Trans Still Speaking in the United Church of Christ (UCC)
Trans/gender-variant persons have always been present, participatory, and—indeed—Speaking and contributing to the life of faith in the United Church of Christ. Trans Still Speaking seeks an awakening of the spirit of solidarity, coalition-building, and covenant relations among trans UCC persons begun by the UCC GenderFold Action Alliance.
In the years since GenderFold retired, so much has changed — marriage equality is now the law of the land, transgender concerns have gained mainstream attention through celebrity personalities, and the right wing has begun using transgender people (including children) as a primary target in culture wars using "religious freedom" language as a weapon.
Our current goal, with structural and strategic support from Transfaith, is to instigate conversations about building a sustainable, trans-affirming and trans-competent covenant community, one with another, and with our larger UCC family.
For more information about these efforts, sign up for email updates or contact ucc@transfaithonline.org. Print a flyer or order postcards and help us spread the word!
Our Founding Steering Committee
The Rev Liam Hooper is Minister of Welcome and Beyond at Parkway United Church of Christ, Winston-Salem, NC; transgender organizer for Reconciling Ministries Network; and a graduate of Wake Forest School of Divinity.
The Rev. Louis Mitchell is a founding member of the UCC GenderFold Action Alliance, staff at South Congregational Church, Springfield, MA; a seminarian at Andover Newton Theological School; former East Coast Regional Minister of TransSaints, and co-founder of Transfaith.
Mx Chris Paige is co-convener of what became the UCC Genderfold Action Alliance, a member of Living Water United Church of Christ, Philadelphia, PA; a founding member of TransSaints, and co-founder of Transfaith.
Trans Still Speaking is a project of Transfaith. Transfaith is providing fiscal sponsorship, communications infrastructure, and technical support during the founding of this group. The long-term structure for the group is yet to be determined.