The United Nations’ annual “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign is aimed at the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. It runs every Nov. 25-Dec. 10. Photo: United Nations

[Episcopal News Service] The Diocese of New York’s Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault spreads awareness of violence against women and girls year-round, culminating in December when it observes “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” the United Nations’ annual campaign, and The Episcopal Church’s “Breaking the Silence Sunday.”

“We host events throughout the year because violence against women and girls happens on a daily basis,” Yvonne O’Neal, a founding task force member, told Episcopal News Service. “Gender-based violence is a painful reality within our church and our world.”

The “16 Days of Activism” campaign is aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls. It begins with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on Nov. 25 and ends on Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. The campaign started in 1991 at the inauguration of the Women’s Global Leadership Institute.

In support of the campaign, General Convention in 2022 passed a resolution calling on The Episcopal Church to observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on the Sunday closest to Nov. 25. The resolution also calls on Episcopalians, laity and clergy, to learn how to support rape and sexual violence survivors.

“Honoring that call [to observe ‘Break the Silence Sunday’] means speaking clearly to victims and survivors – affirming that we care for them, that we hear them and that they have a home in our congregations,” O’Neal said.

This year’s U.N. campaign focused on cyberbullying, online harassment, deep fakes, blackmail, digital safety and other areas related to digital abuse.

In early December, the diocese’s task force hosted a webinar focused on digital abuse, which can also be used to track women and girls and exploit them online. 

“[Digital violence] can be physical, often with the use of an electronic device, a tracking device … possibly using personal images and pictures,” Shael Norris, co-founder and executive director of SafeBAE, a nonprofit committed to ending sexual violence among middle and high school students nationwide, said during the Dec. 4 webinar.  

The webinar was the third in a three-part series the diocese hosts annually, with the 2026 series beginning in April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

An estimated 840 million women – almost one third – worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence, according to data from the World Health Organization.

In the United States, one fifth of U.S. women have been raped or experienced attempted rape; one third of those women were between the ages of 11 and 17 when they experienced it for the first time, according to the nonprofit National Sexual Violence Resource Center. On average, someone, including men and boys, is assaulted every 74 seconds; every nine minutes, that someone is a minor. Women and girls are at greater risk, with one in six having been raped or having experienced attempted rape, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the largest anti-sexual assault nonprofit in the United States.

Beyond hosting advocacy events, O’Neal said one of the task force’s goals is to educate priests and lay leaders on how to identify the signs of domestic violence and sexual assault so they can help survivors find safety.

“A lot of times the priest, if they don’t know better, can give the wrong information, especially when it’s a marriage – the vow of ‘until death do us part,’” O’Neal said. “A priest who doesn’t know better may recommend you not leave your spouse, but staying could be a death sentence.”

To help congregations observe “16 Days of Activism,’ the Diocese of New York publishes a toolkit offering resources to combat gender-based violence. Its aim is to help congregations in the diocese and throughout The Episcopal Church mark Break the Silence Sunday. The 2025 toolkit, available in Spanish, French and Creole, includes a variety of worship resources, including items to assist those who will be preaching, as well as a liturgy for a “Eucharist of Healing, Hope and Liberation” and additional collects. 

This year’s toolkit also includes messages from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe and New York Bishop Matthew F. Heyd. Both noted that this year’s “Break the Silence Sunday” fell on Nov. 30, the first day of Advent.

“As followers of Jesus, we are called to lift the veil of silence, to listen deeply, to stand beside survivors in compassion and to act with courage in our churches and communities,” Heyd said. “Healing begins when we listen; transformation begins when we act.”

Rowe expressed similar sentiment: “Gender-based violence is a particular epidemic, and each of us has a responsibility to become educated on its prevalence – and to play a role in healing its harms and disrupting its generational cycles,” Rowe said.

O’Neal said the toolkit can be used any time of the year, not just during the “16 Days of Activism.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

A candlelight vigil at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky, memorializes transgender individuals who’ve been targeted or murdered for being who they are. Nov. 20, 2023. Photo: John Nation

[Episcopal News Service] On Nov. 20, Episcopal churches nationwide will observe Transgender Day of Remembrance by holding special worship services and prayer vigils to memorialize transgender individuals who’ve been targeted or murdered for being who they are and to raise awareness of violence against trans people.

“There are a lot of days where I’m terrified to leave my house, so knowing that Episcopal churches are somewhere I can always go and be safe is amazing,” Rocky Vanderford, webmaster for St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service.

St. Mark’s, in partnership with several local nonprofits and faith groups, will host an evening vigil on the 20th and a fundraiser at Highlands Community Ministries, with proceeds benefiting Mandala House, an LGBTQ+-affirming outpatient mental health facility in Louisville. The money will be added to a mental health grants fund for trans people without health insurance. 

“A lot of people within the trans community, especially trans people of color, have a harder time accessing the resources they need when they’re visibly trans … in terms of employment and housing and health care access,” Vanderford said.

On the 21st, St. Mark’s members will attend a community Q&A panel discussion on trans issues at Mandala House.

The term “transgender” refers to an individual whose gender identity, expression, or behavior does not conform with the person’s assigned sex at birth; nonbinary reflects a gender identity that is not strictly male or female. The terms are often associated with each other but are not interchangeable.

Luminaries bearing the names of transgender people who’ve been murdered are lined in front of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church ahead of its Nov. 20, 2024, candlelight vigil observing Transgender Day of Remembrance. Photo: Dick Arnspiger

Worldwide, 281 trans people – including 31 in the United States – were murdered between Oct. 1, 2024, and Sept. 30, 2025, though the exact number may be much higher, according to the latest data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of the Berlin, Germany-based Transgender Europe. Most victims were Black or brown.

In Russellville, Arkansas, All Saints’ Episcopal Church will host a candlelight labyrinth walk on Nov. 20 in the parish hall. Names and photos of trans people murdered in the last year will be projected on screen, with participants asked to reflect silently on their lives while walking the labyrinth.

Jana M. Hall, co-coordinator of the labyrinth walk and an All Saints’ parishioner, told ENS that the church is working to establish relationships with Arkansas Tech University students and the newly formed local chapter of the nonprofit advocacy organization Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG. She hopes the relationships will make LGBTQ+ community members aware that they are safe to be themselves at All Saints’.

“We’re in a small town in rural Arkansas, so there’s a lot of struggle and a lot of hatred and a lot of fear going around as trans people try to live their daily lives,” Hall, who has trans siblings, said. “Not everyone has a solid support network, but we can try to be that for them.”

Out of 1,012 bills introduced nationwide in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators targeting LGBTQ+ rights, 124 have passed and 506 remain active. This is the sixth consecutive record-breaking year for the total number of proposed anti-LGBTQ+ bills, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States.

Many trans Americans and their families are moving to more LGBTQ+-affirming states or, if they can access passports, to other countries for safety reasons and in response to President Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting transgender rights, including limiting access to gender-affirming care for minors, according to Rainbow Railroad, a global nonprofit that helps LGBTQ+ people move to safety. Latoya Nugent, Rainbow Railroad’s head of engagement, told Time Magazine in an interview that the organization has received a record-high number of relocation assistance requests from U.S. citizens since Trump was elected a year ago.

However, not everyone can move because of financial constraints, family ties and other reasons. That’s why it’s “really important” for Episcopalians not only to support trans and nonbinary people at church, but also through political advocacy, Aaron Scott, The Episcopal Church’s gender justice officer and a trans man, told ENS. 

“Episcopalians need to ground ourselves in whatever we’re doing in our congregations and communities and support policy at every level – local, state and federal – to help everybody access gender-affirming care and establish and strengthen all LGBTQ rights,” Scott said. 

