Megan Rohrer

Megan Rohrer (born April 3, 1980) is an American pastor and activist.[1] Rohrer (who uses gender-neutral singular they pronouns) is the first openly transgender minister to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[3][4][5][6]

Megan Rohrer
Born (1980-04-03) April 3, 1980[1]
Sioux Falls, South Dakota, U.S.[1]
NationalityAmerican
Alma materAugustana University
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary[1]
OccupationPastor • activist
EmployerGrace Evangelical Lutheran Church
Spouse(s)Laurel Rohrer[2]
Websitewww.revrohrer.com

Early life and education

Rohrer was born in 1980 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.[1] In 1998, they graduated from high school and enrolled in Augustana University to study religion.[1] In college they came out as a lesbian, and became president of the Gay-Straight Alliance. They encountered resistance, threats, and attempted "cures" by fellow students for their sexuality.[1][3] Rohrer graduated from Augustana in 2001.[1]

Rohrer moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2002 to continue their studies. By this time they had come to identify as transgender.[3] Rohrer attended Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary and Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California, earning a Master of Divinity from PSR in 2005 and a Doctor of Ministry in 2016.[7][8]

Rohrer was ordained in 2006, becoming the first openly transgender person to be ordained by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.[1][4][3]

Career

In 2010, Rohrer and six other Bay Area gay and transgender pastors were reinstated into the Evangelical Lutheran Church, after the national assembly voted to allow partnered gay people to serve as clergy. The pastors' churches had previously been banned from the denomination for ordaining gay and lesbian ministers who refused to take vows of celibacy.[9]

In 2014, Rohrer was installed as pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco.[3][5]

In 2017, Rohrer was hired by the San Francisco Police Department as their first chaplain from the LGBTQ community.[6]

Activism

Rohrer has helped the homeless in San Francisco, serving as Executive Director of the Welcome ministry to the homeless and hungry, leading the Singers of the Street choir, distributing sandwiches, and participating in a night ministry with other local pastors.[4][5][10][11] Rohrer has also helped to grow and distribute thousands of pounds of free food from community gardens.[4][7]

In 2015, Rohrer started a fundraiser to raise bail for Meagan Taylor, a black trans woman who was held in isolation in an Iowa jail.[12]

In the wake of the 2016 Oakland warehouse fire, in which at least three transgender people were killed, Rohrer was called upon by the city of Oakland to provide support and assistance to the community.[13]

Rohrer has advocated for trans people who would be impacted by proposed "bathroom bills" that seek to restrict restroom usage based on sex assigned at birth.[14]

Awards, honors and recognition

Selected publications

Through Grace Lutheran Church and Wilgefortis Press, Rohrer has written a number of books for children in the Good News Children's Book Series.[19]

Adult titles authored or co-authored by Rohrer include:

  • Rohrer, Megan (2012). Queerly Lutheran. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781365105265.
  • Rohrer, Megan (2014). Holy Night: Prayers and Meditations for People of the Night. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781312256903.
  • Rohrer, Megan; Keig, Zander (2016). Manifest: Transitional Wisdom on Male Privilege. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781365276828.

References
  1. "Rev. Megan Rohrer". The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Religious Archives Network. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  2. Nahmod, David-Elijah (June 22, 2017). "Pride 2017: Trans pastor and police chaplain helps others". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. Chien, Jen (May 10, 2016). "A shepherd finds the perfect flock". KALW. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  4. "The Rev. Megan Rohrer". Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  5. Nahmod, David-Elijah (February 27, 2014). "Lutherans install trans pastor". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  6. Rosato Jr., Joe (January 17, 2017). "San Francisco Police Department Hires Its First-Ever LGBTQ Chaplain". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  7. "Distinguished Alumni/ae". Pacific School of Religion. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  8. Pacific School of Religion (n.d.). "Doctor of Ministry Dissertations". Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  9. Martinez-Cabrera, Alejandro (July 26, 2010). "Gay and transgender Lutheran pastors reinstated". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  10. Downing, Shane (May 20, 2016). "Faith-Based Meetup Distributes PB&Js To The Castro's Hungry". Hoodline. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  11. Fagan, Kegin (October 9, 2016). "Transgender pastor preaches to the choir with love". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  12. Ennis, Dawn (July 20, 2015). "Minister Raises $2,000 Bail for Black Woman 'Arrested While Trans'". The Advocate. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  13. Melendez, Lyanne (December 6, 2016). "Heartbreak in LGBT community for lives lost in Oakland Ghost Ship fire". ABC San Francisco. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  14. Robinson, Joshua (March 30, 2017). "Trans pastor visits Missoula amid "bathroom bill" news". ABC Fox Montana. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  15. Martin, Diane (February 24, 2014). "Dalai Lama Honors Lutheran Church's First Transgender Pastor". Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  16. "2014 Honorable Mentions". Unsung Heroes of Compassion. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  17. "Winners 2014". The International Film Festival for Spirituality, Religion, and Visionary. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  18. Murrow, Lauren; Johnson, Sydney (November 19, 2015). "Saluting 37 Soldiers of Social Change". San Francisco Magazine. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  19. "Books". Wilgefortis. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
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