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In the News: KALW

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Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church sits on a quiet residential corner in the outer Sunset district of San Francisco. Upstairs in a meeting room, a small group is gathered around rectangular folding tables to sing Grace before they eat. The sound of a sweetly harmonized “Amen” floats up to the rafters of the high-ceilinged room.

Church members gather every week for a potluck dinner with their pastor-- to share food, fellowship, and spiritual conversation. The group has an easy familiarity with each other; most of the congregants are older folks who have lived in the neighborhood a long time, and have been going to this church for decades. As they eat dinner, Pastor Megan Rohrer plays a contemporary pop song as a launch pad for discussion.

Some heads nod to the beat, but it’s clear that this kind of music isn’t the normal fare for this group. The room is filled with graying heads. Then, there’s the 34-years-young pastor, who stands out for another reason, too.

“You can kind of tell from 20 feet away that I’m genderqueer, trans, or a big diesel dyke—which isn’t how I identify, but it’s how I look from the outside,” says Pastor Megan Rohrer.

Rohrer was called to lead Grace Lutheran in February 2014, becoming the first openly transgender head or solo pastor of a Lutheran Church.  But Rohrer’s path to ministry was not an easy one.

“I grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which is the midwest and cultural heartland of Lutherans,” says Rohrer. “The motto [there] is like: Be in the paper when you’re born and when you die and don’t get credit for anything in between. Because your job is to just, like, fit in.”

But they actually found it hard to fit in in South Dakota. A word about pronouns here: Rohrer prefers the gender-neutral pronoun “they.” At this point in their life, they say they feel comfortable with both male and female aspects of their identity, and English doesn’t have a pronoun that captures that.
“It’s kind of a fascinating place to exist in the world—that people can’t really pin you down,” says Rohrer.

Rohrer grew up religious. They say that as a child, people recognized their gift for helping others, so ministry seemed like a good calling. But when they came out as a lesbian while attending a Lutheran college, religion was no longer welcoming. 

“The people who were in my religion classes with me would sing hymns when I walked by, to try to get rid of my gay demons. And I would just sing harmony. I didn’t know what to do,” Rohrer says.
After college, Rohrer came to identify as transgender, and eventually found their way to a progressive Lutheran seminary in Berkeley. They were ordained in 2006, working extensively with homeless people and associate pastoring at several churches in San Francisco before being called to lead Grace Lutheran Church.

Rohrer says they know a lot of people have felt let down by traditional churches, places that may have been un-welcoming, fundamentalist, or judgmental.

“Identifying as trans makes people hear my sermons differently and hear what I’m saying differently,” says Rohrer. “We do something called ‘Bible Study That Doesn’t Suck’ online. It’s completely normal bible study. It just has a title that says that it doesn’t suck, which gives people the opportunity to give it a second chance -- because they think Jerry Falwell or Fred Phelps is what every Christian believes, and you should write off all Christians.”

Finding Grace
After going years without a permanent pastor, Grace Lutheran’s aging congregation was dwindling. The church council at Grace was tasked with finding a new pastor to help the congregation survive and thrive into the future.

Sally Ann Ryan is president of the council and says Rohrer was their top choice.

“She is so alive. So with today, but also with the past, with the Bible,” says Ryan. “She preaches everything from the Bible and that, but it’s in today’s language, more than most people do. She appeals to all ages, I’ve found.”

You may have noticed that Ryan is using the pronoun “she” to talk about Rohrer. Most people that I spoke to at Grace refer to their pastor as “she.” Though Rohrer prefers to use the pronoun “they” when possible, it’s not really an issue at church.

“I really am much more interested in being someone’s pastor at the end of the conversation than having them get my gender right,” Rohrer explains. “My job as a pastor is to care more about what’s going in the person I’m talking to than about what’s going on in my own life. And you can imagine that throughout the lifespan of doing ministry with people, that if your only concern was to think about what offended you, you would be a really crappy pastor.”

Rohrer’s gender identity, or the fact that their partner is a woman, was a non-issue for council president Ryan when it came to choosing a new pastor.

“What she does in her private life is up to her,” says Ryan. “What she does in her church life is what’s important.”

Pam Ryan, council president Sally Ann Ryan’s daughter, grew up at Grace. She’s in her 30s now and has a teenage son. He doesn’t come to church these days, because there are no other people his age. But she says Rohrer’s fresh perspective may just bring her son back into the fold.

At a free healthcare event the church held around Easter, the teen chatted with the pastor about safe sex, and then got to help burn palms for next year’s ashes.

“So he got to talk about condoms and lighting a fire with our new pastor,” says Pam Ryan. “So he left here like, ‘Cool, she’s cool!’”

Rohrer says that more than being a trans person, the radical thing about their presence is the age difference.

“You could multiply my age times two and I would still be one of the younger people in this congregation,” says Rohrer. “So I think it’s radical for them to have a 34-year-old who’s hanging out at their congregation and bringing life to them.”

But Rohrer says being publicly known as a church leader from a marginalized group comes with its own pressures.

“Most people don’t know other trans pastors. When you’re of a very small group there’s this sense that if you screw up, it means everybody who’s like you is not okay. Or if you screw up they’re going to pass rules saying transgender people can’t be pastors because that person screwed up,” says Rohrer. “And so there’s something really beautiful about people accepting you for the fullness of who you are so that you don’t have to be a superhero all the time. You can be Clark Kent … I get to be just a normal person who screws up the bulletin every once in a while, you know?”

