from ENS
On June 7, the final day of General Synod 2025, members backed a motion that affirmed transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming and intersex people within the church after an often emotional but always respectful debate at St. Paul’s & St. George’s Episcopal Church in Edinburgh.
Specifically, the motion affirmed that trans+ people are made in the image of God, are loved by God, should be accorded the same dignity, respect and rights as cisgender people, and can and should participate fully in the life, worship, mission and ministry of the Scottish Episcopal Church.
Bringing the motion to Synod, the Rev. Amy Jo Philip described the experience of trans+ people since the recent Supreme Court ruling that a woman is defined by biological sex under equality law, saying, “The SEC welcomes you. We are all familiar with this phrase. We all assent to it, we want to live it. Trans+ and intersex people are however fearful about where we are welcome. We always have been and we are even more so since the Supreme Court ruling.