We are all made in the image of God. What that means is that in every person we meet, we learn how different love can look, from person to person and situation to situation. From every human being, we learn something different about what is sacred and what is holy.
Rev. Erica Saunders
The Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists held the inaugural Welcoming the Transgender Community webinar on Wednesday, May 4th, 2022. Facilitated by AWAB board member Rev. Dr. Donnie Anderson, this panel discussion began the conversation between the transgender community and faith communities. Those who attended were introduced to two transgender clergy: the Rev. Erica Saunders, who was one of the first openly trans women ordained to ministry in Baptist life; and the Rev. Dante A. Tavolaro, who was the first trans person to be ordained in the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island. Rev. Saunders, Rev. Tavolaro, and Rev. Anderson shared their experiences with being transgender, offered advice to individuals and congregations who are beginning to interact with the transgender community, and answered audience questions around the transgender experience.
When asked to share one thing for all to know regarding the transgender experience, Rev. Tavolaro shared that “Particularly for folks who are just beginning this conversation… just upfront, accept and know and come to terms with the fact that you’re going to fail.” He added that “having that posture of knowing that upfront can help to be prepared to be corrected, and to help keep a posture of openness to continue to learn and to not get defensive… because [gender expression] is always changing.”
Rev. Saunders paraphrased the poem “For The White Person Who Wants To Know How To Be My Friend” by Pat Parker for her one thing, noting that “the first thing you do is forget that I’m trans; second, you must never forget that I’m trans.” She added that “while trans folks have a lot of special needs… at the end of the day, we’re just human beings, and being trans is just one thing about us.”
In closing, Rev. Saunders reminded attendees that “we are all made in the image of God. What that means is that in every person we meet, we learn how different love can look, from person to person and situation to situation. From every human being, we learn something different about what is sacred and what is holy.”
A recording of the webinar is below and can be found on the AWAB YouTube channel. Note that this is only the first in a series of webinars on Welcoming the Transgender Community – to be informed of future events, please subscribe to our mailing list.