For example, General Convention in 2022 passed Resolution D066, which calls on Episcopalians to advocate for policies that support gender-affirming care for people of all ages, including minors. 

Scott has been working with the church’s Office of Communication to build a social media campaign in support of transgender people, which will launch on Nov. 20. The campaign will include a blessing video by the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California, and a tribute to three trans Episcopal leaders who have died in recent years: the Rev. Gari Green, a founding member of TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people and creates supportive spaces for trans Episcopalians; the Rev. Iain Michael Stanford, a member of TransEpiscopal who co-led advocacy efforts to add “gender identity and expression” to The Episcopal Church’s nondiscrimination canons for access to the ordination process at all church levels of leadership; and the Rev. Vicki Gray, the first openly trans person ordained in the Diocese of California.

“I miss each of these friends very, very much, and I think of them in the great cloud of witnesses standing with us,” Partridge, a trans man, told ENS. “I don’t know anyone who’s not impacted deeply, internally, emotionally, spiritually by the targeted attacks that are coming at us in various forms of violence in the wider world.”

Partridge said he will spend Transgender Day of Remembrance at a gathering at San Francisco City Hall. The group of activists will march to a nearby LGBTQ+ center.

“Organized action, active prayer … all are super important on Trans Day of Remembrance and beyond,” he said.

The day of remembrance was first observed in 1999 in response to the separate murders of three Black trans women in the Greater Boston, Massachusetts, area: Chanelle Pickett in November 1995; Monique Thomas in September 1998; and Rita Hester in November 1998. Hester’s unsolved murder sparked the day of remembrance. The Nov. 20 international observance concludes Transgender Awareness Week, Nov. 13-19. The day of remembrance is distinct from International Transgender Day of Visibility, which takes place every March 31 to celebrate and acknowledge transgender people and their contributions to society.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Bishops attend the opening Eucharist of the Lambeth Conference in July 2022 at Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, England. Photo: Richard Washbrooke for The Lambeth Conference.

[Episcopal News Service] The GAFCON statement’s potential impact was evident as soon as it landed Oct. 16. It immediately provoked intense reactions in Anglican circles around the world.

The conservative Christian network, a mix of leaders from recognized Anglican provinces and breakaway groups, had announced that its primates, as the heads of their respective churches, were effectively leaving the Anglican Communion. They would reject the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury and no longer participate in, contribute to or receive assistance from the structures that have long bound together the Anglican Communion’s 42 autonomous, interdependent provinces.

The statement, titled “The Future Has Arrived,” accused senior leaders of the Anglican Communion of “the abandonment of the Scriptures” and said GAFCON’s member primates had “resolved to reorder the Anglican Communion.”

Some conservative supporters of GAFCON rejoiced at the apparent split.  Other Anglicans, particularly in provinces like The Episcopal Church that have been more welcoming to LGBTQ+ Christians, reacted variously with dismay, confusion, ambivalence and uncertainty.

A week later, one lingering question is how many – if any – Anglican primates and their provinces plan to follow through with GAFCON’s call to leave the Anglican Communion. The statement outlining that plan was signed by one person, Rwanda Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, who serves as chair of GAFCON’s primate council.

Of the GAFCON council’s other 12 members, eight represent provinces that are recognized as members of the existing Anglican Communion. One, the Church of Nigeria, shared the text of the letter online without additional comment. Episcopal News Service could find no evidence of any statements from the other seven provinces supporting the new GAFCON plan for disengagement outlined by Mbanda.

All efforts to reach leaders of those provinces were met with silence, except for one: The Province of the Anglican Church of Congo is still part of the Anglican Communion, one of its top bishops told ENS.

“The call to disengage from the Anglican Communion needs to be made collegially through debate,” Archbishop Zacharie Masimango Katanda, who served as Congo’s primate from 2016 to 2022, said by email in response to an ENS inquiry. “The Church of Congo will not follow that call and remains a full member of the Anglican Communion, and also a member of the Global South.”

Mbanda’s Rwanda province is one of three Anglican provinces that have long boycotted Anglican Communion meetings over theological disagreements on human sexuality, same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian priests and bishops. Likewise, Nigeria and Uganda had already disengaged with much of the Anglican Communion’s structure, including the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, the Primates’ Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council. The exit of those three provinces, therefore, would signify little change in participation with what the Anglican Communion calls its Instruments of Communion.

The other six Anglican provinces that are represented on GAFCON’s primates’ council are Alexandria (Egypt), Chile, Congo, Kenya, Myanmar and South Sudan. Until now, conservative primates in those provinces, though affiliated with GAFCON, have continued to engage with their peers across the Anglican Communion at its meetings.

In addition to seeking comment from those six provinces by email and WhatsApp, ENS also reviewed their websites and social media accounts for any references to the GAFCON statement in the week since its release, but found none.

Nor has there been any public reaction from the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, many of whose conservative leaders overlap with GAFCON’s leadership.  The latest information posted to the Global South Fellowship’s website and Facebook page has been solely focused on a formation retreat underway this week in Uganda.

GAFCON, on the other hand, has been regularly promoting Mbanda’s statement on its Facebook account, with daily posts since last week.

“We give thanks for the joyful announcement approved last week by the Gafcon Primates’ Council that the Anglican Communion has been reordered as a fellowship of autonomous provinces bound together by the Scriptures and the Reformation Formularies,” an Oct. 22 Facebook update says. “We rejoice that we have not left the Communion… we are the Communion!” (The Oct. 16 statement said GAFCON would name the new entity the “Global Anglican Communion.”)

ENS sought comment and clarification from GAFCON’s general secretary, the Rt. Rev. Paul Donison, who is a leader in the breakaway Anglican Church in North America. ACNA was founded in 2009, and many of its early members were former Episcopalians who objected to The Episcopal Church’s stances on women’s ordination, LGBTQ+ inclusion or both.

Donison, based at an ACNA church in Plano, Texas, had not yet responded to an Oct. 22 phone message by the time this ENS story was published. He has spoken about Mbanda’s statement in other venues. On Oct. 17, he published an article on the Christian website the Gospel Coalition explaining the reasons for GAFCON’s split with the Anglican Communion.

“Over the last several decades, some of the most senior leaders in the communion – particularly in the Church of England and The Episcopal Church (USA) – have embraced revisionist teachings,” Donison wrote. “These include the rejection of biblical authority in matters of marriage, sexuality and the uniqueness of Christ. Evangelicals across traditions will recognize the dynamics here: when leaders abandon Scripture as the final authority, the gospel itself is at stake.”

Mbanda’s statement did not specify the reason for timing this decision now, though it was issued two weeks after the Church of England announced that London Bishop Sarah Mullally would become the first female archbishop of Canterbury. The position represents a “focus of unity” for the 165-country Anglican Communion in recognition of the 42 provinces’ roots in the Church of England. She is scheduled to take office in January.

Some of the more conservative Anglican leaders have increasingly spoken of “impaired” communion since the Church of England’s General Synod voted in 2023 to allow same-sex couples to receive blessings in England’s churches. Mullally co-chaired the group that helped draft that policy.

London Bishop Sarah Mullally was announced Oct. 3 as the archbishop of Canterbury-designate. Photo: Anglican Communion News Service

Separately, in July 2025, Archbishop Cherry Vann was elected to lead the Church in Wales, becoming the first LGBTQ+ primate in the Anglican Communion. At the time, Mbanda released a statement saying Vann’s election “shatters the communion.”

On Oct. 17, Mbanda alluded to Mullally’s selection as archbishop of Canterbury in a discussion of his latest GAFCON statement with the Christian interview program, “The Pastor’s Heart.” He suggested GAFCON has been building to this moment since its founding in 2008 as the Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglican Leaders.

