i stumbled upon this article about pastor david weekley who recently came out to his congregation about his sexual reassignment past.

He told them that in 1984, just nine years after undergoing
extensive sex-reassignment surgeries, he was ordained by the Methodist
Church without telling anyone of his original gender at birth.

i am pretty stoked to hear of the congregations response, which was positive in support. it shows a wonderful example of grace & acceptance. i do have a wonder when it comes to the big umc church. what is in a person's history that needs to be vetted out in the process of ordination?

in the little segment i have quoted, it is said that he didn't tell anyone of his original gender. i'm fine with that not being an everyday conversation piece, but when we talk of an ordination process (one that i understand to be extensive and thorough) that it isn't a topic of conversation i find hard to imagine.

who is responsible for asking the question or being open? is it even an issue?

what do you think?

update: we are getting a good conversation over the posting at my facebook wall. if you're a friend chime in. if you're not a friend, ask, and then do the same. or just drop a thought here.