A New York pastor, Reverend Phil Phaneuf, left her congregation at the North Chili United Methodist Church (UMC) stunned after publicly announcing that she is transitioning into a woman and will now use she/her pronouns.
Reverend Phaneuf, 51, who was born male, shared the news during a recent Sunday service, declaring that she has been undergoing gender transition.
Wearing a rainbow stole, the veteran pastor made her declaration:
‘I get to announce with joy that I am transitioning. I am affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender,’ she declared this past Sunday.
She further clarified the nature of her transition:
‘The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.’
Reverend Phaneuf told the church members that her new name will be Phillippa Faye Phaneuf, though she will continue to go by “Reverend Phil.” She showed understanding regarding the change, stating:
‘I’m not going to be the pronoun police… I don’t think that anybody will misgender or mis-pronoun out of malice.’
The religious leader assured her church members that the only changes stemming from her transition would be physical ones, noting that she has been undergoing hormone replacement therapy for about three months.
