Outrage Explodes After Pastor Announces He Is ‘Transgender’ Mid-Service

The senior minister at the United Methodist Church of North Chili, a small UMC denomination in Rochester, New York, shocked his congregation last week by announcing that he is “transgender” in the middle of a service.

Footage obtained by Christian new site Protestia shows Rev. Dr. Phil Phaneuf, 51, announcing during a November 23 service that he was transgender and had already begun taking hormone replacement therapy. “I’m not becoming a woman. I’m giving up pretending to be a man,” he declared.

The bulk of the so-called pastor’s monologue focused on affirming his own feelings. “Are my parents okay with this? Absolutely not. They texted me this morning and they asked for me to tell you all that they do not support me and that they have chosen their convictions and their beliefs over supporting their child,” he said.

“So rarely, rarely do I…  I did not get into ministry to talk about myself or my personal life, but sometimes there are things that happen in a pastor’s personal life that is going to find its way out into ministry,” Phaneuf went on. “And so I am inviting you to join me in a season of creative transformation for myself. And I think for all of us, imagine. So I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning. I’m affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender.”

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