{"id":30089,"date":"2025-12-05T09:09:56","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=30089"},"modified":"2025-12-05T09:14:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T14:14:31","slug":"pastor-announces-gender-transition-during-sunday-service-says-im-giving-up-pretending-to-be-a-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/12\/pastor-announces-gender-transition-during-sunday-service-says-im-giving-up-pretending-to-be-a-man","title":{"rendered":"Pastor Announces Gender Transition During Sunday Service, Says ‘I’m Giving Up Pretending to Be a Man’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Phil Phaneuf \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Methodist pastor in Rochester, New York, surprised churchgoers during a recent Sunday service by announcing plans to transition from male to female. Rev. Phillip Phaneuf of North Chili United Methodist Church made a personal announcement from the pulpit on Nov. 23, while wearing a rainbow stole, sharing that the decision had come after years of internal struggle and prayer.<\/p>\n

“So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning,” Phaneuf said to the congregation. “I’m affirming to all of you that I am transgender. The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”<\/p>\n

The 51-year-old pastor also told the congregation that they now identify as asexual, meaning they experience little or no sexual attraction to others. “I’m in the category of what they call asexual,” Phaneuf explained. “I’ve been that way since we’ve all been together, in that I am not living my life in a way that involves looking for romance.”<\/p>\n

Phaneuf said the name will be changed to Phillippa and that hormone replacement therapy began about three months ago. As the process continues, the pastor said physical changes to appearance, voice, and hair are expected.<\/p>\n

In an interview with Fox News Digital<\/em>, Phaneuf said the response from the congregation has been overwhelmingly positive. “Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!” Phaneuf said. The pastor added that the bishop, the church, and its theology all support the transition and that the decision was shared with the bishop before the announcement was made publicly. “What will stay the same is my deepening love for all of you,” Phaneuf told the church, assuring that pastoral duties will continue uninterrupted.<\/p>\n

However, not everyone has embraced the change. Phaneuf shared that the pastor’s parents do not support the transition. “They asked me to tell you all that they do not support me,” Phaneuf said during the service. “They asked me to tell you this.”<\/p>\n

The announcement comes as the United Methodist Church continues to navigate divisions over LGBTQ+ inclusion. Last year, the denomination reversed earlier policies that condemned same-sex relationships and LGBTQ+ identities, stating that human sexuality is “a sacred gift.” The church’s official website affirms that this belief “applies to all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.” It also commits the church “to befriending and caring for all persons, including LGBTQ persons in our churches and communities.”<\/p>\n

Phaneuf’s announcement reflects a growing shift in some mainline denominations toward affirming LGBTQ+ identities within ministry, even as it remains a source of deep debate among many Christians. For those in Phaneuf’s congregation, the focus now, according to the pastor, remains on love, service, and faith.<\/p>\n

“What will stay the same,” Phaneuf reminded parishioners, “is my deepening love for all of you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Methodist pastor in Rochester, New York, surprised churchgoers during a recent Sunday service by announcing plans to transition from male to female. Rev. Phillip Phaneuf of North Chili United Methodist Church made a personal announcement from the pulpit on Nov. 23, while wearing a rainbow stole, sharing that the decision had come after years…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":30092,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-30089","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPastor Announces Gender Transition During Sunday Service, Says 'I'm Giving Up Pretending to Be a Man'<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New York pastor Phillip Phaneuf announces gender transition during Sunday service, saying, "I'm giving up pretending to be a man."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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