Despite the occasional typo in the weekly church bulletin, Rohrer and Grace seem to be getting along just fine. Since the new pastor arrived, the congregation has grown in membership by 34 percent. Rohrer says that number is “a fancy way of saying that the congregation of sixteen grew by six people. But it sounds fancier in the percentage.”

Rohrer recently underwent a trans-related surgery.
“I let them know that I would be having surgery, that I wouldn’t be sharing with them the nature of my surgery, and that if they guessed, that was fine, but they shouldn’t tell me they figured it out,” says Rohrer. “But it’s pretty obvious: I went from like a triple D to an A, essentially.”

Rohrer says the congregation’s support during the healing process was both touching and surprising like a 98-year-old woman in the congregation who said, “Now that you’ve had this surgery, what are your pronoun choices, and are you going to be changing your name?”

Rohrer says they’re convinced that they’ve found the perfect pastoral fit at Grace Lutheran:
“People who truly embody the word Grace. Never in a million years, in a million years, did I think that I would be a part of a church that could welcome me and allow me to be a pastor fully identifying as how I am.”

So Pastor Megan Rohrer has found a spiritual home. And the Grace congregation has found just the right shepherd to lead them on their journey.

You might say it's a match made in heaven.

In the News: South Florida Gay News

The Gender Neutral Pronoun Dilemma

SFGN Staff | Nicole Wiesenthal

He or she? How about “they”?

Some transgender folks are forgoing the traditional pronouns of “he” and “she” and instead asking to be referred to as “they” creating a grammatical nightmare for English teachers.
As any grammarian will tell you the pronoun “they” is used to refer to two or more people, but more importantly, to some trans folks, it’s gender neutral — whereas he and she are singular, but gender specific.

And that creates a grammatical dilemma.

Unlike some languages English does not have gender-neutral singular pronouns so for people like Jack Qu’emi, Brent Stanfield, and Megan Rohrer they say the language doesn’t accurately represent who they are so they’ve decided to rewrite the rules and use “they” in the singular.

“I get a lot of people saying that’s not grammatically correct,” said Jack Qu’emi, a 23-year-old student at University of Central Florida. “Usually, my first response is: Ok, my gender identity is more important than your grammar preferences, and, on top of that, singular ‘they’ has been used for hundreds of years by people like Shakespeare.”

Fred Fejes, a journalism professor at Florida Atlantic University, said the word became popular in the 70s as part of a feminist movement against a male-dominated language.

Since then, it has come to be a representation of people who don’t fit as part of either gender.
“I’m female-assigned at birth, and I’m feminine presenting, and a lot of people assume I use ‘she,’ but I think that ‘they’ is a lot more inclusive,” said 26-year-old Ray. “I identify a lot more as a feminine person than as a woman. I started using gender-neutral pronouns impulsively, and it felt really good, and I’ve been using them ever since.”

Qu’emi said the word shouldn’t be an issue because it’s also used colloquially today.

Those who use the pronoun have come up with different ways to explain it.

Taylor Collins, a 19-year-old University of Southern California student, uses the example of talking about a person of an unknown gender in a mascot outfit at a basketball game. While 21-year-old Brent Stanfield uses heritage, and famous public figures, to explain the decision to go gender-neutral.
“I think it can be helpful to talk about more famous people and instances of gender bending, like using Lady Gaga to help people understand that sometimes you can mix genders or be something out of male or female,” Stanfield said. “I think for me as a Native American, I can also sort of talk about different Native American cultures. Some of them would have more than two gender roles.”
Every day those who use “they” face challenges because of the lack of representation and general awareness of the existence of people who don’t identity as either “male” or “female.”

“One of the hardest parts are identification issues,” Qu’emi said. “You’ll be addressed based on your legal name, like on the phone they don’t care what you look like because they can’t see you. They go by what is a feminine or masculine voice.”

Qu’emi also has trouble when going to restaurants, doctors, clinics or the DMV and faces a lot of microagressions.

A microaggression is an interaction between those of different races, cultures, genders or sexual orientations, which can be interpreted as small acts of mostly non-physical aggression. The term was coined in 1970 by Chester Pierce, a noted psychiatry professor.

“Misgendering me is a microaggression, like casually being cissexist or casually not including agender individuals, casually saying, ‘Ladies and gentlemen,’” Qu’emi said. “Cissexism” is where non-trans (cisgender) people consider themselves superior to trans people. “I guess I don’t have to listen because you’re not addressing me. It usually comes exclusively from people, from individuals, and 98 percent of the time it’s done without people knowing they’re doing it.”

People like Stanfield don’t feel comfortable using “they” outside of a safe setting.

“My pronoun preference and gender identity aren’t considered to be a serious option,” Stanfield said. “Like something only someone in a liberal arts college would come up with.”

“They” still remains the only comfortable option for those who choose to identify with it.
“I’m gender fluid,” Collins said. “People can call me ‘she’ or ‘he’ and that’s fine, but I think ‘they’ is a good default for me. Most of the time I feel kind of gender neutral, and if people don’t know how I’m feeling that day, then ‘they’ is the best pronoun to go with.”

“They” offers people a chance to define themselves how they choose.

“I’m just in a place where I want to feel safe and loved and have a gender that just doesn’t feel that it’s giving anyone false information, because I really like my body, and my way in the world is in a transition place,” said Megan Rohrer, a 33-year-old transgender pastor. “’They’ accomplishes that in a way that ‘he’ or ‘she’, which tend to tip towards one side of the binary, don’t.”

Those interviewed agreed that education and public attention can bring more acceptance.