“As we knew that we were anticipating this announcement of the archbishop of Canterbury, and knowing that we had been on a journey since 2008 with GAFCON … I think it was time to start thinking, OK, so what do some of these founding fathers think?” Mbanda said. “It was also time to say, OK, we have talked a lot. Is it a time to walk the talk?”

Mbanda did not specify who was involved in those conversations or how they may have registered their assent to his statement.

Yet even some conservative leaders within the Anglican Communion have questioned the legitimacy and prudence of declaring a break with the communion to establish a rival network with a similar name.

“To my dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ in GAFCON: You have broken my heart,” the Rev. Matthew Olver, an Episcopal priest who serves as executive director and publisher at the Living Church Foundation, wrote in an essay on the Living Church’s website.

“Your communiqué of October 16 sounds as though you are rejecting all of us who confess the apostolic faith and are committed to a traditional witness within the Episcopal Church and in provinces throughout the communion — my heart is crushed.”

Others have affirmed their commitment to the Anglican Communion, emphasizing the importance of walking together as Anglicans despite persistent differences on individual theological questions. The Episcopal Church places “great value on our continuing relationships in the Anglican Communion and on the historic role of the archbishop of Canterbury as first among equals,” Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said last week in a written statement to ENS.

Bishop Helen Kennedy of the Canadian Diocese of Qu’appelle, as liaison to The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council, called GAFCON’s statement “heartbreaking” in her remarks to Executive Council on Oct. 22 at its recent meeting.

“Making outrageous statements is not helpful,” Kennedy said. Instead, she emphasized the “very clear, very strong” response issued by the top bishops in the Anglican Church in Canada.

The Rt. Rev. Anthony Poggo, secretary general of the Anglican Communion and a bishop from South Sudan, said last week the Anglican Communion “is ordered by historic bonds, voluntary association” and that any changes “should be made through existing structures.” Some such reforms, known as the Nairobi-Cairo proposals, are scheduled to be discussed next year at a meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Mullally has emphasized “working together in mission.” On Oct. 3, in her first address as archbishop of Canterbury-designate, Mullally said she has witnessed local expressions of the faith in her travels around the Anglican Communion that “echoed with familiar grace” in their shared Anglican context.

“I saw something deeply distinctive, coupled with mutual understanding: a shared inheritance of history, of family of worship, sacrament and word – made real in global diversity,” Mullally said. “Anglican Churches and networks around the world working together in mission, joining their voices in advocacy for those in need.

“In an age that craves certainty and tribalism, Anglicanism offers something quieter but stronger: shared history, held in tension, shaped by prayer, and lit from within by the glory of Christ. That is what gives me hope. In our fractured and hurting world, that partnership in the Gospel could not be more vital.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Texas, hosted the city’s first Pride festival on Oct. 4. The event attracted at least 1,600 people and included live music, food trucks, games, face painting, arts vendors, yoga, mental health workshops and more. Photo: Pride Keller/Facebook

[Episcopal News Service] St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Keller, Diocese of Texas, hosted the city’s first Pride festival in collaboration with Pride Kel-So despite protests and backlash from local lawmakers.

At least 1,600 people attended the Oct. 4 Pride festival on St. Martin-in-the-Fields’ 12-acre campus, according to the Rev. Alan Bentrup, the church’s rector. He told Episcopal News Service that despite his congregation being “purple” politically, the vestry unanimously agreed to let the parish host the festival and be an example of “Jesus’ radical welcome.”

“It was just one way we can be a good neighbor and show God’s love to a community that too often has not felt that from churches,” Bentrup said.

Most Pride festivals and parades are celebrated in June during Pride Month, but many cities nationwide celebrate later in the year for various reasons, such as to coincide with National Coming Out Day on Oct. 11, or to avoid extreme summer heat. April Dreyson, co-founder of Pride Kel-So, said Pride Kel-So scheduled its festival for October to avoid the extreme heat – the city is in north-central Texas – and because October is LGBTQ History Month and many Pride festivals in the Dallas-Fort Worth areas already take place in June. The later date also gave the planning committee more preparation time.

“My wife [fellow Pride Kel-So co-founder Shaina Dreyson] and I both grew up in Keller and had no idea for the longest time that there’s such a huge LGBTQ+ community within Keller despite this area being so conservative,” Dreyson said. “We didn’t have any visibility here, but now we’re providing it to the community. …It was very beautiful and we’re still processing how incredible the festival was.”

April and Shaina Dreyson connected with Bentrup after noticing that St. Martin-in-the-Fields was sponsoring an interfaith concert supporting the North Texas TRANSportation Network, a nonprofit that provides travel and relocation grants to North Texas families of youth needing out-of-state gender-affirming care. They began planning the Pride festival earlier this year. 

The Pride Kel-So festival included live music, food trucks, games, face painting, arts vendors, yoga, mental health workshops and more. Seven other LGBTQ+ affirming churches from the area also had booths at the event.

Some lawmakers in Tarrant County, whose county seat is Fort Worth, openly opposed the festival ahead of the event, particularly plans for a drag show that Dreyson said was family friendly. A transgender musician also was scheduled to perform, but she voluntarily withdrew from the lineup to protect herself from further backlash. On Sept. 29, Keller Mayor Armin Mizani posted on X accusing the event of violating Texas Senate Bill 12, a law which prohibits sexually oriented performances in front of minors but was blocked by a federal court after being declared unconstitutional. The law was originally intended to specifically target drag shows, according to The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit politics and public policy website based in Austin.

Dreyson and Bentrup said they intentionally avoided engaging with protesters, many who arrived with signs denouncing the festival and quoting passages from the Old Testament that are interpreted as anti-LGBTQ+, such as Proverbs 16:18, which addresses pride and arrogance. One protester yelled at Bentrup when he offered him a bottle of water. Another screamed obscenities at festivalgoers, including children, through a bullhorn, as members of the Oak Lawn Band, an LGBTQ+ ensemble, marched over to him and performed “as loudly as possible” to drown out the obscenities, according to Bentrup.

“I didn’t hear a lot of the words of Jesus,” he said.

Bentrup said many “angry” protesters called St. Martin-in-the-Fields to express disapproval of the church’s stance affirming LGBTQ+ people and of hosting the Pride festival. He responded by asking for prayers that all festivalgoers are safe.

“That, to me, is what got through to a lot of people,” he said. “We’re still going to disagree, but they’re not yelling at me anymore, and I’m not yelling at them anymore, because that doesn’t lead anywhere good.”

Before the festival, some people called Dreyson expressing concerns over a church hosting the Pride festival because “there’s so much religious trauma in the LGBTQ+ community, and so many have been turned away from church.”

“[Bentrup] has healed so much of that trauma for me personally without ever giving any pressure to attend his church. He’s just genuinely there for us,” Dreyson said. “We wouldn’t have held this festival at a church that wasn’t truly affirming. It’s hard to compete with all the mega churches out here, but it’s so reassuring to know such affirming and welcoming churches [like St. Martin-in-the-Fields] are out there.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

London Bishop Sarah Mullally was announced Oct. 3 as the archbishop of Canterbury-designate. Photo: Anglican Communion News Service

[Episcopal News Service] The announcement last week that London Bishop Sarah Mullally would become the Church of England’s first female archbishop of Canterbury was cheered by many in The Episcopal Church and in provinces across the Anglican Communion, potentially signaling a new era for the global Anglican leadership role, which has centuries of history.

In sharp contrast, the reaction of some conservative Anglican leaders in Africa and other parts of the Global South has been decidedly negative.

