Is the Anglican Church a Safe Space?

For the last two decades, the Anglican Communion has been in an unending circle of debates around the issue of homosexuality, a divisive topic religiously, socially, and politically. While I have not personally witnessed the divide, other than what I read in the papers and see on social media, I thought it a good idea to educate myself more on the Anglican Communion. I found book called "The Anglican Communion at a Crossroads" by Chris Brittain and Andrew McKinnon. After reading it, I have a whole new understanding as to why I am viewed with surprise when I tell people I am transgender and a priest. 

The Anglican Communion is a loosely organized worldwide family of national and regional churches that represent the Church of England. The Archbishop of Canterbury is considered to be the head of the Communion, which has an estimated 85 million members around the globe. 

Anglican churches identify as being either from the Global South or the Global North. These distinctions have more to do with wealth, health, quality of life, political autonomy, and influence than with geographical location[1]. The Global North, also known as the Western Church, pertains to North America, Europe, and Australasia while the Global South is associated with the churches in Africa. There are many disagreements between the South and the North, but homosexuality, apparently triggered by the consecration of Gene Robinson, an openly gay man, as the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, has become the presenting symbol of religious conflict and is feared to be the breaking of the global Anglican Communion[2]. The ordination of women also continues to be fiercely debated and yet does not seem to be threatening to split the church in the same way. The subject of homosexuality marks a very deep chasm[3] but with only seven biblical texts on homosexuality and thousands of verses on poverty, why is homosexuality a communion-breaking issue? 

Growing up, my relationship with the church was tumultuous, at best. As a youth, I learned two things that turned me away from the church: that the bible is a literal and that homosexuality is a sin. Being a lover of science and literature, I wrestled with the metaphors present in the bible and could not reconcile them as literal instruction. I assumed that I would be rejected for thinking the bible was story, not fact and I turned away from the church. Somehow, through all that, my relationship to God remained. I came out as lesbian in my early twenties and, having been told that homosexuality is a sin and that God hates sinners, I assumed that God turned away from me. 

After many years, in a story for another time, I found my way to an Anglican parish. Having been estranged from the church for so long, I was nervous to be back in a church building again. I was very hesitant in the beginning, unsure of my beliefs and my reasons for being there. I did not even take part in communion at first, but there were rituals of the service that pulled at my heart and my spirit. What I also discovered was a loving community. These were people who allowed me to question my beliefs without retort and accepted me for being gay. I learned that God loves all people, no matter what, and assumed that this was just the “Anglican way”. 

During the time with my new-found church family, I heard my call to the clergy. My experiences led me to believe that the Anglican Church was fully accepting of both women and gay clergy. I had no idea that there was dissent in the Anglican Communion on the topic of homosexuality in the pews, let alone at the pulpit. 

In my opinion, the LGBTQ* community has a fair amount of freedom in Canada, relative to other countries. Cultural influences have a big part to play in what can be coined as political homophobia, as well as a general feeling of resentment from the Global South against the rich Western churches.[4] The South makes up the majority of the world’s Anglican population, therefore they are able to push harder against the archbishop of Canterbury. However, the political and monetary power appears to come from the West. Based on what I have read, it may not be possible for there to be a global consensus on homosexuality. 

From my observances, however, there seems to be a large quantity of Anglican churches that are open and affirming. My experience is that the Anglican Church of Canada is quite diverse and has generally made room for those with differing interpretations of scripture and tradition. It is probably the main reason that I remain with the Anglican Church and want to be part of the fight towards full inclusion of the LGBTQ* community. In the middle of all the soul searching that comes with following the path of being ordained, I came to the realization that I am not a lesbian woman but a transgender man. I nervously told the various groups of people in my life, including my church community. My fears of losing them where negated when they almost immediately used my proper name and pronouns. The scariest moment was telling my Bishop as I thought for sure that he would kick me out of the ordination process. The pause in the conversation once I told him was deafening. However, my fears were unfounded as all he said was, “ok, now what?” It was further proof to me of how accepting the Anglican Church can be. 

Many steps have been made to erase the homophobia that exists in Christianity, especially within the Anglican Church. What I have seen happen across the country over the last few years has been very positive, but there is still much to be done. While those who are gay or lesbian are finding more places to feel safe within the religious context, transgender and non-binary persons are still being told they are abominations and against the nature of God, and many still believe they have to choose between living authentically or being Christian. Starting my ordination process as a lesbian woman and completing it as a transgender man provides me with interesting platform from which to become a symbol of hope for those contemplating the two poles of their life. And I am proud to be doing so within the Anglican Church of Canada.

Is the Anglican Church a safe space? In most places, yes. Hopefully it will be everywhere, one day.

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[1] Brittain, Christopher, and Andrew McKinnon. The Anglican Communion at a Crossroads. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2018. P. 67.
[2] Ibid. P. 22.
[3] Ibid. P. 37.
[4] Ibid. P. 85-86.