn down the requests (demands) of the Primates. Our polity requires us to make decisions together, not unilaterally.

I believe the bishops wanted to pour oil on the troubled waters of the Anglican communion. They failed in this. Conservatives felt the Bishops response to be inadequate. Those of us in the GLBT community felt scapegoated yet again, if only by reliving the betrayal foisted upon us at the most recent General Convention.

So, the bottom line is everyone lost. Everyone but the Bishops, that is. They apparently congratulated themselves heartily for their efforts in saving the Anglican Communion for at least another season. Bishop Robinson may get to attend Lambeth, where he should have been invited to begin with.

So, we spent a lot of money to get the purple shirts to New Orleans for the great meeting, which is certainly good for the economy of New Orleans, to arrive at the same place we were before the "great meeting". Somewhere I can almost hear a small voice saying, "pay no attention to the man behind the screen, the great and powerful OZ has spoken".

- The Rev'd Gari Green

A Letter from the Consultation

9/26/2007

The following is a letter written on September 24th by the Consultation, a coalition of justice organizations in the Episcopal Church, to the House of Bishops as they deliberated on their statement. Two of us from TransEpiscopal participated in the Newark meeting and, while the letter has been posted on several other blogs and websites for the last couple of days, we post it here as a sign of a process in which we were proud to take part. Even as we struggle in these difficult days in the Anglican Communion, this kind of collaboration gives us hope.

Integrity

TransEpiscopal

Episcopal Urban Caucus

Episcopal Peace Fellowship

Episcopal Women's Caucus

Union of Black Episcopalians

Episcopal Ecological Network

National Episcopal AIDS Coalition

Province VIII Indigenous Ministries

Episcopal Church Publishing Company

Episcopal Network for Economic Justice

Episcopal Asiaamerica Ministry Advocates

Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission

September 24, 2007

A message from The Consultation to the House of Bishops as it deliberates its message to the Church.

The thirteen constituent members of The Consultation, representative of the independent justice organizations of The Episcopal Church, meeting September 23-24 in Newark, wish to remind the members of the House of Bishops that they represent one house of the General Convention, and one constituency of the baptized in The Episcopal Church.

Any message you make must be mindful of the fact that the Executive Council has made a very clear statement on the matter before you and that General Convention will not speak on this matter until its meeting in 2009.

We have in mind the language of the Baptismal Covenant which calls us to respect the dignity of every human being. It is not respectful of our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sisters and brothers when we tell them that they are full participants in the church and then place restrictions on their participation at any level of the church's life.

In the preamble of the 2006 platform of The Consultation we affirm that we see the image of God and the Christ in others and ourselves. We believe that all the baptized are called to share in the governance and mission of the Church at all levels. We see the increase of power claimed by the episcopate as imbalance in The Body.

We urge you to have these things in the forefront of your minds and hearts, as you craft this statement. The sacred vows of The Baptismal Covenant and the tradition and heritage of the participatory governance of The Episcopal Church must not be squandered for a single Lambeth conference.

We urge you as bishops not to walk apart from the rest of the priesthood of all believers in The Episcopal Church, and to embrace the unconditional love of God as made incarnate in the radical inclusion of Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit be with you to guide you in all strength and courage in these difficult days as ordained leaders in The Church.

A Statement of Purpose for TransEpiscopal

3/13/2007

We wrote this statement of purpose as part of our process of applying to join the Consultation shortly after the 2006 General Convention. It was posted to our original blog on Tuesday, March 13, 2007.

TransEpiscopal is a group of transgender Episcopalians and our significant others, families, friends and allies dedicated to enriching our spiritual lives and to making the Episcopal Church a welcoming and empowering place that all of us truly can call our spiritual home. Our group was started in January of 2005 and initially served as an online, nationwide community of support. After several informal gatherings in various parts of the country, we held our first Advent retreat in 2005 in New Jersey, sponsored by the Oasis Commission of the Diocese of Newark. In January 2007, several of us attended the first Summit for Transgender Religious Leaders co-sponsored by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Ministry at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. Having met with leaders, lay and ordained, from various denominations and religious traditions, we are inspired and galvanized to support a new chapter in transgender advocacy that is spreading across the country this year; a window is now opening in which transgender people have an opportunity to secure civil rights protections that long have eluded us, and to win an increasing degree of acceptance and welcome in this country’s religious denominations.

