This page provides the latest public updates on the development of the UCC Transgender Caucus. Anyone interested in joining the UCC Transgender Caucus should inquire at ucc-inquiry (at) transfaithonline (dot) org. Scroll down for details on our progess.  Please check back for more updates.

*The title "UCC Transgender Caucus" is tentative pending further input and discernment.

• Founding Supporters
• Seeking Founding Supporters for the Caucus
• Fiscal Sponsorship Arranged
• UCC Transgender Caucus Begins Organizing
• Calling All UCC Trans Folks!
• Convener Bios

We are grateful to our founding sponsors for their generous support of the transgender community in the United Church of Christ.  Founding sponsors include:

• Health and Wholeness Advocacy Office of the United Church of Christ
• TransFaith Online
• Washington Park UCC (Denver, CO)
• Collenbrook United Church (Drexel Hill, PA)
• PA SE Conference Chapter of the UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns
• United Church (San Angelo, TX)
• Irvine United Congregational Church (Irvine, CA)
• Joanne Herman
• Warren United Methodist Church (Denver, CO)

(updated 4/13/2010)

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On May 7–9, 2010, the Transgender Caucus of the United Church of Christ (UCC) will hold a gathering in Cleveland, OH, for transgender people affiliated with the UCC. The meeting has been called to address various areas of inclusion in accordance with the General Synod Resolution of 2003 affirming transgender people in the life of the church.

To facilitate this gathering the UCC Transgender Caucus is raising funds to provide scholarships for transgender people who want to participate in the Cleveland meeting. Historically, the transgender community has not been adequately represented in the life of the church. Also transgender persons have not had a place at the national level to connect with other transgender persons around our issues and concerns.

On January 30, 2010 the caucus held a conference call with 44 people to discuss opportunities for further connection within the UCC and among ourselves. We are seeking to have twenty people at the Cleveland gathering at a cost of $570.00 for travel, lodging and food per person.

To be considered a founding supporter/member of the caucus you are encouraged to donate funds by March 15th, 2010. All checks should be made payable to Wider Church Ministries (with UCC Transgender Caucus on the memo line).

Please send your donations to Barbara Satin in care of Institute of Welcoming Resources, 122 Franklin Avenue West, Suite 210, Minneapolis, MN 55404. Please contact Barbara Satin at 612-670-1978 or barbsatin@aol.com if you have any questions regarding the Transgender Caucus.

Thank you for your time and support!.

Malcolm Himschoot
Chris Paige
Barbara Satin
Monica Cross

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Working with the Rev. Michael Schuenemeyer, Executive for Health and Wholeness Advocacy, the UCC Transgender Caucus has arranged for fiscal sponsorship through the United Church of Christ.  Donations for the UCC Transgender Caucus will be accepted by the UCC as designated funds. These funds will be set aside for the express purpose of support to the UCC Transgender Caucus and administered through the offices of the UCC.  Barbara Satin is serving as treasurer or the Trans Caucus and liaison to the UCC during this initial organizing period.

All checks should be made payable to Wider Church Ministries (with UCC Transgender Caucus on the memo line).

Please send your donations to:

Please contact Barbara Satin at 612-670-1978 or barbsatin (at) aol (dot) com, if you have any questions regarding the Transgender Caucus.

Note: Infrastructure issues, including but not limited to fiscal sponsorship, Caucus officers, and accountability structures, will be assessed during the Cleveland Gathering.  More permanent arrangements will be made once that consultation has occured.

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Some 44 UCC-affiliated people, mostly persons of transgender experience, gathered by conference call on January 30, 2010, to discuss pending changes in the Coalition's ONA policy and to discuss the development of a UCC Transgender Caucus.

This effort has its roots in the 2003 General Synod resolution on the inclusion of transgender people, which calls for input from "a representative group of transgender people." The goal is for the group to be developed strategically in order to be able to best represent and further the goals of a broad cross-section of the transgender community.  

Plans were also announced to gather May 7-9, 2010, in Cleveland, OH, at the UCC church house to determine details of mission and structure for this new caucus. Nominations are still being accepted for the Cleveland Delegation and 20 potential participants have already been identified. Additional nominations can be made by writing to ucc-nominate@transfaithonline.org or calling Malcolm Himschoot at 303-287-4718 by March 1, 2010.

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Dear Transgender Friends and Allies,

On Saturday, January 30, 2010, 3 p.m. Eastern, we will be gathering transgender* people affiliated with the United Church of Christ for a phone call to discuss opportunities for further connection within the UCC and among ourselves. More information about the conveners of the call can be found in the attached file.

There is a history of this. In 2001, a dozen UCC trans folks came together in person, invited by Bill Johnson, and two outcomes for the denomination were a 2003 General Synod resolution affirming transgender people in the life of the church, and a 2005 documentary film Call Me Malcolm for educational purposes. As recently as 2009, social-networking websites have been started for trans people both within and between faith traditions (see http://community.ucc.org/Groups/UCC_Transgender_Collective and http://network.transfaithonline.org/). It is time to take our next steps!

The agenda of the January 30, 2010, conference call will include:

• discussion of the recent UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns change to ONA policy, requiring "gender identity/expression" included in all new Open and Affirming statements after July
  
• news about opportunities for leadership and input into the development of a UCC Transgender Caucus**
• sharing of UCC and other transgender networking and relationship-building opportunities in 2010
  

The January 30, 2010, phone call will take place at 12 noon Pacific time, 1 p.m. Mountain time, 2 p.m.Central time, and 3:00 p.m. Eastern time. It will last an hour and a half. Call-in information will be sent to those who express interest by sending an email to ucc-inquiry (at) transfaithonline (dot) org. Email inquirers will also receive a confirmation email to be added to our email list for further communications--so please be in touch even if you have a scheduling conflict.

Please spread the word broadly to any transgender folk affiliated with the UCC who might be interested, as well as any allies who might be able to help us spread the word.

Blessings and courage,
Monica Cross
Malcolm Himschoot
Chris Paige
Barbara Satin

* "Transgender" in this email includes transsexuals, genderqueers, dual-gendered folk, cross-dressers, and anyone else of gender-variant experience who may be interested in participating.

**The title "UCC Transgender Caucus" is tentative pending further input and discernment.

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Download a PDF with Information about the Conveners

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Multi-Faith, Gender-Affirming, Spiritual Networking