“As long as it’s controversial and media is talking about it, the more people are going to learn,” Rohrer said. “If there’s not a way to educate a lot of people across different cultures, there’s not a way for me to find true acceptance. As long as there’s controversy, people become more comfortable just through talking about it. If their first reaction was ‘I’m upset,’ their third reaction would be, ‘Oh, I heard that,’ and their third reaction would be more tolerant and accepting.”

As Stanfield puts it: “Even if it wasn’t grammatically correct, why does it matter?”

In the News: Bay Area Reporter

Castro Lions' bountiful gifts

NEWS

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Published 07/24/2014

	Photo: Jane Philomen Cleland

Representatives from 20 LGBT, HIV/AIDS, and other nonprofits joined members of the Castro Lions Club for its annual dinner and grant distribution Thursday, July 17 at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. Castro Lions distributed $126,000 to the nonprofits, including $45,000 for the Lions Eye Foundation; $15,000 for the National AIDS Memorial Grove; $4,000 to the AIDS and Breast Cancer Emergency Funds; and $45,000 as part of a matching grant to the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. Several other organizations also received checks, such as Openhouse, Tenderloin Tessie, and La Casa De Las Madres ($500 each), Positive Resource Center ($2,500), and the Pacific Center in Berkeley ($1,000). Lions spokesman Gary Nathan said the club was happy to be able to help so many organizations.

God's Wonders: A faithful exploration of the world's wonders

I'll be researching a new book project over the next few months and attempting to visit all Seven New Wonders of the World and as many of the Natural Wonders of the World as possible. 

Below is a list of some of the trips I'll be taking.  Watch this space to learn more about our trip.

If you'd like to follow our trip, "like" my facebook page and you'll get regular updates.

During our trip I'll be blogging and posting videos for my Travel Faithfully series.  I hope our trip inspires you to see the world, to set big goals and to enjoy all the beauty of our great Earth.

  Praying around the World

Sept 25-26: I traveled to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, one of the Natural Wonders of the World. 
See a video from my helicopter flight over the canyon.

October 13-16 I traveled through Peru and visited Machu Picchu and Cusco.

October 17th-19th I traveled to Easter Island in Chile.  This site was a runner-up for the new 7 wonders list.

October 20-22 I traveled to Rio de Janeiro and saw the Christ Redeemer Statue
See video from our ride up Sugar Loaf Mountain

October 23-25 I traveled to Mexico, and saw Chichen, Itza and Tulum.
See video from the underwater museum in the ocean off Cancun

December 27 we traveled to Beijing and visit the Great Wall

Tienanmen Square

The Temple of Heaven

December 28 we traveled to Sri Lanka and visit the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic

 Bodhgaya

Ganga

 Dec 28 - Dec 31 we traveled to India visiting sacred sites and the Taj Mahal (part 1 - part 2)

The Little Taj

Agra Fort

Jan 1 - 4 we traveled to Jordan/Israel/Palestine visiting Petra and the Holy Land

The Dead Sea 

Church of the Annunciation

The House/Caprentry Shop of Joseph

The River Jordan

Capernum

The Feeding of 5,000

The Sea of Galilee

Jerusalem Lent and Easter

 

 

 Jan 5 we traveled to Cairo and visit the pyramids  

Outside the pyramids in Giza 

Inside the pyramids in Giza

 The Holy Family in Egypt

 

Jan 6 we traveled to Istanbul and visit Hagia Sophia

Jan 7-8 we traveled to Rome visiting the Colosseum and Vatican

 

 Why I touched the Pope

St. Peter's Basilica

Jan 9-10 we traveled to London and visit Stonehenge

Paricutin Volcano Trek

From November 12-5  This trip was rescheduled to February 2015 due to a passport issue with the Indian Consulate - trying to prepare for our big December trip.   I'll be in Mexico visiting the Paricutin Volcano (a natural wonder), the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and some Mayan Temples.

Northern Lights Trek

From November 19-20  This trip was rescheduled to February 2015 due to a passport issue with the Indian Consulate - trying to prepare for our big December trip I'll be heading to Canada to visit Niagara Falls, and try to spot the Northern Lights (a natural wonder).

In the News: Bay Area Reporter

Shining a light on unsung heroes

Guest Opinion

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Published 06/26/2014

by Michael G. Pappas

A year ago, almost to the day, San Franciscans awaited with anxious anticipation the U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on the Defense of Marriage Act and Proposition 8, California's same-sex marriage ban. On the eve of Pride, as those high court pronouncements echoed throughout every conceivable media, we as a community never seemed more liberated or united. We shared together in that euphoric moment, feeling, in a profound way, that we were both witnesses to and participants in the making of history.

Meandering through the masses at the Castro Street celebration of those high court decisions, I encountered local photographer Bill Wilson who shared a revelation, "I just photographed a mother and her infant child and it dawned on me, that child will never know a time when there was not marriage equality." A hopeful realization, I thought, yet I speak to so many 20- and 30-year-olds today, whose only comprehension of the isolation and shame of the closet and loss of friends and loved ones to the epidemic is limited to oral history passed down or academic study. Seen in that context, it's hard to help but feel that the human rights victories and liberties we celebrate today with revelry at Pride were fought, not only by today's activists, but by the heroes of previous generations, upon whose shoulders we stand.

Not the least among those heroes, laboring tirelessly to "increase equality, eradicate discrimination, and protect human rights for all people," are the commissioners, staff, and citizen leaders who, for almost four decades have served on the SF Human Rights Commission's LGBT Advisory Committee.

Past chairs include such luminary LGBT activists as Martha Knutzen, and transgender icons Theresa Sparks, the current HRC executive director, and Health Commissioner Cecilia Chung.

