400+ Episcopalians join church webinar to learn how to protect transgender, nonbinary people in uncertain times

[Episcopal News Service] One week ahead of Inauguration Day, over 400 Episcopalians gathered live via Zoom to learn about the current U.S. legislative environment and what they can do to protect and support transgender and nonbinary people over the next four years.

TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people, joined The Episcopal Church’s Department of Gender Justice and Department of Racial Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care in hosting the Jan. 13 webinar titled “Defending the Dignity of Trans and Non-Binary People in 2025 and Beyond.” Nearly 700 people registered for the Zoom event, which will later be available on demand. 

Aaron Scott, the church’s gender justice officer and a trans man, facilitated the webinar’s discussion. He stressed the need for Episcopalians to collectively advocate for transgender and nonbinary rights, not individually.

As a church, “we need to be more tightly in step with one another, maybe more than we have ever been before,” Scott said during the webinar. “When it comes to supporting one another and sharing information about how we are finding our way, we do not really need lone rangers right now, and we cannot afford to operate in isolation.”

In the lead-up to Election Day, now President-elect Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, amped up their opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, especially transgender and nonbinary rights, using demeaning language at rallies, in interviews, on social media and in campaign videos.

Anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment didn’t begin with the U.S. election season, however; it has grown steadily in recent years. Out of 665 bills introduced nationwide in 2024 by federal, state and local legislators targeting LGBTQ+ rights, 50 passed, making it the fifth consecutive record-breaking year for the total number of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bills. So far in 2025, 160 bills in 27 states are active. Hate crimes targeting marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people, have also increased.

“This is a moment in which the basic dignity of trans, nonbinary and two spirit people is being widely disrespected, undermined and demeaned for political gain,” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California and a trans man, said during the webinar. “Such action is happening at local levels, in the form of school board actions to ban particular books or flags, or to prevent trans people in general – and trans girls in particular – from accessing sports or other gender-specific activities and spaces.”

Alan Yarborough, associate director of The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, provided an overview of the office and the Episcopal Public Policy Network and how they operate. During his presentation, Yarborough explained how the Office of Government Relations, through authorization by acts of General Convention and Executive Council, cautiously monitors and addresses areas of concern regarding transgender and nonbinary legislation at the federal level.

“We will try to communicate clear information [on our website] as much as we can about the potential impacts, and we’ll try to work discreetly,” Yarborough said. “This is where strategy comes in; sometimes more visibility can actually be harmful. But we will try to work discreetly where we can, and some of those policy changes to resist any that might be harmful.”

Yarborough mentioned that the Office of Government Relations invites Episcopalians to join its weekly network calls every Thursday from 1-1:30 p.m. Eastern via Zoom to hear staff members discuss current developments in Washington, D.C., and to ask questions.

The Rev. Sarah Shipman, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, gave an overview of EMM’s Rainbow Initiative, a project dedicated to working with Episcopal churches to bring awareness and aid to LGBTQ+ forced migrants and asylum-seekers. EMM launched the Rainbow Initiative in response to a 2022 General Convention resolution in support of LGBTQ+ forced migrants and asylum-seekers, who face persecution, discrimination and violence not only in their home countries but also often in the countries where they seek asylum and resettlement. Today, EMM has signed covenant agreements with 29 “Rainbow Initiative Congregations/Communities” including churches, ministries and organizations of various denominations in the United States and Europe.

EMM’s commitment to sustaining the Rainbow Initiative is part of a larger churchwide undertaking to support and protect migrants as Trump has vowed to deport millions of immigrants while embracing false and dehumanizing stereotypes about immigrant communities.

“We are called to be the instruments of love and agents of mercy. The recent discussions to halt refugee resettlement, revoke [Temporary] Protective Status and close our borders weigh heavily on our hearts. These decisions turn away those who are in desperate need of safety and refuge – those fleeing violence, persecution and unimaginable hardship,” Shipman said. “Our faith teaches us to welcome all of those in need, to extend a hand and to honor the divine image in every person seeking shelter. This is not just a calling, it’s a sacred trust, and migrants are not statistics. They are neighbors, friends and members of our human family.”