“Grievous” was the adjective used by the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches. It issued a statement calling Mullally’s selection “one further symptom of the crisis of faith and authority” in the Anglican Communion.

Another organization of conservative Anglicans, GAFCON, said it received the news with “sorrow” and restated its arguments that the archbishop of Canterbury “can no longer function as a credible leader of Anglicans, let alone a focus of unity.”

And Nigeria Archbishop Henry Ndukuba called Mullally’s selection “devastating.” Ndukuba’s province has boycotted most Anglican Communion gatherings for years in protest of the theological diversity of beliefs and practices represented by the 42 autonomous, interdependent Anglican provinces. He and the Anglican Communion’s most conservative leaders have insisted on theological uniformity, particularly regarding human sexuality and traditional gender roles.

“This election is a further confirmation that the global Anglican world could no longer accept the leadership of the Church of England and that of the Archbishop of Canterbury,” Ndukuba said in a written statement released Oct. 6.

Mullally, 63, was named the 106th archbishop of Canterbury on Oct. 3 after her nomination was approved by King Charles III through a process overseen by the Church of England. She is scheduled to take office in January after a final election and confirmation by church leaders.

The archbishop of Canterbury, as England’s most senior bishop, has long been seen as an “instrument of communion” among the provinces of Anglican Communion, which number 85 million members and all have historic ties with the Church of England. Mullally will become the “first among equals” alongside the primates of the other 41 Anglican provinces, with responsibility for convening the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops.

The archbishop of Canterbury’s global leadership role, however, was called into question under Mullally’s predecessor, former Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, after the Church of England began in 2023 allowing same-sex couples to receive blessings in its churches. Some conservative bishops said they rejected the continuation of England’s historic leadership role in the Anglican Communion, and they also have said their provinces are in “impaired” communion with provinces like The Episcopal Church that are more progressive on issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The Anglican Consultative Council, an Anglican Communion body with representation from all 42 provinces, is scheduled to discuss possible changes to the leadership structure, including the role of the archbishop of Canterbury, when it meets in June and July 2026. The conservatives’ reactions to Mullally’s selection cast new doubt over those ongoing efforts to mend global relations.

“This appointment abandons global Anglicans, as the Church of England has chosen a leader who will further divide an already split Communion,” Rwanda Archbishop Laurent Mbanda said in a statement on behalf of GAFCON, which he chairs.

GAFCON’s member archbishops include leaders from Anglican provinces, including Alexandria, Chile, Congo, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda, as well as breakaway factions like the Anglican Church in North America that are not recognized as members of the Anglican Communion.

Mbanda’s statement, affirming the GAFCON teaching that homosexuality is sinful, cited a 2023 statement by Mullally in favor of blessing couples in same-sex relationships. When the Church of England authorized those blessings in February 2023, Mullally called it “a moment of hope for the church.” She chaired the group that developed the proposals.

“I know that what we have proposed as a way forward does not go nearly far enough for many but too far for others,” Mullally said then. “It is my prayer that what has been agreed today will represent a step forward for all of us within the Church – including LGBTQI+ people – as we remain committed to walking together.”

Mbanda countered in his GAFCON statement that “it is not lawful for the church to ordain any thing that is contrary to God’s Word,” yet Mullally “has repeatedly promoted unbiblical and revisionist teachings regarding marriage and sexual morality.”

“We pray that as she takes upon herself the weight of this historic office, she will repent, and earnestly work with the GAFCON leadership to mend the torn fabric of our Anglican Communion,” Mbanda said.

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches includes some of the same members as GAFCON and some additional provinces in Africa, Asia and South America.  It struck a similar tone in its statement on Mullally’s selection, again admonishing the Church of England for its 2023 vote in favor of same-sex blessings.

“While we shall of course pray for Bishop Mullally as she assumes this historic position, we feel compelled to say that we feel this appointment is a missed opportunity to reunite and reform the Anglican Communion,” South Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi said in the statement, as chair of the Global South Fellowship.

Ndukuba, the Church of Nigeria archbishop, called Mullally’s selection a case of “double jeopardy,” because his and some other conservative provinces do not allow women to become bishops.

“First, in its insensitivity to the conviction of the majority of Anglicans who are unable to embrace female headship in the episcopate, and second, more disturbing that Bishop Sarah Mullally is a strong supporter of same-sex marriage,” he said. “It remains to be seen how the same person hopes to mend the already torn fabric of the Anglican.”

Even so, opposition to Mullally in provinces of the Global South is far from unanimous. Southern Africa Archbishop Thabo Makgoba issued a statement offering Mullally “warm congratulations.”

“The historic appointment of the first woman as archbishop of Canterbury is a thrilling development,” Makgoba said. “We heartily welcome the announcement and look forward to working with her as we all try to respond prophetically and pastorally to what God is up to in God’s world.”

Bishop Anthony Poggo, a South Sudanese bishop who serves as secretary general of the Anglican Communion, issued a statement celebrating the selection of Mullally and inviting Anglicans “to pray for her as she prepares to take up this important ministry.

“May God grant her wisdom and discernment, as she seeks to listen to member churches, encourage mutual support, and foster unity.”

In Nigeria, too, not all Anglicans agree with Ndukuba’s criticisms of Mullally.

“I think it’s a very wonderful thing,” Mary Okolie, a Nigerian missionary, told the French news program “Eye on Africa” in an interview about the first woman chosen as archbishop of Canterbury. “It’s also a way that God will prove to our generation that what he has been using men to do he can also use women to do it.”

And in Kenya, the Rt. Rev. Emily Onyango, who became the province’s first female bishop in 2021, told Religion News Service she was “very excited” for Mullally to become archbishop of Canterbury. “It means a lot for the church. Being the first woman archbishop of Canterbury, we believe things will be done differently,” Onyango said. “We know there will be justice in the church, and we know she will work for peace and unity — something we need both in the church and in the world.”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry

[Episcopal News Service] Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry will celebrate the second full weekend of Pride Month with Anglicans in Dublin, Ireland, beginning with preaching at the fifth annual livestreamed Pride worship service at Christ Church Cathedral on June 13.

Perry, a lesbian, told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview that she’s still “in awe” at having been invited to lead Pride Month programming at Christ Church Cathedral.

“In 2006, when I was the first out lesbian on a ballot in the Diocese of California, the archbishop of Canterbury spoke out against my candidacy,” said Perry, who’s been bishop of Michigan since 2020. “I came in dead last in that election for a number of reasons, but one of the reasons was the overwhelming sense that the Anglican Communion did not want another LGBT person in the office of the bishop after [former New Hampshire Bishop] Gene Robinson.

“If someone had told me nearly 20 years later that I would be flying out to Ireland to preach at their pride service as the bishop of Michigan, I would have been amazed.”

LGBTQ+ issues have always been a significant part of Perry’s ministry. In 2007, she co-founded and became a co-convenor of the Chicago Consultation, a network of Anglican theologians, clergy, community leaders and activists who work for full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in The Episcopal Church and in the wider Anglican Communion. The consultation was involved with passing resolutions at General Convention in 2009 and 2012, including the affirmation of opening all orders of ministry to LGBTQ+ people, eliminating canonical discrimination against transgender people and providing The Episcopal Church with a liturgy for blessing same-sex marriages. Today, most of the Chicago Consultation’s work is concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2023, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appointed Perry one of 13 commissioners for the state’s LGBTQ+ Commission.

Ireland became the world’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage through a popular vote in 2015. However, the Church of Ireland, a member of the Anglican Communion, doesn’t permit same-sex marriage.