A microcosm of our community, today's LGBT Advisory Committee comprises of thought leaders from every sector. Lending minds and voices to the conversation are representatives from the nonprofits Trikone, Shanti Project, Larkin Street Youth Services, Out4Immigration, OneJustice, API Wellness Center, Family Violence Law Center, Transgender Law Center, Our Family Coalition, and Forward.US. Those nonprofit leaders stand shoulder-to-shoulder with members of the tech community, including a leader from Google's Gaygler LGBT Employee Resource Group. Add to the mix an advocate from the city's deaf community, members from the religious community, including an LGBT Mormon activist and a Lutheran pastor advocating for the homeless and transgender youth; an African American veteran activist who just finished his tenure on the city's LGBT Aging Policy Task Force; an HIV/Infectious disease specialist; leaders in immigration; the transgender community; a congressional staff person and an assistant district attorney.

An integral and vitally important component of the Human Rights Commission, the LGBT Advisory Committee provides community involvement and opportunity for in-depth study and exploration of issues, offers assistance and advice to the commission regarding discrimination against the LGBT communities, advocates for the civil rights of persons with AIDS/HIV, and educates our LGBT partners in advocacy about a diverse range of issues that impact our community.

Considered by many the unsung heroes of public policy making, the SF Human Rights Commission's LGBT Advisory Committee, workgroups and policy and social justice unit staff, over the years, have researched, deliberated, presented reports, and incubated policy measures that led to the drafting of such legislation as domestic partners benefits, the formation of the LGBT Aging Policy Task Force and, most recently, SF law enforcement agencies' decision to discontinue the use of condoms when prosecuting cases involving sex workers.

The LGBT Advisory Committee has never been shy to take on bold and controversial issues. Over the past decade the committee was responsible for the formation of a task force and held a public hearing on intersex issues, including the human rights aspects of surgeries performed on intersex infants in order to assign gender when the surgeries are not medically necessary. Both the advisory committee and commission urged the Board of Education to pass a resolution to establish a high school course on LGBT history, politics, and culture and commit to funding LGBT support services. It held panel discussions and community meetings to study bisexual invisibility and issued a report entitled, "Bisexual Invisibility: Impacts and Recommendations." Together with the commission it held a public forum on unrecognized families and issued a report "Beyond Marriage: Unrecognized Family Relationships." It initiated a resolution unanimously passed by the commission urging lawmakers and the governor to enact state Senate Bill 1172, making it illegal for state-licensed psychologists to practice "reparative therapy" on minors.

Current issues being addressed by the advisory committee's work groups include comprehensive immigration reform for impacted LGBTQ individuals and families; deaf and people with disability advocacy for LGBTQ individuals; keeping nonprofits serving the LGBT community in San Francisco; advocacy related to trans empowerment for immigrant trans women and trans women of color; research, advocacy and a policy review of the city's ID program and the program's impact on transgender residents with respect to name and gender change; and advocacy related to bridging the gap between the tech and LGBTQ communities.

Among the issues emerging from the commission's policy and social justice unit are the call for comprehensive transgender health care reform in the Healthy San Francisco program; the creation of a long needed LGBTQ youth citywide sensitivity training and cultural competency program required by an ordinance, on which we partnered with the Youth Commission; reports on human trafficking, anti-bullying initiatives and equity and inclusion of communities of color in the LGBT community. That unit is also working diligently to support efforts to develop policies and guidelines that would facilitate gender neutral bathrooms and public accommodations for transgender individuals.

Pride means different things to different people. For the SF Human Rights Commission's LGBT Advisory Committee, it is the occasion to recommit ourselves to laboring for and securing the rights and freedoms our community deserves. In sharing this brief overview of our work we invite you to join us in honoring those heroes who came before us by helping to write the next chapter of our exciting movement.

 

Michael G. Pappas is chair of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and chair of the commission's LGBT Advisory Committee.

Pre-Order two upcoming books!

Pre-Order Our Upcoming Titles:

With A Day Like Yours Couldn't You Use a Little Grace: Daily Grace for Diverse People Living in a Complicated World
 

This book, by our Pastor Megan Rohrer, is for everyone who has been lied to and told that God couldn’t love them. In addition to reminding you that nothing, nothing, nothing can ever separate you God’s love, Pastor Megan Rohrer will also help you learn to accept this gift of grace and love yourself just as you are.

Whether you skim, only pull it out when you have a rough day or a bad breakup, or make readings part of your daily routine for a year, With a Day Like Yours, Couldn’t You Use Some Grace speaks to saints, sinners and everyone in between.   

Pre-order the May-August Edition

Font Size and Bulk Ordering

Regular Print $15.00 USD Regular Print - Bulk Ordering (5 or more) $12.00 USD Large Print $20.00 USD Large Print - Bulk Ordering (5 or more) $18.00 USD

Bible Study that Doesn't Suck: An Illustrated Retelling of The Gospel According to Mark

This Bible Study, by our Pastor Megan Rohrer, will be available in December.  You can help us get this book printed by pre-ordering your copy now at a reduced rate. 

Choose from the pre-order options below:

Regular (less than 5 books) $20.00 USD Bulk Ordering (5 or more) $18.00 USD

Ready to check out?  Click the button below.

In the News: South Florida Gay News

Should the Trans Community Stop Using the ‘T-Word’ or Reclaim It

SFGN Staff | Nicole Wiesenthal, June 16, 2014

The t-word has been tossed around a lot lately, especially by celebrities in the media. But is the word really OK to say to a transgender person.

