Church leaders say new program offering everything from classes to naming ceremonies will be 1st of its kind in city’s northern suburbs
The Rev. Colleen Darraugh
CARROLLTON — With a free pancake supper, Metropolitan Community Church of Dallas kicked off its new Gender Journey project, whose goal is to make the church radically inclusive of the transgender and gender-nonconforming community.
To the Rev. Colleen Darraugh, the church’s senior pastor, radical inclusion means having an ongoing program, providing a safe space, networking and catching people wherever they are in their journey to discovering what gender means to them.
“We’re looking at providing a safe environment to explore what it means to have gender, gender identity and gender expression, to be two-spirit or questioning,” Darraugh said.
Two-spirit comes from the American Indian tradition of acceptance of people who express mixed gender roles.
Between each month of Transgender 101 and Transgender 201 classes will be “connection” months.
The weekly 101 classes will explore coming out, family and medical issues. The 201 sessions will dig deeper into issues such as self-acceptance and transition. Connection months will include speakers, films, dinners, discussions and spiritual rituals.
Oliver Blumer, regional director for Transgender Education Network of Texas and a member of Councilwoman Delia Jasso’s LGBT Task Force, is among those behind Gender Journey.
“This is the first faith-based group that put together a task force, asked congregants and put together an intentional, structural program,” he said.
Darraugh said the church will provide spiritual support and create ceremonies to mark certain occasions. All faiths celebrate the naming of a new child. Drawing from a variety of traditions, she said, MCC of Greater Dallas is creating a naming ceremony to mark the beginning of people living as their authentic selves.
But she said it’s OK for parents to mourn loss as they let go of the image of who they thought their child was before celebrating the rebirth.
Darraugh has lots of ideas, but those attending will guide where the group goes.
“We want to catch people where they are,” she said.
If enough spouses of transgender people attend, they may form their own breakout group to deal with their own issues of how to be supportive and what the transgender status of their spouses means to them, Darraugh gave as an example.
And they hope to have some weekend events so transgender members can bring their children to a safe space.
She said everyone is welcome to participate in the weekly event with no expectation they’d join the church.
Blumer called Gender Journey “beyond open and affirming” and said the program is for allies as well.
“With MCC having larger numbers of GLBs, Gender Journey is helping them understand us,” he said.
Blumer said this is the first transgender program in the northern suburbs and there’s great need for it there.
He’s optimistic for its success because of the lead Darraugh is taking. He said MCCGD made the commitment to sustain the program and delayed its launch until everyone was satisfied they were doing it right.
Angel Collie, who serves as leader of MCC’s transgender ministries, called the work at MCCGD exceptional.
“I feel at home when worshipping there,” he said.
Oliver Blumer
He said a program like Gender Journey institutionalizes inclusion, education and outreach to welcome the community into the full and vibrant life of the church.
He called rites of passage ceremonies empowering.
“Those are deeply meaningful for a person as they are recognized within their faith community,” he said.
Collie said some congregations that welcome their transgender and gender non-conforming members still see this as a fringe issue. An effort is being made throughout the MCC denomination to incorporate the trans community fully into congregational life.
He said the most successful congregations do everything from using inclusive language to providing single-stall, gender non-specific restrooms. Trans and gender-nonconforming members are found in all ministries and are part of the church leadership.
An important feature of Gender Journey is the inclusion of friends, families and allies, he said.
Collie believes the denomination as a whole is doing a good job of welcoming and including the transgender and gender non-conforming community. But he said MCCGD is becoming a model congregation.
Gender Journey meets Tuesdays at MCCGD, 1840 Hutton Dr., #100, Carrollton, at 7 p.m.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition February 15, 2013.