Christ Church Cathedral has been hosting its annual Pride Service since 2021. It’s organized by Changing Attitude Ireland, a Church of Ireland-based organization that seeks to promote love, understanding and justice for LGBTQ+ people from both within and outside the church.

Michigan Bishop Bonnie Perry, right, and the Very Rev. Dermot Dunne, left, at Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland, for the 2025 Pride Month worship service. Photo: Courtesy of Matthew “Matty” Zaradich

“I am delighted with the raising of the profile of the service this year when, on Friday 13 June we will welcome Bishop Bonnie Perry of the diocese of Michigan to preach at the annual service in the cathedral. Bonnie is a leading voice in promoting LGBTQ+ issues in The Episcopal Church,” the Very Rev. Dermot Dunne, dean of Christ Church Cathedral, told ENS in an email. “I am very happy to represent the community of the cathedral in its support for the LGBTQ+ community and to identify publicly with all the issues facing that community in these troubled times.”

This year’s Pride Month is taking place as hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to increase worldwide. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 350 known transgender people worldwide were murdered, though the number may be much higher, according to data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of Transgender Europe, a Berlin, Germany-based nongovernmental organization.

Globally, LGBTQ+ people are also at risk of suffering from mental health issues because of discrimination, homophobia or transphobia, social isolation, rejection, negative experiences of coming out or being afraid to come out. Many LGBTQ+ people have also been denied or received unequal health care treatment, according to the Mental Health Foundation, a United Kingdom-based organization committed to addressing mental health issues through education and advocacy programs.

After the Pride service concludes, the cathedral will host a reception and celebration honoring Belong To – LGBTQ+ Youth Ireland, the country’s national organization supporting young LGBTQ+ people. During the reception, Dunne will present a €3,000 check to Belong To.

On June 14, Perry will lead a workshop on The Episcopal Church’s decades-long journey toward LGBTQ+ equality and inclusion. She also will discuss community organizing for the Church of Ireland, addressing how to best connect with people of different perspectives when engaging in discussions of same-sex marriage and other LGBTQ+ issues.

On June 15, Perry will preach at Christ Church Cathedral’s livestreamed Trinity Sunday worship service. Matthew “Matty” Zaradich, a former parishioner of Perry’s when she was rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois, now lives in Dublin and is planning the cathedral’s Pride service. He told ENS that having Perry preach during the service this year “is an absolute joy.”

“Bringing [Perry] to my new home in Dublin for our Pride Service at Christ Church is profoundly meaningful,” Zaradich said in an email. “What I learned from Bonnie then still grounds me now: where there is love, there is holiness; and where there is holiness, there is God. Her preaching will be a gift to our community, and I know it will leave an indelible impact.”

Perry said this will be her first time visiting Ireland, and she’s “super excited” to be there with her wife, the Rev. Susan Harlow, a pastor in the United Church of Christ.

“Christ Church Cathedral is graciously welcoming to people who are LGBTQ+, and I am happy to be a part of it,” Perry said. “It’s truly an honor.”

Watch the livestream of both services here.

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe, right, presided over a June 1, 2025, Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York. The worship service served as a blessing and formal commissioning for Episcopalians and Episcopal congregations to observe Pride Month throughout June. Photo: Screenshot

[Episcopal News Service] The Episcopal Church kicked off Pride Month celebrations and affirmations of LGBTQ+ people with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York.

Watch the service on the church’s website or Facebook page.

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe presided in person at the June 1 service, which served as a blessing and formal commissioning for Episcopalians and Episcopal congregations to observe Pride Month. The Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, preached remotely.

“Let us love one another, not even thoughor despite our queerness, our transness but because of the unique human beings God has created us to be and to become,” Partridge said during his sermon. “In the face of so many who refuse to know us, may our love, our lives reflect the glory of God upholding us, transforming us, strengthening us, and charging us to make our way forward in this moment, together.”

Read Partridge’s entire sermon here.

Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, former President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations are held throughout June.

“LGBTQ+” stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning, with the “+” sign representing the many other sexual orientations and gender identities that are not explicitly included in the acronym, including intersex, asexual, two-spirit and more. The inclusive terms and its variations – such as “LGBTQIA2S+” and others – are meant to acknowledge the diverse and expansive spectrum of human sexuality and gender expression.

The service began with a recorded performance by Trinity Church Wall Street’s choir of “Epilogue: Meet Me Here” from “Considering Matthew Shepard,” Craig Hella Johnson’s Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio. Johnson composed the work as a musical response to the murder of Shepard – a young gay man who in 1998 was beaten and tortured to death because of his sexuality. Shepard’s parents held onto his ashes for 20 years out of fear his grave would be vandalized before they were safely interred at Washington National Cathedral.

This year’s Pride Month is taking place as hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people continue to increase worldwide; and as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide, with six additional anti-trans bills passing since May 30.

The Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, preached remotely during The Episcopal Church’s June 1, 2025, Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York. The worship service kicked off Pride Month celebrations and affirmations of LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Screenshot

Since The Episcopal Church formally began to welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people in 1976 through acts of General Convention, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. LGBTQ+ people also now serve in multiple clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals, while many others display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism.

The rainbow flag – designed by Gilbert Baker and other artists in 1978 by commission from Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California – reflects the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. More Episcopal churches are also now flying the Progress Pride flag, a variation on the traditional Pride flag with added white, pink and light blue stripes to represent the transgender community, a brown stripe to represent communities of color and a black stripe in remembrance of the 42.3 million people who have died by HIV/AIDS since 1981 – many of whom were LGBTQ+.

“Pride gives us an opportunity to remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for the love of God that binds us together and makes us one,” Rowe wrote in a message printed in the service bulletin. “Especially this year, Pride provides an opportunity to stand against injustice and fear by proclaiming that LGBTQ+ people are beloved children of God and cherished members of The Episcopal Church and the Body of Christ.”

New Testament readings included passages from Acts 1:1-11 and Revelation 22. The Gospel reading was John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays for all believers.

The service also included a recording of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California’s choir performing “In the Midst of New Dimensions,” a hymn written and composed by Julian B. Rush, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

During the commissioning, adapted from the Book of Occasional Services, Rowe addressed the congregation: “You have been called to ministries of the church, to be carried out in communities, congregations, dioceses and all the places in which you serve. Will you faithfully do so to the honor of God and the benefit of the church?”

The congregation replied: “We will.”

Shaneequa Brokenleg, the presiding bishop’s staff officer for racial reconciliation and a Lakota “winkte,” or “two-spirit,” sang an original work called “Creator God, We Cry to You.”

“Hear our prayer for all who serve across your church, for all who doubt and all who search, for all who seek, for all who find, for open hearts and open minds, for justice, peace and equity… .”

Native American cultures generally have a broader understanding of gender identity than European cultures. As an example, the Lakota language does not use gendered pronouns, and two-spirit are seen as reconcilers and healers.

The service also included a reading of Prayers of the People written by the church’s Task Force on LGBTQ+ Inclusion: “For communities that honor queer and transgender lives, and for voices that proclaim your gospel of love and transformation. Strengthen your Church with power through your Spirit, especially where it has caused harm or withheld blessing. Teach us to walk in love, as Christ loved us, and to be faithful stewards of your reconciling grace. … For all who carry hidden wounds, who live with chronic pain, illness, addiction, or despair. For LGBTQ+ youth and elders, especially those cut off from family or care. Let your Spirit bring healing, courage, and companionship.”

The Episcopal Church has special Pride Month resources available on its website, including a downloadable Pride shield, short videos highlighting the church’s advocacy and support, social media graphics and more.

