Many times, I felt like I had to defend myself from the existential rage of my accusers, more than from any real theological argument.

The Rev Erin Swenson
“Body and Soul United”
OtherWise Christian 2: Stories of Resistance

Erin’s article in OtherWise Christian 2 first appeared in The Other Side magazine in 2001. Erin’s gender transition was big news (in a season long before “going viral” was even an option) and her article provided one of the earliest glimpses of what such a transition might mean within Christian communities.

Erin’s chapter, “Body and Soul United,” will appear in OtherWise Christian 2: Stories of Resistance (March 2020) from OtherWise Engaged Publishing

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The Reverend Erin K. Swenson, Th.M., Ph.D., was ordained as Eric Karl Swenson in 1973 by the Presbytery of Atlanta, which was then a part of the southern Presbyterian Church in the U.S. Twenty-three years later in 1996, after completing a gender transition, that ordination was upheld by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, PCUSA, making Erin the first known mainline clergyperson to transition from male to female while remaining in ordained office.

Join us in celebrating the #SacredOtherWise! Claim your own story during March 2020! Possible hashtags include:

#TransAndSacred
#IntersexAndSacred
#NonBinaryAndSacred
#TwoSpiritAndSacred
or your own version of #SacredOtherWise

These are also great hashtags to add when you are talking about #TransgenderDayOfVisibility / #TDOV!! March 31, 2020 is our official launch day!

We are also using #ClaimYourStory and #ClaimingOurStories to encourage celebration of our stories of faith and resistance.

#ClaimingOurStories
#ClaimYourStory
#YouAreLoved
#YouAreNotAMistake
#SacredOtherWise