A Time of Transition
Portland pastor reaches out to congregation and community at large
By Cornelius Swart
http://www.justout.com/news.aspx?id=333 (http://www.justout.com/news.aspx?id=333)
The Reverend David Weekley is one of only two publicly transgender Methodist clergy in the United States. The 59-year-old Portland resident began transitioning to a man in 1982, first with hormone therapy and then through sexual reassignment surgery. Married for 14 years, Weekley has five children. For decades he told few people other than his wife, Deborah, about his origins as a biological female.
All that changed last July when he came out to his congregation and to the local and national press, including an appearance on CBS' The Early Show.
Rev. Weekley makes no bones about his hopes that by telling his story he can move the United Methodist Church's policies regarding GLBTQ clergy in a more progressive direction.