During his sermon, Partridge recalled while a student at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania interviewing an openly gay priest for an essay on the conflict of sexuality in The Episcopal Church in the 90s. Partridge asked the priest, “Do you see [being gay] as integral to your ministry or do you see it as somewhat a part of you that isn’t necessarily in the forefront?”

The priest replied, “People say to you, ‘oh, I love you even though you are gay.’ And my answer is, ‘on the contrary, you love me because I am gay. That the things that you love about me – my warmth, my empathy, my identification with the marginalized, my passion for justice, my humor – all of those things have been shaped by the experience of being gay. So if you love me, not only is being gay part of the package. In a very, very real spiritual sense, gay is the package.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

Every year, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kansas City, Missouri, hosts the Dioceses of Kansas and West Missouri’s annual Diocesan Mass as part of the Kansas City PrideFest during Pride Month in June. After the mass, members of the dioceses march in the Pride parade in solidarity and celebration of LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Diocese of Kansas

[Episcopal News Service] Episcopal churches nationwide will recognize Pride Month throughout June with special events to celebrate and affirm LGBTQ+ people, and to raise awareness of increasing anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment.

“It’s really important for Christians to be actively, vocally affirming and visible in Pride Month. It’s a time to be fabulous, to be joyful and to celebrate,” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service. “I’m looking forward to continuing to live out our witness as a church in support of the community and as agents of good news and transformers of this world.”

On June 1 at 6 p.m. Eastern, The Episcopal Church will kick off Pride Month with a special livestreamed Eucharist at the Chapel of Christ the Lord at the Episcopal Church Center in New York, New York, “to bless and commission Episcopalians who will share God’s love at Pride events across the church,” and to “celebrate the dignity, love and lives of LGBTQ+ people.” Partridge will preach and Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe will preside.

Pride Month has been celebrated nationwide in June since 1970. It began after the Stonewall riots, a series of gay liberation protests that took place one year prior between June 28 and July 3, 1969. The riots started in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. In 1999, then-President Bill Clinton commemorated the Stonewall riots’ 30th anniversary by declaring June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. June 28 is International LGBT Pride Day, though celebrations commonly occur on other days in June.

This year’s Pride Month events will take place as anti-LGBTQ+ bills continue to be introduced nationwide. As of May 16, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking 588 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the United States. Out of 910 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 103 have already passed, and 731 cases remain active, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States.

In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning initiatives that support diversity, equity and inclusion, prompting federal agencies and now some private corporations to discontinue commemorating holidays and observances, including Pride Month. By early February, agency websites began to remove mention of transgender or queer people, including the Rev. Pauli Murray, and changed the acronym LGBTQ (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) to LGB.

Additionally, hate crimes targeting marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people, also have increased worldwide. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 350 known transgender people worldwide – including 41 in the United States – were murdered, though the number may be much higher, according to data compiled by the Trans Murder Monitoring Project, an initiative of Transgender Europe, a Berlin, Germany-based nongovernmental organization.

The Episcopal Church has been formally welcoming and affirming LGBTQ+ people since 1976, when General Convention adopted two resolutions stating that “homosexual persons are children of God who have a full and equal claim with all other persons upon the love, acceptance, and pastoral concern and care of the Church (A069), and that they “are entitled to equal protection of the laws with all other citizens (A071).

Today, Episcopal dioceses, congregations, organizations and individuals continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and LGBTQ+ people now serve in clergy and lay leadership roles, including bishops. Many churches display the rainbow flag despite the risk of vandalism, while many others sponsor and march in their local Pride parades and festivals.

“I recognize that sometimes there may be a place where, for instance, it’s not safe to have pride flags flying outside your church. Maybe in those cases, you don’t do that, but you make sure that within your community, you are doing the work to be fully welcoming and supportive,” Partridge said. “I recognize that not all contexts are the same, and you have to know your context and what’s going to create the greatest reality of sanctuary for trans and nonbinary folks in your midst.”

The Episcopal Church has special Pride Month resources available on its website, including a downloadable Pride shield, short videos highlighting the church’s advocacy and support, social media graphics and more.

The following is a list of some Episcopal congregations hosting Pride Month gatherings or participating in community-led events. Check online for additional events hosted by local dioceses and parishes. All times are local.

Every year, members of the Diocese of Indianapolis participate in the Indy Pride Festival & Parade in Indianapolis during Pride Month in June to welcome and affirm LGBTQ+ people. Photo: Diocese of Indianapolis

Lebanon, Pennsylvania — St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will hold a livestreamed Pride service on June 1 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a luncheon. At 3 p.m., St. Luke’s will host the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, who will perform their spring program, “A Choral Kaleidoscope.”

Crystal Lake, Illinois — Trinity Episcopal Parish: St. Mary’s Church is sponsoring and participating in the city’s downtown Pride Walk & Social, taking place June 1 beginning at 11 a.m. A festival featuring live music, line dancing, karaoke and a car show will follow. The festival will also include a craft fair supporting LGBTQ+-owned businesses and makers, as well as opportunities to connect with local nonprofits and community resources.

New York City — St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Harlem, Upper Manhattan, will host a special Pride worship service on June 1 at 10 a.m. After the service, everyone is welcome to gather in the church’s garden beginning at noon for the “Gay Garden Get Together,” “where the vibes are lush, the love is loud, and the community is unapologetically queer.” There will be a DJ and live performances and presentation, as well as open mic opportunities for poetry readings, music and storytelling. “This is a celebration of Pride, joy, resilience, and community. Whether you’re out and proud or still finding your way, this space is for YOU.”

Greenville, North Carolina — Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will participate in an interfaith Pride prayer service on June 1 at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. The Rev. Josiah Daniels, associate rector of St. Paul’s, will be the headline speaker. The event will include activities for children.

Arlington, Virginia — St. George’s Episcopal Church will host a special choral evensong service on June 1 at 3:45 p.m. followed by a festive reception. Selected repertoire will include works by LGBTQ+ composers.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma — Members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral will march in the 39th Street Pride Parade on June 1 at 7 p.m. This year’s parade theme, “They Can’t Erase Us,” will serve “to remind the world that our stories, our love, and our existence cannot be erased. …We are here, and we are unstoppable.”

Homewood, Alabama — All Saints Episcopal Church will host a contemplative prayer service celebrating and uplifting the LGBTQ+ community on June 4 at 6 p.m. The service will include reflection and music. The Rev. Dillon Greene, rector of St. Catherine’s Episcopal Church in Chelsea, Alabama, will preach.

Salt Lake City, Utah — The Episcopal Church of Utah will host and participate in several events in conjunction with the city’s Utah Pride Parade & Festival beginning with an interfaith Pride service on June 5 at 7 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City. Utah Bishop Phyllis Spiegel will lead the service. On June 7 and 8, the diocese will have a booth at the Pride festival in Salt Lake City. The diocese will also participate in the Pride parade on June 8, starting with a pre-parade led by the Rev. Jeff Stevenson, canon to the ordinary, at 10 a.m.

San Francisco, California — St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church will host a “Pride poster pizza party” on June 6 at 6 p.m., where members of the congregation and community can make LGBTQ+-affirming posters ahead of Pride Month events in the San Francisco Bay area, including the Queer Faith Festival from 1-4 p.m. at St. Anselm’s Episcopal Church on June 14 in Lafayette, the Trans March on June 27 in San Francisco and the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 29. Also in San Francisco, Grace Cathedral will host its annual Pride Mass on June 1 at 6 p.m.

Kansas City, Missouri — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host the Dioceses of Kansas and West Missouri’s annual Diocesan Mass on June 7 at 9 a.m. as part of the Kansas City PrideFest. After Mass, members of the dioceses will march in the Pride parade.

