You are Already in the Story
Finding community is hard, especially, when you are in the midst of great change like graduation, new jobs, moving, or even trying to find a new spiritual home. When entering a new community, you may feel like the odd one out; you may feel like your life’s story is new, unlikely to be accepted. The truth is, your story is integral to the fabric of any community, and the right community will see you, embrace you, and realize just how much they’ve always needed you to be in their midst.
In our Trans & Gender-Expansive Identities Guide, Taj Smith highlights just how crucial it is to find a community that can uplift you in this journey called life. He uses a powerful story from M. Shea McGinnis to illustrate how you are already in the story.
Wherever your path leads you, finding a solid community in which your spirit can rest is crucial to your survival. Humans cannot survive without support from one another, which makes it even more essential for those of us with marginalized identities to find people in whom we can confide. I am often asked whether it is possible for transgender people to find a supportive church community, to which I give a resounding “Yes!” There are denominations known for being open and affirming, such as the United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church, which have been grappling with the question of spiritual integration for LGBTQ+ people for decades. This section contains an interview with a trans person living their best life in supportive Christian communities: M. Shea McGinnis.
“Christian identity is central to my sense of belonging and purpose, giving me a sense of inner and outer focus, that I am supposed to work for justice. Community holds me accountable and helps me hold on to hope. I feel like there is something I can do.”
YOU ARE ALREADY IN THE STORY
Shea and I met in 2018 while working on a campaign to protect transgender nondiscrimination protections in Massachusetts. As the two staffers working with religious groups, we found comradery in our shared love of the Bible. Assigned female at birth (AFAB) in Arkansas, Shea began to seriously question his gender identity when he was in seminary. He started identifying as genderqueer and took up they/them pronouns, which were what he wanted at the time. He was serving as an Associate Pastor in a large Presbyterian church. He’d grown up in the Presbyterian denomination and had realized his call to ministry after college, while searching for a way forward professionally during the 2009 recession. He didn’t feel particularly called, but his campus minister recognized his gifts. He says of seminary, “I wasn’t doing anything better, but quickly realized I couldn’t be doing anything better.”
Shea’s Christian identity is central to his identity as a transgender person. For him, coming into his identity was easier because of his faith. What he saw in the Bible reinforced the validity and joy of the miraculous bodily changes of his transition. He says:
“Being Christian helps me be trans. I look at the Bible and see that amazing things are possible. Like, I can’t believe in the Trinity without believing we have different modes of being and that it’s possible for bodies to cycle through them. I read the Resurrection story and felt a connection. Like it’s possible to make myself new.”
Indeed, the Gospels also show us how finding closeness to Jesus can help when we are hurting. The stories of healing in John (Jn 4:46-54; 5:1-18; 9:1-12; 11:1-44) portray a Jesus who wants us to be well. He teaches us that faith is a catalyst for our wellness and that our faith will be the thing that can bring us back into a connection with God and with the people around us. In each circumstance, the people healed could not heal themselves on their own. We all need help sometimes. Asking for help is hard, but it’s also a part of what keeps connections between people strong.
Community keeps Shea accountable to his values, giving him a sense of purpose. He says:
“Christian identity is central to my sense of belonging and purpose, giving me a sense of inner and outer focus, that I am supposed to work for justice. Community holds me accountable and helps me hold on to hope. I feel like there is something I can do.”
His support network is small, but mighty. His parents, his partner, his church community, his therapist, and his close-knit groups of friends surround him in love. Still, in our conversation we talked about how difficult it can be to find friends, especially when you move to a new place. Shea hadn’t been in Massachusetts for long before he realized he needed to have friends close by. He found an open and affirming church in the United Church of Christ near him and went with his partner. Making friends at church took a little time, and he still wanted another social activity that wasn’t related to church. That’s how he got involved with the campaign in which we served together. He started as a volunteer and ended the campaign as the Deputy Faith Director.
The Bible remains a source of inspiration and motivation for Shea. When I asked him what he wants people just starting their transitions to know about reconciling their gender identities with their Christianity, he replied, “You are already in the story. You don’t have to be written in.” Most of the problems he has had in churches have stemmed from people’s assumptions around what is natural about gender and sexuality. (Much of the Church operates within a cisgender and heteronormative paradigm that is considered “natural.” For those of us living an experience outside of this paradigm, this assumed normativity is stifling.) Shea has internalized some of the shame and guilt that comes from having grown up with the idea that only cis genders are natural, but he is learning to live in the truth that his transgender experience makes him someone with unique gifts and perspectives to offer the church and the world.
Next Steps
You can read other stories of belonging and find affirming resources by downloading our free Trans & Gender-Expansive Identities Guide, featuring Taj Smith.