“I was called it once, and it was done lightly, but it still shocked me really hard,” said Brendon Lies, a 23-year-old Florida Atlantic University student who’s transitioning from female to male.
Everyone has had different experiences with the word.

“A friend of mine used to call me a tranny in Alabama, a good friend of mine,” said Reilly Clemens, a 27-year-old transgender University of Florida graduate student. “I asked him why he did that one day. He said he was trying to toughen me up because people would call me it all the time.”
Some people have been fortunate.

“I’ve only ever heard it once on a television show where people are transgender, and it was never mentioned again,” said Christine Preimesberger, a 19-year-old University of Southern California student who identifies as agender. “I’d be very insulted if someone called me that.”

The word Tranny, according to M to F trans activist Kate Bornstein, originated as a way for M to F transgender people and drag queens to be united under a common name. It came to include all in the trans community.

Cisgender (non-transgender) people quickly began to use it to group and target trans people.

“By being an ftm called this word, especially by cis people, its context generally echoes less so with a lack of understanding, but more with an attitude that we’re all grouped together as something less than human,” Lies said. “It’s become a key word used to look down on us, and that’s usually what I feel from it when it’s used towards me.”

RuPaul and other drag queens have recently created controversy because of their decision to use the word publicly despite protests.

“He [RuPaul] claims he’s coming from a place of love,” said Nicholas Cavallaro, 21-year-old drag queen and student at the University of Florida. “There’s a difference between intent and impact. I think Ru should take a step back and listen to what trans people are saying who have lived their everyday lives transitioned. Ru has been doing this every day of his life, but he goes home and takes that make-up off.”

For most transgender people, hearing the word can still be a painful experience as it is most often associated with violence.

“I’ve never been called tranny in a positive way, and I think what’s interesting is that it seems like people who identify as transgender, meaning that they are transitioning in their hormones or their body, that word is often used in a derogatory way and offers violence,” said Megan Rohrer, a 33-year-old transgender pastor.

But all agree that using the word in public should be avoided.

“Because that word is used to perpetuate violence, in public it might not be OK for anyone to use it,” said Rohrer. “When I hear it, I worry something violent will happen.”

If among close friends, people should first ask consent before using the word.

“It’s very important that the person they’re using it with be OK with it,” Clemens said. “If they’re going to call a friend of theirs a tranny or use the words in comments, as well, they need to be very aware of who they’re using it with because some people take an issue with it.”

Rohrer agrees, saying that just because someone uses the word, doesn’t mean they’re in the wrong.

“I think there are cases when tone of voice outweighs anything else, and so if someone is, for example, the cisgender person married to someone who’s trans that word might come out differently in loving conversation rather than just on the streets,” Rohrer said.

Famous transgender people like Laverne Cox, star of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” have recently started an empowerment movement to “reclaim” the word, so it can be difficult to tell who finds the word acceptable and who doesn’t. Asking can help clarify.

“Most people who are asking the right questions aren’t trying to be hurtful,” Clemens said. “I’m comfortable with being called that, but most people would be more comfortable with other terms like transgender or trans woman.”

It’s important to remember that some people do find it acceptable, and even empowering.
“I would see it as an empowering word,” Clemens said. “It incorporates our history, and people understand it to be a negatively connoted word. It sets us apart. It describes a way of being. I don’t think that’s inherently bad.”

But there’s also a flipside.

“If you’re with a close group of friends and you’ve embraced the word yourself, I’m not going to stop you from using it,” Lies said. “It’s more of a problem to me if you ignorantly call people that and you don’t know how they feel.”

Consent and context are the keys to using the word. Don’t be afraid to ask if you feel comfortable enough around that person.

New Living Lutheran Post

Are We Really an Aging Church  

By Megan Rohrer

In the past 12 years I’ve preached at countless Lutheran, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Congregational and Swedenborgian congregations nearly every Sunday. But, I could count on two hands the number of congregations who had worshipers younger than me.

During this same period, I baptized six adults and two children. Only the children were baptized in congregations. The adults, who were almost all younger than I was, asked me to baptize them in bars, restaurants and gardens. Each of these baptisms was accompanied by a story about how the individuals had become estranged from congregational worship.

With each baptism, I thought about all the people who have declared that the Lutheran church is dying and aging. Is it true, or are we pushing people away and letting people believe the lie that they are unable to be loved by God.  And if people gain church membership through their baptism, then why are so few members choosing to attend worship?

When I was called as the pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco’s Sunset District this past February...

- Read more at the ELCA's Living Lutheran.

My Body, Surgery and Gossip

Friends, followers, fans and congregants,

I'm writing to let you know that I'll be having a private outpatient surgery around 8:30am on April 29th.  I welcome your prayers and good intentions if that is a part of your tradition.

Some transgender educators talk about their body, surgeries and hormones in hopes that it will help people get their curiosities out, and the askees will refrain from asking inappropriate
 questions to their families and friends.

However, I've found over the years that when I've been candid about my body and identity as a trans person, that it has led to people oversexualizing me, bringing up my genitals in inappropriate public spaces and touching them without permission.  In fact google statistics reports that this month "megan rohrer nude" was the number one search topic that brought people to this very blog.

I ask you to respect my privacy and refrain from sharing with others the details of my surgery unless you have my permission to do so.

While other people may choose to share more information for the purpose of prayers, I believe God knows me inside and out and understands your prayers and good intentions for me - even if you don't know if my surgery is on my toes or my elbows.  My goal as a pastor is to help people to ponder the great mystery of God and our profound reconciliation to God, not to ponder the curves of my body.

