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Rev. Partridge Will Be First Openly Transgender Priest To Preach at Wash. Cath.
Rev. Cameron Partridge Will Be First Openly Transgender Priest To Preach at Washington National Cathedral
By Yasmine Hafiz
The Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
June 6, 2014
Rev. Dr. Cameron Partridge will make history on Sunday, June 22, as the first openly transgender priest to preach at the historic Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., in honor of Pride Month. The Rt. Rev Gene Robinson, known as the first openly gay priest to be elected a bishop, will preside at the service.
Cameron Partridge is a priest of great intellect, pastoral presence, and possesses a deep passion for the Gospel. We are excited for him to preach at the Cathedral, said The Very Rev. Gary Hall, the dean of Washington National Cathedral. In a statement sent to The Huffington Post, he said:
As an advocate both within the Church and wider community, Camerons presence in the pulpit, I hope, will also send a symbolic message in support of greater equality for the transgender community, which suffers from acts of violence, discrimination, unemployment, homelessness, and financial inequality. We at Washington National Cathedral are striving to send a message of love and affirmation, especially to LGBT youth who suffer daily because of their gender identity or sexual orientation. We want to proclaim to them as proudly and unequivocally as we can: Your gender identity is good and your sexual orientation is good because thats the way that God made you.
Partridge is one of just seven openly trans clergy in the Episcopal Church. He became one of the first trans chaplains at a major university when he was appointed Boston University's chaplain in 2011, according to Religion and Politics' profile. In 2012, the Episcopal Church officially voted to change its “nondiscrimination canons” to include “gender identity and expression” so that transgender people could not be barred from becoming priests, under law.< ![CDATA[
Read the full story at www.VirtueOnline.org]]>
Source: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=19020