Memphis, Tennessee — Members of Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church will participate in the Mid-South Pride Parade in Memphis on June 7 at 11 a.m. The church will also include a collect supporting its LGBTQ+ ministry during worship services throughout June.

Patchogue, New York — St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host its second annual Pride Mass on June 7 at noon. The special worship service will kick off Pride Weekend in Patchogue.

Seward, Alaska — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will conclude Pride Weekend Seward with a special Pride worship service on June 8 at 9 a.m.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Episcopalians in the Diocese of Wisconsin will march at the Milwaukee Pride Parade on June 8 beginning at 2 p.m. “The Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin is proud to show up in love, solidarity, and celebration with our LGBTQ+ siblings. …All are welcome – really.”

Indianapolis, Indiana — Members of the Diocese of Indianapolis will march in the Indy Pride Parade in downtown Indianapolis alongside the diocese’s special float. Participants will gather at the lineup at 9:30 a.m. for a brief worship service, a half hour before the parade begins. The diocese will also have a booth at the Indy Pride Festival during and after the parade.

Missoula, Montana — Members of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church will march or ride vehicles in the Missoula Pride Parade on June 21 at noon. Staging begins at 10 a.m.

Las Vegas, Nevada — All Saints/Todos Los Santos Episcopal Church will dedicate its 9:30 a.m. English language worship service to Pride Month and expressing solidarity for LGBTQ+ people on June 29. “Diverse and beautiful, blessed and beloved, we are all made in the image of the Creator of all things.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.

A group photo of the delegates to the 18th Anglican Consultative Council held at the Accra Marriott Hotel, Accra, Ghana. Feb. 12-19, 2023. Photo: Neil Turner/Anglican Communion Office

[Episcopal News Service] The Anglican Communion may be poised for a reset, at least concerning the archbishop of Canterbury’s leadership role.

Two proposals, which will be taken up next year by the Anglican Consultative Council, or ACC, would adjust how the worldwide communion’s 42 autonomous, interdependent provinces relate to each other.  The proposals, if adopted, would de-emphasize the Church of England and the archbishop of Canterbury as a “focus of unity” while elevating more geographically diverse leaders for the global network of Anglican and Episcopal churches.

These proposals were developed partly in response to longstanding theological divisions between some of the provinces, and it remains to be seen whether the proposed changes could mend what some conservative bishops have described as their “impaired” communion with provinces like The Episcopal Church that are more progressive on issues of LGBTQ+ inclusion.

The underlying goal is to maintain Anglican unity while allowing member provinces to stay true to their theological beliefs when they differ, said Bishop Graham Tomlin, who chairs the Anglican body that drafted the proposals.

“It is important to still remain committed to one another,” Tomlin, a Church of England bishop, told Episcopal News Service in a Zoom interview. He said his commission’s proposals “take serious the depths of our divisions but also take serious the call to unity that we find within the Gospel.”

Tomlin’s group, the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order, or IASCUFO, issued a 44-page report in December 2024 detailing its Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, named for the cities where they were drafted.

The first proposal offers an updated statement of what binds the 42 provinces to each other: “shared inheritance, mutual service, common counsel in conference, and historic connection with the See of Canterbury.” That final principle’s wording differs slightly from the Anglican Communion’s existing definition, which since 1930 has required member churches to be “in communion with the See of Canterbury,” commonly understood as the Church of England.

The second proposal seeks to broaden and diversify the leadership of three Anglican Communion bodies known as the “Instruments of Communion” – the ACC, the Primates’ Meeting and the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops. The archbishop of Canterbury is considered a fourth Instrument of Communion.

Under these changes, the archbishop of Canterbury would no longer serve as the ACC president; the presidency instead would rotate among leaders from the Anglican Communion’s five regions. The archbishop of Canterbury also traditionally has convened the Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference; those bodies would be newly convened by the Primates’ Standing Committee.

Such changes “would add a welcome and overdue diversification to the face of the Instruments of Communion,” the IASCUFO report said. “The leadership of the Communion should look like the Communion.” The report added that Anglican leadership should reflect “the identity and ideals of the Anglican Communion in a post-colonial era.”

The Rev. Ranjit Mathews, one of three Episcopal Church representatives to the ACC, told ENS that he sees the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals as a positive step forward in inter-Anglican relations, particularly the acknowledgement that the face of the Anglican Communion is becoming more global than it was a century ago. An increasing number of Anglicans now live in what is known as the Global South – Africa, Asia, South America.

“I think the proposals are catching up to the reality of what the communion looks like,” said Mathews, who serves as canon to the ordinary of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

At the same time, many of those Global South provinces are pushing for structural changes to the Anglican Communion because their conservative leaders do not agree with the theology, doctrine and practices of more progressive provinces on human sexuality and other issues. Although most Global South provinces have pressed their objections in person at the ACC, Primates’ Meeting and Lambeth Conference, a few provinces’ bishops have refused for years to participate in any such gatherings attended by leaders of The Episcopal Church and other provinces that have consecrated gay and lesbian bishops and blessed or married same-sex couples.

In February 2023, theologically conservative Anglicans amplified their calls for structural changes after the Church of England’s General Synod endorsed a plan to offer same-sex blessings in England’s churches.

Days later, the ACC convened its latest meeting in Accra, Ghana. Then-Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, in his opening remarks, responded to the growing tensions by called for greater egalitarianism in how the Anglican Communion’s 42 provinces relate to each other. The Instruments of Communion “have never had either doctrinal or ethical authority, but they have moral force,” Welby said, and he asserted that they continue to offer “the way forward in mutual help where country comes after obedience to God.”

Later in the meeting, ACC members from 38 provinces, including The Episcopal Church, adopted a resolution on “good differentiation” that endorsed efforts “to explore theological questions regarding structure and decision-making to help address our differences in the Anglican Communion.”

After the ACC concluded its meeting, conservative archbishops issued a letter rejecting the continuation of the archbishop of Canterbury’s historic leadership role in the worldwide communion as the “first among equals.” In opposing the Church of England’s decision on same-sex blessings, they said they would “expeditiously meet, consult and work with other orthodox primates in the Anglican Church across the nations to re-set the Communion on its biblical foundation.”

Welby has since resigned over his handling of an unrelated scandal. The challenge of maintaining Anglican Communion unity is likely to remain a top priority when his successor is chosen, a process that is now underway.

In the meantime, IASCUFO is preparing its Nairobi-Cairo Proposals for presentation to the ACC at its next meeting, to be hosted by the Church of Ireland in June and July 2026. The commission did not specifically intend its proposals to address the concerns of the Global South bishops, Tomlin said, though the changes may allow all provinces to find ways to stay connected despite their differences.

“What we propose is not trying to solve the problems of the communion,” Tomlin told ENS. “What we are proposing is a structure that might give an opportunity for the communion to hold together while those problems work themselves out over time.”

Initial reactions to the proposals, however, have not dispelled uncertainty about the provinces’ ability to “walk together,” as Welby had encouraged them to do. Conservative bishops have expressed less interest in maintaining unity than in doctrinal conformity, based in their interpretation of Scripture as condemning homosexuality.

“We cannot walk together in sin,” South Sudan Archbishop Justin Badi said in a June 2024 address to the Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches, or GSFA, which he chairs. “Unless there is repentance by those who have gone astray, we cannot have unity at the expense of God’s life-giving truth.”

Though Badi spoke while the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals were still in development, the GSFA has not softened its position since the proposals’ release. They will be reviewed by the GSFA’s Faith & Order Commission to develop a response consistent with members’ shared beliefs, Badi said in a March 2025 message.

