Trans Stories are Sacred

Written by Dana Rademacher Hansen

At the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, there are over 40 Christian student groups that students can be a part of and yet, only three of them are vocally and unwaveringly affirming of the queer community. LCM-Twin Cities is proud to be one of these ministries and this is simply one way that we embody God’s unconditional love on this campus. In March, along with the other LGBTQIA+ affirming Christian ministries at the U, we co-hosted an event, Trans Stories are Sacred, which celebrated our trans and nonbinary siblings, their stories, and who God created them to be!

We had four featured speakers, including ELCA Pastor Marty Wyatt, who all boldly shared different aspects of their trans experience and faith – from stories of gender discovery, to finding communities of acceptance and affirmation, and the ways we can uniquely learn about God through challenging binaries. After the speakers, we held an all-student panel that featured members from all of our faith communities, where trans and nonbinary students shared what they want the church to most understand and the life-changing power of communities that celebrate them.

It was a beautiful gift to witness how the Spirit has shown up in these storytellers’ lives, and that over 100 attendees showed up to listen, learn, and support the trans and nonbinary community in an explicitly public and faith-based setting. At a time when the transgender community is actively being erased, and experiencing growing violence and rhetoric against us, it felt more important and powerful than ever to proclaim and embody that “God loves everyone, no exceptions.”