A San Francisco pastor has grow to be the primary overtly transgender bishop within the U.S.
San Francisco pastor Megan Rohrer was the first openly transgender person to be appointed bishop of a major Christian denomination in the United States last weekend.
Rohrer was elected bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the American Sierra Pacific Synod based in Sacramento on Saturday. Rohrer’s installation is scheduled for September 11th at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Walnut Creek, according to an ELCA press release.
The past few days since the election have been a joyous “whirlwind of the Holy Spirit,” said Rohrer, who is currently pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Parkside neighborhood of San Francisco. Rohrer, who uses the pronouns “she” and “she,” is also the ward chaplain coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department.
“In order for me to be able to take on this role as bishop, many people had to take hurdles from my journey of faith,” said Rohrer about the challenges that they faced as transgender in the religious community.
“So my hope is to be the kind of leader who will help remove all the hurdles that lie ahead of others, and especially uplift pastors of color [and] Communities that care for vulnerable people, ”they said.
We are all proud of our colleague, the elected Bishop Megan Rohrer, who made history as the first openly transgender person to be elevated to the role of bishop by a major Christian denomination in the USA. Congratulations, Rev. @mmrohrer! Keep doing great things! https://t.co/tDSuRyrQPc
– San Francisco Police Department (@SFPD) May 11, 2021
Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, ELCA presiding bishop, described Rohrer’s election as “historic”.
“When we say everyone is welcome, we mean everyone is welcome and we believe that God creates humanity in diversity. The Spirit gives gifts to each of us for building up the body of Christ. The Sierra Pacific Synod recognized the gifts of Rev. Dr. Megan Rohrer and elected her bishop, “Eaton said in a statement on Tuesday.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, assistant executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, said Rohrer’s election was “groundbreaking” and inspiring for transgender co-religionists who are often rejected by their communities.
“Rev. Rohrer’s election shows that progress is possible. It affirms that the more Americans get to know their transgender neighbors on a day-to-day basis, the more they learn that we share many of the same dreams and values, “he said in a statement.
Rohrer was the first transgender person to be ordained in the ELCA in 2006 as part of the Extraordinary Candidacy Project – now known as Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries – when the denomination did not allow LGBTQ pastors to serve openly. Her ordination was accepted in 2010 after the ELCA guidelines changed.
The denomination today has almost 3.3 million members. The Rohrer Synod encompasses nearly 200 congregations in central and northern California and northern Nevada.
Rohrer was born in Sioux Falls, SD and went to Berkeley in 2002 to attend Pacific Lutheran theological seminary and the Pacific School of Religion. Rohrer credits Augustana University, an ELCA college, for welcoming them before ELCA policies changed, “so I can even go to seminary,” Rohrer said.
Rohrer was a San Francisco community attorney who worked with the city’s homeless LGBT youth and raised awareness of violence against colored transgender women. Rohrer said they were one of many pastors arrested in protest against Proposition 8, a California election initiative to ban same-sex marriage, which was approved in 2008 but later overturned in court.
“You have always been an inspiration and comrade in the movement to end homelessness, and I am thrilled to have your new leadership as bishop,” said Sam Dodge, former assistant director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Twitter.
Rohrer said they felt “amazingly supported” by the diverse faith community in San Francisco, including the Jewish and Muslim communities.
As a bishop, Rohrer hopes to make the churches more diverse and “more accessible to neighbors than ever before” as the pandemic subsides.
“I hope that anyone who is confused about whether or not a trans person can be a bishop will use that confusion to notice all the other wonderful things God is up to and then pray with us,” said Rohrer. “Because we would like to have you.”
Rohrer takes up his new position as bishop on July 1st.
Jessica Flores is a contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