For this purpose, I ask you to respect my privacy and avoid asking about or pondering about my upcoming surgery.  If you would like to help with my post-surgery care (providing food or other care) you may get in touch with my wife Laurel about what kinds of support I'll need over the two weeks I'll be off work and recovering.  

Here are a few do's and don'ts for those interested in supporting me before and after my surgery:

DO keep me in your prayers, send good intentions and/or cards to me at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3201 Ulloa St, San Francisco, CA 94116

DO NOT tell me or ask me to confirm that you've guessed my surgery correctly.  There is no comfortable way to have this conversation without it feeling like you've spent a lot of time thinking about my body.

DO help me take it easy after my surgery.  Particularly, I'll need help so that I don't carry heavy things for awhile.

DO NOT ask me about what surgeries and/or hormones I have or will have as a part of my transgender identity.  This kind of medical information is private and not something I discuss openly.

DO educate yourself on issues of gender and faith.  Here is a curriculum created by the Human Rights Campaign that is incredibly well done.

DO NOT gossip about my body or surgery.



Thanks everyone for your support!

Be well,

Pastor Megan Rohrer

In the News: Clark County Courier

April 9, 2104 Edition: Cover Story

Click on the photo for the article to become bigger.

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In the News: SF Weekly

National Day of Silence: LGBT Kids Say "No" To Bullying

By David-Elijah Nahmod Fri., Apr. 11 2014 at 12:02 PM

GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network)

Around the country today, LGBT students will take a 1-day vow of silence in order to protest bullying and harassment affecting their community.

Transgender kids have been particularly hard hit by bullying in schools, as evidenced by the stories SF Weekly recently ran about Jewlyes Gutierrez, an East Bay Trans teen who was charged with assault after she defended herself against her attackers.

Clair Farley, a transwoman who currently serves as the LGBT Community Center's Associate Director of Economic Development, told SF Weekly how serious this problem is.

"It is alarming that 80 percent of transgender students don't feel safe at school," she said. "The Day of Silence allows students around the world to stand up against violence and create more solidarity with our allies."

The Day of Silence was launched in 1996 by students at the University of Virginia, which included around 150 participants in the inaugural event. In 2001, the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN, ) became the official sponsor of the Day of Silence. The event has grown to include participant students from more than 8,000 schools.

"Angel VanStark, 21, understands all to well the importance of the day. The 21 year old, who recently started a new job and just moved into his first apartment, was once homeless because of his sexuality."

"To me, the Day of Silence isn't just about the bullying or the suicide," he said. "To me it's the lives lost to bullying and suicide. During my government and economics class, the teacher had me come up and had one of the students read my sign. While she was reading she began to cry. I knew that everyone in that classroom agreed that bullying isn't right. That people dying for who they are isn't right. Everyone is important and amazing, and this brief moment of silence serves as a reminder that everyone's voice matters."

The Day has expanded to include adults. Rev. Megan Rohrer, who identifies as transgender, was recently installed as Pastor for Grace Lutheran Church in the Outer Sunset. Roher (who prefers the pronoun "they") is now in their 30s and continues to participate in the event. They recalled their initial commemoration and explained the significance of remaining involved.

"It helped me mourn the death of Matthew Shepard and to be out without participating in arguments about how I loved," Roher said. "Now, as a pastor, I participate for the hurt faith communities have caused the LGBT community and to make it possible for younger generations to live and love without fear. As someone who is called to preach from pulpits, I know that a few words can transform lives. In order to heal and .protect others we must use both our speaking and our silence to support those who are vulnerable and have not yet heard that our LGBT identities make us beautiful."

For more information, please visit GLSEN:

In the News: South Florida Gay News

Pastor Megan Rohrer: Trans Pastor Reaches Out to All

 

Pastor Megan Rohrer

 

On Feb. 22, Grace Lutheran Church in San Francisco installed Pastor Megan Rohrer as its new spiritual leader.

It was a history making service. Dubbed “Beatles Mass,” the congregation sang praise music (with lyrics written by Rohrer) to the tune of Beatles classics like Hey Jude and Let It Be. It was a joyous celebration.

What made the service so groundbreaking is the fact that the pastor, who prefers to be referred to by the pronoun "they," is Transgender. While ministering to Trans people is obviously a big part of the mission, Rohrer embraces all. The well attended installation included LGBT people of all types — and heterosexuals — in the pews.

As congregants lined up to receive Holy Communion, Rohrer held up the bread and wine for all to see. The look of joy and peace on Rohrer’s face, and in the faces of all those present, was infectious.
A few days after the service, Rohrer spoke to SFGN about the journey.

How would you describe the Beatles Mass to the uninitiated?
The worship that we used at the installation was created for an evening worship service at St Aidan's Episcopal. In the hopes of attracting young people and those new to the church, I created a Lady Gaga Mass. The service gained a lot of attention and I was able to share it at congregations around the country. However, Lady Gaga's music is very complicated and much more difficult to sing than what you'd expect from a pop song. Many of the young people knew the tunes, but the older generation had a difficult time. I created the Beatles Mass because the tunes were recognized by both older and younger members and participants often leave the service feeling uplifted.

When did you come out and what led you to ministry work?
I grew up in South Dakota and went to a Lutheran college where I was out and encouraged to pursue my gifts for ministry. After enduring some hate crimes and religious abuse during the time following the death of Matthew Shepard, I thought it wouldn't be possible to become an LGBT pastor in the Lutheran church. Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, Calif. encouraged me to continue my studies and I moved to the Bay Area in 2002. In June of that year I began working as the executive director of the Welcome Ministry where I continued to support, feed and find creative ways to help the homeless and hungry improve their quality of life. With programs at Lutheran congregations around San Francisco we've created community gardens that have given away over 5.4 tons of produce. Through partnering with Project Homeless Connect, we've given away almost 200 pairs of glasses in the past five months and provided groceries for HIV positive individuals.

