(LifeSiteNews) — A Methodist “pastor” in Rochester, New York, announced to his congregation on November 23 that he is planning to transition to female. “The best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman,” Dr. Phillip Phaneuf said, his clerical garb decked with a rainbow stole. “I’m giving up pretending to be a man. A video of his sermon at North Chili United Methodist Church went viral on X:
United Methodist Chuch Pastor announces he is TRANSITIONING to become a ‘woman’ during sermon.
“I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning…I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) December 2, 2025
“Everyone gets nervous when there’s a special announcement from the pastor,” Phaneuf announced. “I’m not leaving. Hold on to that, because I’m going to hold you to it. I did not get into ministry to talk about myself or my personal life, but sometimes there are things that happen in a pastor’s personal life that is going to find its way out into ministry.”
“I am inviting you to join me in a season of creative transformation for myself, and for all of us,” Phaneuf continued. “I get to announce with joy that I’m transitioning. I am affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender … Thank God you have never chosen me as your pastor based off of my appearance.”
After asserting that there is no such thing as “boy’s clothes” and “girl’s clothes” because they don’t “carry a reproductive system with them,” he told the congregation that his voice “may go a tad higher. Pronouns: she/her, but I’m not going to be pronoun police, okay? Because I don’t think that anyone will ‘misgender’ or ‘mis-pronoun’ out of malice. This is a process, it’s a transition … What may change is that in the community, we may become known as an even safer space for people who have felt marginalized.”
He added, “I’m in the category of what they call ‘asexual.’ I’ve been that way since we’ve all been together.”
“Are my parents okay with this? Absolutely not,” he told his congregants. “They texted me this morning and asked for me to tell you all that they do not support me and that they have chosen their convictions and beliefs over supporting their child.”
This, obviously, is a manipulative and deceitful way to present the response of his parents, who clearly believe that supporting what is best for him precludes supporting his decision to attempt to live as a woman. In any case, Phaneuf is still listed on the United Methodists of New York website as a man.
Phaneuf, who donned a transgender stole during a subsequent service, claimed that God had endorsed his transition. “Imagine if your doctor came and told you that your quality and outlook on life could transform exponentially to the positive,” he said. “Would you listen to that doctor? If you felt God’s Holy Spirit surrounding you in ways that you haven’t felt in years, would you have a sense that that might be something that God was okay with? Yeah.”
Phaneuf also told the congregation that his ecclesiastical superiors as well as the United Methodist Church all support his transition, and that he had been taking hormone replacement therapy for several months.
The United Methodist Church changed its denominational position on LGBT clergy in May 2024, and Phaneuf noted that Methodist theology is now supportive of transgenderism. He further claimed that ancient Hebrew affirms “at least eight different gender types.”
Throughout his announcement, his congregation was remarkably silent, even when he attempted humor — aside from a scattered “amen” or two. Phaneuf clearly noticed this and addressed congregants who might ask if they were “okay with this.”
“I deeply, deeply believe … that you’ll get over the appearance part and recognize that what stays the same is what has kept us together in love and ministry to this community and the community at large,” he told them. “So may it continue to be so.”
The United Methodist Church split in 2019 over the acceptance of LGBT ideology and LGBT clergy, with a special General Conference session introducing a temporary provision allowing American congregations to leave the denomination with their property. Since 2019, over 7,600 churches left, representing a quarter of total American churches.
