A TRANS PERSPECTIVE ON GENERAL CONVENTION
Vicki Gray
CONCERNING EXPECTATIONS
Last year, before I journeyed to Canterbury for the Lambeth
Conference, I wrote of my low expectations for that every-ten-year
gathering of the Anglican Communion’s bishops. Upon my return, I
reported in sadness how it had lived down to my expectations.
In truth my expectations for the every-three-year General Convention
of the Episcopal Church – our 76th – were not much higher.
Indeed, given the tension and, among some, anger surrounding BO33, a
2006 resolution promising “restraint” on same-sex unions and the
consecration of gay bishops, and the threats since by the Archbishop of
Canterbury concerning our membership in the Anglican Communion, I was
not the only one who feared an explosion of one sort or another this
July in Anaheim.
That explosion never occurred. Instead, both the House of Deputies
and House of Bishops passed by overwhelming majorities of two-to-one a
positive, forward-looking resolution – DO25 – that allowed BO33 to fade
into the mists of a fearful past, boldly stated the inclusive truth of
the current consensus within the church, and charted a course for moving
forward in continuing fealty to the Anglican Communion.
Against that background, the goals and expectations of the
transgender community, of which I am a member, paled in comparison. As
we gathered two blocks from Disneyland, we were probably were not even
on the horizon of most deputies and bishops. The hope of our nascent
transgender organization – TransEpiscopal (www.blog.transepiscopal.com/
) – was simple and modest. Of the four trans-specific resolutions
originally submitted, our hope was that one would make it
to the floor of the House of Deputies where discussion of it would lead
to recognition of our existence and begin an education process around
the issues that confront us on a daily basis.
Our little team of eight, embedded in the larger and very supportive
Integrity team (www.integrityusa.org/),
succeeded, however, beyond our wildest dreams.
What follows is my attempt to chronicle what happened and to describe
my feelings as events unfolded and, now, in their warm afterglow.
PUTTING TOGETHER A
TEAM AND A PROGRAM
This adventure started for us in the chill of February.
Communicating through the spring by e-mail and conference calls, we
tracked the several resolutions being submitted by dioceses and obtained
the support of non-trans allies such as Sarah Lawton and Byron Rushing,
coordinated our efforts with key LGBT advocacy groups such as Integrity
and the Consultation (www.theconsultation.org/),
produced a brochure to hand out at convention and elsewhere, raised
money, divided up tasks at convention, and steeled ourselves for the
unknown.
And there was a lot that was unknown, for this would be the first
time that there would be a visible, vocal transgender presence at a
general convention. Would anyone notice? Would anyone care? Would
there be a hostile backlash?
There were eight of us and we were, despite our common cause,
amazingly diverse. We were five transwomen, two transmen, and a gay
male ally; three priests, one deacon, and four lay people; and one of
our number, Dee Tavalaro, a 19-year-old layman, would be the first trans
deputy in the House of Deputies. We hailed, moreover, from every corner
of the country – Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maryland,
Michigan, Wisconsin, and, yes, California – and spanned the age spectrum
from nineteen to seventy.
We also brought to the task a variety of skills that included
expertise with computers and audio/visual equipment, writing, editing
(the New York Times no less), and labor organizing. Leadership
flowed rather naturally to The Rev. Cameron Partridge, a Massachusetts
priest, ably assisted by Donna Cartwright, the editor/organizer from
Baltimore and The Rev. Michelle Hansen, a retired priest from
Connecticut. All three had been at earlier conventions and educated the
rest of us on the ins and outs of the sometimes arcane legislative
process. Cam and I had also shared the experience of Lambeth last year
and, with Michelle, the Pacific School of Religion’s Transgender
Religious Summit in Berkeley the year before.
And so we left our homes and families, telling our friends: “I’m
going to Disneyland!”
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
Our arrivals were only slightly staggered with all of us on the
ground for the start of the convention. The only one to drive, I
arrived about 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7, joining up with the others
between an ongoing meeting of the National and International Affairs
Committee (which had two of our resolutions) and a regular 10:00 p.m.
meeting of the Integrity team. The latter, a Lambeth reunion of sorts,
was followed by the first of a dozen or so meetings of our
TransEpiscopal team.
At that first meeting, we divided assignments for testimony before
the two committees that would be hearing our resolutions. The World
Missions Committee would, we learned, consider our resolutions on Canon
revisions opening up access to the ordination process to the
transgendered (i.e., prohibiting exclusion of the basis of gender
identity or expression)…and it would do so at 7:30 the next morning.
Getting back to my Travelodge room around midnight, I scribbled some
notes on a yellow legal pad and, falling into a bed that would become
familiar, enjoyed the sleep of exhaustion.