“In contrast to the IASCUFO recommendation of an ‘ecumenical’ pattern of Communion relationships,” Badi said, the GFSA “recognizes that the ‘fellowship of Christ’s religion’ requires the discernment of truth from error, of that which is according to Christ and that which is contrary to Christ.”

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe has been more receptive to the Nairobi-Cairo Proposals, which he thinks could help strengthen the Anglican Communion in its shared mission. “These relationships across the communion could be world-changing,” Rowe said in an interview last month with The Living Church for its podcast.

The proposed changes “give us some really interesting things to think about,” Rowe said. “I really think the proposal of sharing primacy in a post-colonial context is really interesting, what that might mean and what’s the role of the ACC going forward. I think this is good work.”

Mathews, the Episcopal Church ACC member, expressed similar hope in his interview with ENS, including that all 42 provinces may return to the table to discuss the Anglican Communion’s future.

“I always hold out hope that members and member churches might come back and realize what a gift the communion is,” Mathews said. The proposals may not resolve any doctrinal differences, but “I still think it’s a movement forward.”

“The Episcopal Church is still going to show up as we are,” he continued. “How do we continue to extend hands to folks who do not agree with us or do not share an understanding around theology?”

– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.

A transgender pride flag is displayed at a booth during Portland Pride on July 21, 2024, in Portland, Oregon. Photo: Jenny Kane/AP

[Episcopal News Service] Over the next week, some Episcopal churches will recognize International Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, with special worship services and educational events to celebrate transgender people and their contributions to society, and to raise awareness of the discrimination they face worldwide.

“This is a time of celebration. I do think it’s important to acknowledge the particular context we are in right now, but for now we will focus on empowerment and strengths and celebrating the vibrant, lived reality of trans and nonbinary and two-spirit [meaning, third-gender person],” the Rev. Cameron Partridge, rector of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church in San Francisco, Diocese of California, and a trans man, told Episcopal News Service. “We’re here and we are in community and we’re in leadership, and we have opportunities to experience and express our joy even in the midst of hardship.”

Partridge will preach at Grace Cathedral’s Trans Day of Visibility evening Eucharist at 6 p.m. Pacific on March 30, which will be streamed via Zoom. 

“There are so many pressures for trans people to fly under the radar, to not be noticed, to try to minimize who they are. This Eucharist is a chance to let that aside and just be loved for who you are and to celebrate before God who God created you to be,” the Very Rev. Malcolm Young, dean of Grace Cathedral, told ENS. “It’s so important to support and love our trans siblings every day.”

After the worship service, Partridge will moderate a conversation with Nico Lang, an LGBTQ+ news and politics reporter, about their newest book, “American Teenager: How Trans Kids are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era.”

Earlier in the day on March 30, St. Aidan’s morning worship services will incorporate some liturgical resources recently created for the day of visibility. TransEpiscopal, a group that advocates for more inclusive church policies toward transgender people and creates supportive spaces for trans Episcopalians, and the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Mission collaborated on the liturgical resources.

Also, in the Diocese of California, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Redwood City will host a day of visibility service on April 5.

The term “transgender” refers to an individual whose gender identity, expression or behavior does not conform with the person’s assigned sex at birth, whereas nonbinary reflects a gender identity that is not strictly male or female. The terms are often associated with each other but are not interchangeable.

Rachel Crandall Crocker, a transgender activist and psychotherapist from Michigan, founded the first Transgender Day of Visibility in 2009 out of frustration that the only designated day recognizing trans people was the Transgender Day of Remembrance. The day of remembrance, which takes place every Nov. 20, memorializes those who’ve been targeted and murdered for being transgender and raises awareness of violence against trans people. In contrast, the day of visibility is a time of unashamed pride, celebration and acknowledgement of trans people’s existence and resilience.

The Diocese of New York will host a livestreamed 12 p.m. Eastern prayer service celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility on March 29 at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Aaron Scott, The Episcopal Church’s gender justice officer and a lay trans man, will preach.

“I am most excited to be with a whole bunch of other trans people at a gathering that is about us being alive – right together – even when we now have officially seen legislation that says we don’t exist,” Scott told ENS.

LGBTQ+ sentiment and hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have increased in recent years. Out of 821 anti-trans bills introduced in 49 states so far in 2025 by federal, state and local legislators, 40 have already passed, and 725 cases remain active, according to the Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks bills affecting anti-trans and gender-diverse people in the United States. Last week, South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law that restricts trans people from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity. Similar bills are moving forward in Arkansas, Tennessee and New Hampshire.

After taking office on Jan. 20, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders aimed at erasing references across federal agencies and departments to issues of diversity and “gender ideology.” By early February, agency websites began to remove mention of transgender or queer people, including the Rev. Pauli Murray, and changed the acronym LGBTQ (for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) to LGB.

“Now more than ever, it’s important for the church to invest in real relationships, whether that’s one-on-one in your parish or between your parish and diocese, and whatever transgender-led organizations that are in your wider community,” Scott said. “This is a great time to reach out to your local trans youth group or LGBTQ center and say, ‘Hey, we are an affirming church. If you have a need for food donations or a need for people who need transportation to and from medical appointments or whatever, we’re here for you.’”

New York Assistant Bishop Mary Glasspool, the second openly gay – and first lesbian – bishop in the Anglican Communion, told ENS in a phone interview, “When you are in a group that’s considered a minority group, and there is a whole sort of stereotypical characterization of that group, and you may feel targeted simply because you’re a member of that group, not because of who you are as an individual, it can be very scary,” 

Glasspool, who oversees the Diocese of New York’s LGBTQ+ Concerns Committee, will retire on June 30 after almost 45 years of ordained ministry.

“You can’t say there aren’t transgender people in the world. They are wonderful human beings – children of God – deserving … to be loved and accepted into the human community,” she said.

New York Bishop Matthew Heyd, who will preside over the prayer service at St. John the Divine, echoed a similar sentiment when he spoke with ENS by phone.

“The Holy Spirit moves at ground level, and welcome is a gift and an opportunity for The Episcopal Church that we would make clear our welcome to transgender people, and that they would know that in all of our communities, they can find a place to belong,” he said.

The day of visibility service at St. John the Divine will also feature live music from the TRANScend Ambassadors, New York’s first and only choral ensemble featuring trans and gender-expansive singers. The ensemble performed at St. John the Divine’s first day of visibility in 2024 and beforehand at St. John’s in the Village in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood.

“One of the bits of feedback that I get constantly is, ‘I never thought there was going to be a place for me. I never thought I would hear trans people singing liturgical music in a church. I never thought there would be a place where I could go and feel spiritually at home and have music that spoke to me from people who I identify with,’” Felix Graham, a trans vocologist and music pedagogue who founded TRANScend in 2021, told ENS.

In the Diocese of Newark in New Jersey, the diocesan LGBTQ+ task force will offer a celebratory day of visibility service on March 31 at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison. The Rev. Abigail King, priest-in-charge of Trinity Episcopal Church in Bayonne and a trans woman, will officiate. Brigid Dwyer, a lay leader in the diocese and a trans woman, will preach. The liturgy will incorporate some of TransEpiscopal’s liturgical resources.

“When I came out to my parish, one of the things I said in my letter was that in an ideal world, coming out would be a little bit like letting people know that you moved to a new house, otherwise Christmas cards will go to the wrong place. …But we don’t live in an ideal world, and coming out is more fraught than that,” King told ENS. “Transgender Day of Visibility is a good way to elevate trans voices and celebrate who we are.”

-Shireen Korkzan is a reporter and assistant editor for Episcopal News Service. She can be reached at skorkzan@episcopalchurch.org.