Many people seem to be unaware that Trans people work in ministry. Can you talk about that?
I meet annually with a group of about 150 Transgender pastors and faith leaders from diverse faiths at a retreat hosted by the Center For Lesbian and Gay Studies in Berkeley, Calif. We talk about how we can show support and learn from each other, and the best practice for sharing our stories, advocating for Trans individuals, and our own employment needs. There may be many more than that, but some people choose not to be open about their Transgender status after they Transition. This is why I use the words openly Transgender in my identification.

What are the issues that Transgender pastors face in finding congregations they can lead?
Many Transgender pastor faith leaders work in specialized ministry to support vulnerable populations. When it comes to faithfully serving LGBT individuals or the homeless, being Transgender is often an asset. Very few openly Transgender pastors are able to find work leading a congregation. I believe this will change as society becomes more welcoming and understanding of Transgender issues.

Will you be doing Trans outreach at Grace Lutheran?
We take the name Grace seriously, so we will be doing outreach to people of all shapes and sizes. The congregation is enthusiastic about welcoming everyone, particularly those of us who have been lied to and told that they're not good enough to be part of a faith community.

Can you talk about what life is like for many Trans people?
People who live outside of society's cultural gender norms have experienced violence, arrest and loss of jobs for centuries. I have personally been yelled at in bathrooms and inappropriately touched by people who think my gender identity means that my private parts are up for grabs. I've also provided pastoral support to Transgender youth who've been kicked out of their homes, set on fire, sexually or physically assaulted, robbed or arrested. Many others live in fear that this violence could come at any moment.

Has any headway been made in changing the plight of Trans people?
As Transgender issues gain more attention in the media and with LGBTQ church groups who are educating congregations, society is beginning to understand the diversity of experiences Transgender people take. Within most faith and Christian denominations, there are groups of Trans individuals working to help their branch of faith become aware of the issues that affect Transgender people. The Human Rights Campaign's Religion and Faith Department has excellent resources for faith communities and I have worked with them and other Trans pastors to create preaching reassures for pastors to use with their congregations.

Lutherans have a group called Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries who have been very helpful for my journey and advocate not only for LGBTQ pastors, but also those in school training to become pastors as they go through the church credentialing process.

You looked so happy at the installation. Can you describe your feeling that night?
My tears of weeping have turned to tears of joy. Many people were surprised that Grace called me because they weren't at the forefront of gay pride parades or lobbying for LGBTQ folks at the church. They did not call a Transgender pastor to make a statement, they called me because they like my sermons, bible study and ideas for growing the congregation. This is the future I want for the church and the world, a vision that sees beyond color and identity and embodies the all encompassing love of God.

To read more from Pastor Megan Rohrer, please visit her blog at: RevRohrer.blogspot.com

In the News: West Hawaii Today

George Keanaaina right picks out eyeglass frames with help from Laurel Kapros at Saturday's Vision Event, sponsored by The Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity and the Welcome Ministry of San Francisco at the Old Airport Makaeo Events Pavilion. Laura Shimabuku/Special to West Hawaii Today

By Bret Yager, West Hawaii Today

Debbi Sale lives under a makeshift shelter of tarps in Kona. She and her husband Vance cook on a one-burner stove and use public restrooms across the street. They live on Vance’s Social Security check and improvise the rest.

So the Sales were grateful for a couple of hot meals and the chance to get vision screening and new glasses at the Old Kona Airport Park’s Makaeo Events Pavilion on Saturday.

“I’m totally blind in my right eye from cataracts,” said Debbi Sale, picking through a table of free clothing. “I have glasses but they’re the kind you buy for $10 at Longs.”

Some 35 volunteers registered and screened 70 people and served meals to more than 100.

Cindy Hall, leader of the Help Everyone Regardless of Outcome ministry, is on a first name basis with many of them. That’s because her work with Kona’s homeless puts her out on the street almost daily on “mission walks.” When the 73 pairs of glasses arrive in the mail, she’ll be on another walk, delivering them one by one to haunts where she knows the dispossessed dwell.

“We’re here to be of service to our brothers and sisters. We’re here to love our neighbors,” said Hall, who brought in food throughout the day, starting with a pancake and sausage breakfast.

After receiving an eye exam, participants were able to order frames. They were also able to get blood pressure and diabetes screening and a haircut. The event was a partnership between Kailua-Kona’s Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity and the Welcome Ministry from San Francisco. It was funded by a $2,500 grant from the Grace Family Foundation.

Pastor Megan Rohrer of the Welcome Ministry, her mother, Peggy Heard, and grandmother, Darlene Audus, bathed the feet of the homeless at a washing station. The three generations, all from the mainland, also applied lotion to the often cracked and ragged feet.

“You can get everything. Food, haircut. These people are good. They take care of everybody on the street,” said Freddie Winkle, sitting on the lawn outside the pavilion.

Ophthalmologist Susan Senft of Island Eye Care administered the eye exams with the help of an assistant.

“What could be better than helping people see?” said Eloise Schafer, a volunteer with the Lutheran Church who helped organize a table of free essentials — detergent, razors, Band-Aids, shampoo and other toiletries.

“Imagine if you can’t even see people smile at you,” Schafer said.