As Episcopalians we are proud of those times in our denomination’s history when the Church has supported and empowered those who historically have been marginalized or “othered” within and outside the life of the Church. We are grateful for the gains made by the groups that have entered the wider Church conversation before us, and we look forward to helping to sustain and to build upon those gains. Because we also recognize that this is a time of continued conflict in our denomination’s life, and knowing that our voices may intensify and add complexity to an already challenging debate about human sexuality and gender, we seek to enter that wider conversation with awareness and respect even as we look forward to more change. Knowing that none of us is nearly as strong singly as we are in concert, and recognizing that many of us embody multiple identities represented by different groups within the Church, we seek to collaborate with other progressive groups, that together we may ever more clearly embody God’s transformative love for all people.

As a group of transgender and allied Christians, we represent a range of gender identities and expressions. “Transgender” is an umbrella term referring to people who transgress the sex/gender they were designated at birth. Some of us physically and medically transition from one gender to another (a complex, multi-staged process that various individuals define in different ways, but which traditionally has been called transsexualism). Others of us believe that our bodies need not take on any particular characteristics in order to identify as male or female. Still others of us do not identify with traditional gender categories. All of us ultimately see gender as a spectrum of multiple lived possibilities. Trans people and our partners also do not necessarily identify as heterosexual. Some of us who identify as male, for instance, are partnered with other men. Others of us who are now female are partnered with other women. And while several of us have found that our previous relationships weren't able to survive our emerging identities as trans, others of us remain with the partners we had prior to transition. One couple in our group has been married for 30 years. Indeed, those of us who are married can witness to a denomination already struggling with marriage, showing that we are already living into its new forms and expanding its dimensions. Many of us are single, and several of us have children and grandchildren. Indeed, some of us are raising children as single parents. We live out our vocations in various ways within and outside of the Church, some of us as clergy, some of us partnered with clergy, some of us as laypeople quite involved in our diocesan or parish governance. Others of us limit our Church involvement to Sunday morning, and some of us are searching for the right community. All of us want to be able to count on the Church to support us and lift us up just as they would other individuals and communities.

Coming out as trans is a time when, for many of us, our faith becomes even more important to us than ever before. As we have come out, some of us have experienced profound difficulty with Church leaders who view us negatively or in condemnatory ways. Others of us have discovered that we are seen as potential sources of controversy. Still others have found an inspiring and at times surprising support, given the widespread lack of information in the Church regarding transgender people. In order to increase that support throughout our denomination and beyond, we encourage the Church to commit itself to learn about transgender lives, not simply as social, medical or psychological phenomena, but most importantly as people on powerful spiritual journeys that uniquely embody a lifelong human path of transformation and authenticity before God.

Transgender Episcopalians Form Organization

3/11/2007

This was the first post we ever made on our blog just after TransEpiscopal joined the Consultation on March 11, 2007.

Transgender Episcopalians Form Organization, Seek to Ally With Progressive Groups in ECUSA

Transgender Episcopalians and their significant others, families, friends and allies have announced the launch of TransEpiscopal, an informal organization dedicated to “making the Episcopal Church a welcoming and empowering place that all of us truly can call our spiritual home,” according to its statement of purpose.

The group, which began as an Internet listserve in January 2005, now has dozens of members, including both lay and ordained people. TransEpiscopal has just been accepted into the Consultation, the collaborative organization of progressive organizations within the national Episcopal Church.

The formation of TransEpiscopal represents a deepening and formalization of work on transgender issues that has been under way in the Episcopal Church for several years. A number of dioceses, including Michigan, Newark and California, have done significant educational work about transgender people. In December 2005, the Oasis Commission of the Diocese of Newark sponsored a weekend retreat for transgender people and their friends and allies, the first of its kind.

Since 2004, six dioceses (Newark, Michigan, New York, Maryland, California and New Hampshire) have passed resolutions at their annual conventions expressing support for the ministry and civil rights of transgender people and their supporters.

“Inclusion and equality are the common denominators in all of the parables of Jesus about the Household of God,” said Jim Toy, a TransEpiscopal member who was the first gay Episcopalian to come out in the Diocese of Michigan more than 30 years ago. “We are called to reaffirm and expand the scope of our commitment to inclusion, equality and nondiscrimination for all individuals and groups who are devalued and disempowered. To oppose discrimination and prejudice and to support equal opportunity and protection is moral, Christian and just.”

“There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God,” said the Rev. Michelle Hansen, an Episcopal priest in the Diocese of Connecticut who transitioned from male to female four years ago. “Transgender people are equally loved of God. It is time the institutional Church comes to terms with God’s people of all sorts and conditions.”