American pastor announces to congregants that he is going through a transition

Methodist pastor Phillip Phaneuf of Rochester, N.Y., announced to his congregation in recent days that he is undergoing a transition and will now identify as a woman, Life Site News reports.

He told the congregation that it was not about "becoming a woman" but about ending the "pretense of being a man." He also invited the faithful to join his "period of creative transformation," announcing possible changes in his voice and prioritizing the use of feminine pronouns.

Phaneuf says his move is supported by church superiors and the leadership of the United Methodist Church, which changed its stance on LGBT clergy in 2024.

The pastor also acknowledged that his parents reject the transition. In the sermon, he presented his own theological arguments in support of transgender identity, including the claim that ancient Hebrew distinguished "at least eight gender types." Such interpretations, however, are considered by many theologians to be controversial and incompatible with the traditional Christian understanding of the creation of male and female.

(mja)