A man who wished to be identified only as Nick chowed down on a plate of teriyaki beef and cabbage salad. He recently got 26 stitches in his scalp after falling off a rock wall he was trying to climb.

“I lost my wife and job,” he said. “Since then I’ve just been drifting. I went up to Alaska but I got tired of the snow. I was working for Vets Helping Vets making $40 a day.”

He’s been waiting for veterans assistance for housing for two years now.

“The hardest thing,” he said, “is getting out of the homeless situation.”

- See more at: http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-news/seeing-better-way-vision-screening-helps-out-kona-s-homeless#sthash.q5nN7YR6.dpuf

In the News: West Hawaii Today

Thursday, March 27, 2014, West Hawaii Today

The Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity is partnering with pastor Megan Rohrer from the Welcome Ministry in San Francisco to put on the Kona Vision Event to help homeless and low-income people with their vision needs.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Old Kona Airport Park’s Makaeo Event Pavilion. Susan Senft and Jenn Brown, staff at Island Eye Care, Inc., will administer free eye exams, and the Welcome Ministry will order free glasses for participants. The glasses will be delivered to the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity and distributed by its homeless ministry. A free meal, free blood pressure and diabetes screening, and haircuts will also be offered.

For more information, call 329-5733 or visit konalutheranchurch.com.

- See more at: http://westhawaiitoday.com/news/local-features/about-town-3-27-14#sthash.TpE7e6HG.dpuf

Fred Phelps is Dead and I am Not - Is This God's Will Too?

What if Fred Phelps is right and we can see God's will in the deaths of others?  What then does it mean that Phelps is dead and I am alive?  Is God letting us know that pastors like me, with disabilities, who are gay and transgender are his hope for the future?

Having walked through a Fred Phelps picket line to go to church, I know it's not as fun as people think when they post to their Facebook wall that they would like to "live their life so that Fred Phelps would picket their funeral."  It sticks in your guts like gum on the bottom of your shoe.  It shapes you. And if it doesn't deflate you, it helps you become stronger in your faith and able to stand up to everyone who lies when they tell people that they are beyond God's love.

Although many people have given up on the church because of the kinds of hate theology that some Christians have loudly spread with the help of consenting news and radio shows.  Fred Phelps was a self proclaimed preacher of hate, who used lawsuits against individuals who were unable to control their anger and their fists during his protests.

For me, the most enduring vision of the group is not their fiery hate speech or their sexually explicit posters, it's the vision of young children holding these signs.  Many if not most of the protesters who went out in the name of the Westboro Baptist Church were his grandchildren. 

For others it was the exploitation of the AIDS epidemic, the death of soldiers and the protest of mourning families who helped many see through the thinly veiled "theology" to the true core of the message - hate. 

I firmly believe that it is important for people of faith to live out their beliefs, to follow the call that they discern from God.  I believe this even when I think God has called me to live out opposite beliefs.  This comes from my Lutheran roots and from wisdom that ascends through the years from Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

When I preach and teach I do so based on my faith.  But, I always leave open the possibility that I am wrong.  I listen and sometimes engage in dialogue with those who not only disagree, but believe that I am evil. 

Because, unlike those who are holding signs and yelling on tv, I am the one whose relationship with God is at stake.  Contrary to their assumptions, I care more than they do if God loves me or not.

I choose to believe that the children's song is true: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells Me so."  Those who think I'm wrong would say that I'm just believing what makes myself feel better.  Thankfully, Paul has a better answer than I could ever give:
"38For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8)

Phelps and I are/were convinced that our interpretations of the Book of Romans is what God wants us to share with the world.  So let's pretend for a moment that Fred Phelps is right and that you can tell God's will by who is alive and who is dead.  Then this transgender pastor, serving at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco is all the proof you need that God LOVES .... well, all us internet using, people who write with typos, occasionally trip on the sidewalk, do our best to love, trying to pay down our debt folk.

You can also add any of the other labels that people get grumpy about:      
LUTHERAN                     GAY                                       TRANSGENDER                          DISABLED                      FEMALE BODIED                OVER WEIGHT
SAN FRANCISCAN        DIVORCED                           ADHD
AUTISTIC SPECTRUM         LEFT HANDED             .... or whatever other label moves you

 For those who haven't noticed yet, the world has shifted dramatically since that day when Matthew Shepard's passing brought brother Phelps fame and led to my eventually getting kicked out of my home congregation in Sioux Falls, SD.  Beyond my ability to serve as a pastor, there is expanding marriage equality, a welcome for LGBTQ folk on both sides of the altar and an expanding number of gay and lesbian bishops in mainline denominations.

My journey to become a pastor was fueled by a young man who was six and trying to commit suicide for the twelfth time.  He wanted to die before he was so bad that he wouldn't be able to go to heaven.  I wanted to become a pastor to no children of God (of any age) would ever hear a message like that from their pulpit.

Most of us have more than our fair share of shame and self-doubt.  We look in the mirror and see all the flaps and lay sleepless at night thinking of all the flubs in our speech and long to redo our past and live better.

But, no matter what anyone says, the good news does not point to a hateful God who bullies us.  I believe, the good news is that Jesus came to earth and made it possible for God to know what it is like to be vulnerable, to go through puberty, to try to love in an imperfect world and this bodily knowing compels God to be with us. 

Today I pray that the love of God find you and particularly those who gave up on the church because of the words and protests of folk like Fred Phelps.  May these hateful words pass away from our memory.  For it is really true this day, as it always was, that God's love for us endures forever.

Love to all that come to read this, whether you see it as words of hope or something to be scoffed at,

Pastor Megan Rohrer