The Rev. Shaneequa Brokenleg, the presiding bishop’s staff officer for racial reconciliation, addressed the need to prepare young adults for future leadership positions in advocating for transgender and nonbinary rights as anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, discrimination and oppression continues. For example, she said, when the U.S. government forbade Indigenous tribes from practicing their religions and ceremonies between 1883 to 1978, they would secretly hold ceremonies to ensure their traditions would pass down generations. 

“We may have to enlist new ways and new ideas to survive passing on our sacred knowledge – our sacred roles are paramount – and it is imperative that we lift up and empower our young people into roles of leadership,” said Brokenleg, who is a Lakota ‘winkte,’ or ‘two spirit.’ “In Lakota, our word for child is ‘wakanyeja,’ which literally means ‘sacred one.’ Know that they have wisdom to share.”

Native American cultures generally have had a broader understanding of gender identity than European cultures. As an example, the Lakota language does not use gendered pronouns, and two-spirit people are seen as reconcilers and healers.

From a pastoral perspective, the Rev. Carla Robinson, the Diocese of Olympia’s canon for multicultural ministries and community and a trans woman, said The Episcopal Church must be a “fighting church” when advocating for transgender and nonbinary rights. The term may sound counterintuitive to Christ’s message, she said, but “it takes me back to my spiritual roots in the Black church” in the 1960s and 1970s.

“In those days, it was not unusual for someone to ask you in church, ‘How goes the struggle?’ It was asked in church because church was actively engaged in the fight for civil rights and justice,” Robinson said. As Episcopalians, “We’ve been called to something much different than ‘Nice.’ [A fighting church] acknowledges that there is a real struggle. …It acknowledges the reality of who is being hurt – how they are being hurt – and it calls upon the church to not be shy about facing those realities. …A fighting church acts and speaks from its place as followers of Jesus.”

Scott shared a “five-prong approach,” or five key areas of ministry, to actively engage in for transgender and nonbinary advocacy:

• Legal and policy front. This includes connecting and tracking policies, legal cases and initiatives unfolding at state and local levels, followed by participating in advocacy work, such as speaking at school board meetings.
• Sanctuary work. This includes congregations acting beyond making blanket statements of support.
• Theology and the ‘battle for the Bible.’ “Are we going to stand idly by while our Savior and the word of God are hijacked by the weakest possible theological arguments and a handful of flimsy proof texts, only for the sake of furthering violence against the marginalized?”
• Chaplaincy. This includes responding pastorally to transgender and nonbinary people and their loved ones who are impacted by targeted legislation, harassment, threats and violence.
• Counter recruitment. Anti-trans organizations and individuals don’t lead their outreach with anti-trans rhetoric and violence. Instead, Scott said, their outreach helps everyday people, such as running large feeding programs. “How can we reach more people in ways that are relevant to their daily struggles for survival? This is the good work we are called to do. It is also evangelism, and it is a way of inoculating folks against the worst distortions of our faith.”

Many webinar participants used Zoom’s chat function to ask questions, share their stories and express concerns. Some spoke their questions during the Q&A session. Several people, for example, inquired about Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE coverage of gender-affirming health care. Others shared fears for themselves and for their loved ones’ safety.

“As a disabled, non-binary person married to a trans man, I’m so worried about our future, even though things seem safer for us since we’re in New York,” one person wrote. “Thank goodness we both have the support of our church family…!”

“Our children need to see this response,” a teacher wrote.

Scott shared that reading Ephesians 6 10-13 has been “a personal spiritual anchor point” for him since Election Day. The passage from the 10th book in the New Testament encourages Christians to don the “full armor of God” and stand firm against the devil’s evil schemes.

“We need each other, and we need to be organized … to stand effectively in our values of truth and inclusion – to stand strong and unwavering in our commitment to supporting and caring for the vulnerable,” Scott said.

The Episcopal Church’s gender justice department will next host a two-part webinar series on reproductive justice and reproductive health care access. Dates haven’t been finalized yet.

EMM’s website includes resources on how individuals and congregations can support LGBTQ+ migrants. Episcopalians interested in engaging in advocacy work for LGBTQ+ migrants also can learn more by visiting the Episcopal Public Policy Network’s website.

–Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.