A Mississauga pastor came out recently as a trans woman, only to lose her job after a congregational vote.
Junia (June) Joplin was pastor at Lorne Park Baptist Church in a posh part of Mississauga, near Toronto. A couple of months ago, she live-streamed a sermon in which she came out to her congregation as a transgender woman, a sermon that apparently went viral among trans Christians, and which seemed to attact much suppprt from her own parishioners. The church's leadership council, though, were not so keen, and a drive-through ballot (I kid you not!) of her parishioners resulted in a narrow 58-53 vote to terminate her employment.
The vote supposedly "determined, for theological reasons, that it is not in God's will that June remain as our pastor", according to a statement from the church. Wait, God left a will? God is dead?! Ah, maybe that part was a typo.
It is actually illegal to fire someone for being trans in Canada, although exceptions are allowed for - go figure! - religious reasons. Ms. Joplin pointed out that eight of the voters specifically said that they did not object to her "on theological grounds", which should have meant that she won the vote 61-50, but that logical argument didn't seem to sway the council. She is currently looking into legal remedies.
Anyway, it looks like Ms. Joplin chose the wrong denomination to be a transgender pastor in. Those Baptists, they're ornery. The United Church would probably have jumped at her.
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