Selfie taken by Erin Swenson with me when we took
a walk along the Atlanta Beltline a few weeks ago.
I conclude a series of
personal reflections on the LGBT Christian movement that posted each Wednesday of June, Pride Month, and now
extended to this first week of July, given the “interruption” of my post on Orlando. For those unfamiliar with this blog, be assured that I will return to
other topics next week! And for the dozens of activists I’ve encountered and
have yet to write about, maybe I’ll tell more stories next June.
There
are momentous occasions in our lives that cause us to remember details
surrounding them vividly. It was inside the El Capitan Theater in downtown
North Hollywood when I was 19 years old that I saw The Christine Jorgensen Story, a 1970 film about a transgender
person, long before that term was familiar.
As
a young gay man, I identified with her, though I did not think of myself as
other than what we now call cisgendered. But that she crossed gender
expectations was one more encouragement for me as a same-gender loving young
man, and one more reason why I never resisted including “T” in “LGBT.” For me,
it’s always been a “no-brainer” to do so, and I speculate my attitude
originated from seeing that film.
It
seemed fitting, then, when I learned that New York City’s Stonewall Rebellion
that is heralded as the beginning of the U.S. queer rights movement was largely
initiated by drag queens and transgender folk discontent with the abusive
enforcement of gender expectations of our American society.
My
first Presbytery of Greater Atlanta meeting after moving to this city was one
that considered the continued ministry of the Rev. Dr. Erin Swenson after
transitioning from Eric to Erin. Having been ensconced as a volunteer in
presbytery and synod ecclesiastical committees and conclaves in Southern California—to
my dismay having little effect on changing Presbyterian views on lesbian and
gay Christians—I had delayed involvement in similar commitments in my new home
of Georgia.
But
I wanted to be supportive of Erin, whom I had never met, and see how this
presbytery behaved in considering her ongoing calling. I was impressed with her
pastoral approach, showing great patience in answering even the most insulting
of questions. I was also impressed that, as a therapist who had “been there”
for many of the presbyters as Eric, many of them were more receptive and
respectful of her own choices.
When
her calling was affirmed by a healthy majority, the heavens opened up for me,
and the Spirit descended in a rare appearance at a presbytery meeting.
That
began what I consider a beautiful friendship. I’ve spent time with her former and
loving wife and her faithful daughters, with her father and her sister and
brother-in-law, and a friend—whose Pakistani birth certificate read “female”
when he knew he was male—and his wife, both faithful Muslims, whose wedding,
celebrated by Erin, I attended in their Sufi circle. I also was invited to
attend their festivities on Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.
I
think the most memorable holiday dinner I’ve hosted included LGBT Jewish,
Muslim, Christian, and atheist/pagan guests and there were only seven people
around my dining room table!
Erin
was there for me the night when my mom died, the first to come to my house with
Sharon Taylor, my pastor whom Erin had notified. Erin was there for me when
Mark and I separated, helping me with my double grief, recommending a couples’
counselor and serving as our divorce negotiator as well. She retained me as her
writing coach when she was writing her as yet unpublished but powerful memoir.
She
gave the charge at my MCC ordination in 2005, and she served as celebrant of
Wade’s and my wedding in 2015. And she was beloved by my dogs, Calvin and
Hobbes, with whom she would stay when I was out of town, and last July, joined
me and Wade and a few friends celebrating Hobbes’ life at a recently opened
Mexican restaurant.
And
she was among the “trinity” to whom I dedicated my book, Henri’s Mantle, for getting me through “the recent unpleasantness.”
I
entitled this “an extraordinary friendship” not only because of Erin’s great
friendship, but because I believe transgender folk have been great friends to
lesbians, gay men, bisexual and straight people, enlarging our view of gender
and gender possibilities. To me, that is
a spiritual value, and applies to our understanding of God as well.
The Religion and Faith
Program of HRC, the Human Rights Campaign, contracted me to pull together their
curriculum,
Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities: A Congregational Guide for Transgender Advocacy.
Earlier posts in this
series:
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Copyright © 2016 by Chris R. Glaser.
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Wonderful article, Chris. We are both very lucky to have Erin as a friend.
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