Four of us testified the next morning – Wednesday. It was the first
act in a whirlwind of sixteen-hour days that soon became a blur – 7:00
a.m. committee meeting, bagel, 9:30 House of Deputies and House of
Bishops meetings, Eucharist, a hot dog in the exhibit hall food court,
2:00 p.m. meetings of the two houses, 7:00 p.m. committee meeting, a
veggie Panini at the Courtyard, 10:00 p.m. Integrity team meeting, 11:00
p.m. TransEpiscopal meeting to lay out plans for the next day. For
Cameron, who also had responsibilities with Integrity and the
Consultation, whilst all the while blogging non-stop, the schedule was
even more intense.
In the “breaks,” there were opportunities to lobby potential allies,
to meet folks at the Integrity booth, to make new friends, and to just
soak in the Spirit that permeated the place, the people, the
proceedings. Whatever exhaustion had crept in evaporated in the growing
exhilaration. Running into House of Deputies President Bonnie Anderson
between meetings, I could honestly answer “Yes!” – to which I added a
hug and a “Thank you” - when she asked “Are you having fun?”
And it soon became apparent that our decision to be in place for the
start of convention was a wise one, for it was a very much front-loaded
affair with regard to the resolutions we had put forward. Already the
second morning, for example, we found ourselves testifying before the
National and International Affairs Committee which had on its plate our
resolutions on hate crimes and employment non-discrimination. The next
mornings and evenings were devoted to following the discussion of the
resolutions by the two committees.
Chaired by Bishop John Chane of Washington and including around the
table familiar faces like Integrity’s Louie Crew and California’s Sarah
Lawton and Bishop Marc Andrus, the National and International Affairs
Committee seemed the more simpatico of the two groups. It was an
impression reinforced by the nods and smiles that greeted our
testimony. Despite a mild hiccup concerning the addition of
“disability” to the list of protected classes in the resolutions under
consideration and the perception of some that that might imply that LGBT
people suffered from some disability, both resolutions passed with
overwhelming majorities.
It was also clear that the World Missions Committee was an unlikely
one to be asked to consider BO33 and our transgender resolutions. The
rationale for the assignments seemed to be that BO33 related to
relations with the Anglican Communion and that transgender issues
related to BO33. That said, some members of the committee found their
task awkward and unfamiliar and an early attempt was made to fob off our
resolutions to the Commission on Canons…a move that would have been very
understandable. The Chair, Kay Jennings, pointed out, however, that to
do so would mean bumping our trans issues to the end of the line of a
long list of issues facing Canons and losing them in the rush of last
minute business as they were in 2006. “We have been dealt these
issues,” she insisted, “and it is up to us to deal with them.”
And deal with them they did…in a movingly thoughtful and spiritual
manner. There was, to be sure, considerable misunderstanding about what
it means to be transgendered and the difference between gender identity
and sexual orientation. One bishop, for example, objected that there
was no need for our resolution CO61, since “Sexual orientation is
already in the canon.” In response, Ian Douglas gave one of the
clearest explanations of the differences between identity and
orientation, stressing the relational aspect of the latter. (Thanking
him two days later, I added that even I, a transgendered person, had
learned from what he said.)
Bottom line, the resolution passed 19-8 among the deputies, with the
four bishops voting “No,” and, indeed, was strengthened by adding
upfront words to the effect that all are welcome.
As our team drifted out into the hallway to take a celebratory breath
and plan next steps, we were joined by the committee’s Michael Barlowe,
tears behind his eyes, who spoke of how the Spirit had moved in the room
we had just left. He then relayed a request from the chair for a list
of authoritative definitions that could be handed out in the House of
Deputies and a brief statement she could make in presenting the
resolution to the House. We readily agreed to take on the task. In the
course of the next hours, our Donna Cartwright obtained from Lisa Motet
of the Washington office of the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force a
list of definitions on NLGTF letterhead and Cameron Partridge produced
the desired statement. With a helpful addition by Michael Barlowe, it
was used by Kay Jennings in introducing the resolution.
Entering the third day, we had already exceeded our pre-conference
goals – three resolutions would make it to the floor of the House of
Deputies and two more, introduced by Dee Tavolaro, were wending their
way through the committees. The latter concerned non-discrimination in
the hiring of lay employees and making ordination forms less gender
particular. Time to take a deep breath, savor the moment, and prepare
to track what we had wrought.
THE SPIRIT TAKES WING
Literally! Taking a seat for the first time in the visitors’ gallery
of the House of Deputies, I was amazed by the solitary pigeon (aka dove)
that hovered over the deputies, continuing to fly about the hall the
next several days. And, it became clear, the Spirit was stirring not
only above, but within the deputies.
First came the overwhelming 2-1 vote for DO25, the action on which
then moved to the House of Bishops. Meanwhile those of us in
TransEpiscopal awaited in tense anticipation for the introduction in the
House Deputies of our trans-specific resolutions, the first of which
would be DO12 on hate crimes legislation. We waited and waited…and
waited through the afternoon of Monday, July 13. Getting the impression
that it would not be brought up till the next morning and hearing that
the bishops were in the midst of the historic debate on DO25, Donna and
I made our way upstairs to the House of Bishops…arriving just in time to
hear the impassioned intervention of Rochester’s Bishop Singh who spoke
of how the church had been planted and prospered in India among the
untouchables, the outcasts. Soon thereafter the vote began. Of all the
votes, the one that rang clearest to my ears was the crisp, unwavering
“Aye!” of the Presiding Bishop.
The deed was done, the final vote being 99-33. It was as if a
festering boil had been lanced. One could feel the tension, the fear,
the pain leave the room, leave the church. The doors opened and the
people rushed out too, making their way – in silence – down the long,
steep escalator. Bishop Steven Charleston and I shared a silent,
smiling high five as he stepped onto its moving corrugated metal.
Making my own way down to the lobby, I made my way back to the House
of Deputies, there to learn that our resolution DO12 on hate crimes and
violence had made it to the floor and that Dee, Sarah
Lawton, and Michael Barlowe had spoken movingly on behalf of it, as had
several others. While the omens were good, the vote had been taken by
orders and the results, therefore, would not be made known till the next
morning.
Sarah, Michael, and other members of the California delegation were
in the midst of an impromptu celebration at the back of the hall. It
was a moveable feast that made is way through the lobbies of the
Convention Center and Hilton and up a freight elevator to Bishop Marc’s
seventh floor hospitality suite. From there I caught a glimpse in the
distance of Disneyland and its Matterhorn – as close as I would get – as
the celebrating gave way to planning the next day’s and, indeed, the
evening’s legislative work.
For my part, I had planned to leave first thing the next morning to
begin my journey home by way of a visit with my mother-in-law in Ojai.
I could not, however, leave without returning to the House of Deputies
the next morning to learn the vote. DO12 passed overwhelmingly! The
tears welled up. Getting up to leave, I was exchanging farewell hugs
with my transgender sisters and brothers, when Dee and World Missions
Chair Kay Jennings rushed from the floor to join us. Squeezing out a
feeble “Thank You,” I turned and walked through a now silent lobby and,
stopping only long enough to share my joy with three new deacons, traced
a well-worn path to the Travelodge…my car…and home
I was home a day on Friday when I got the telephoned news from Cam
that the bishops had passed DO12 following what Episcopal Life
called a “lively debate” – a debate that included supportive statements
by Cam’s Bishop Tom Shaw and my Bishop Marc Andrus.
At home I also learned that our resolutions on ENDA, on
non-discrimination in the hiring of transgedender lay employees, and on
making church forms more trans-friendly had also been approved with
flying colors. I learned, however, that there had been a long and
contentious debate about changing Canon III concerning ordinations (our
original CO61). The bishops could not bring themselves to add gender
identity or expression to the list of classes that could not be excluded
from the ordination process. Instead, by a very split vote, they
eliminated any mention of any specific group and bounced back to the
World Missions Committee and thence to the House of Deputies a
resolution that opened the ordination process to “all baptized
Christians.” With TranEpiscopal’s support, that was voted down in the
House of Deputies in the hope that three years hence, after further
education, we might succeed in getting “gender identity or expression”
added explicitly to the canon.
Despite this last minute disappointment, we succeeded in getting four
trans-important resolutions passed and the canon change is now on our
horizon and the bishops’ radar screens. Above all we incarnated an
otherwise abstract issue and educated a broad spectrum of the church
about the reality of our lives. I have little doubt that, by continuing
a visible presence in the councils of the church and ramping up our
education efforts, we will, three years hence in Indianapolis, complete
the job of fully including transgendered people in the life of the
church.
A SPECIAL EUCHARIST
This has been an important, inspiring start for TransEpiscopal and,
as we look forward to Indianapolis and beyond, it is worth noting a
little noticed Eucharist held in a small Integrity meeting room at the
Courtyard Marriott the evening of Saturday, July 10.
Seeking to mark the departure the next morning of one of our team
members Gari Green, we decided to hold a first Transgender Eucharist at
General Convention. We were encouraged by our Integrity allies,
especially Jim Toy, who recalled the first Integrity Eucharist in 1988
attended in just such a room by a handful of people.
And so we gathered – about twenty of us. Gari, assisted by Cam and
Michelle, presided, I served as deacon, and Donna read the first
lesson. In lieu of a sermon, everyone in the room reflected on the
experience of the previous few days and the importance of what had
already transpired to their own spiritual lives and to that of the
church. We then formed a circle and passed the bread and cup to each
other…one bread, one cup, one family.
Of all the splendid Eucharists that graced convention, including the
Integrity Eucharist that had grown to 1,500 people, this
was the one I will remember most. It is a memory I have carried home
and will carry with me the rest of my life. It is a special memory of a
time and place in which ours lives became more fully a part of the life
of the church and an earnest that that communion will
become fuller still.
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