Coming Out of Phillippa Phaneuf

On November 23, 2025, senior minister of the LGBTQ+ affirming North Chili United Methodist Church in Rochester, New York, Rev. Dr. Phillippa Faye Phaneuf came out as a transgender woman.

She gained national viral attention online when the video of her coming out as trans during a church service was covered by the New York Post. Her coming out announcement was seen by millions of viewers worldwide.

Rev. Dr. Phillippa Phaneuf has served as a pastor at North Chili United Methodist Church since 2019. She had also been taking gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for 3 months before coming out, which she discussed with Planned Parenthood.

Phaneuf had been serving in ministry for at least 20 years. She identified as asexual, stating that "I am not living my life in a way that involves looking for romance." She states that she has an ADHD brain type and a 12 year old daughter, who she describes as an ally who has been one of her strongest supports.

Phaneuf came out to her congregation from the pulpit around the last ten minutes of the worship service. She describes that she felt happy in a way she had not felt for years when on her first week of HRT, believing this to be a sign of affirmation from the Holy Spirit. She describes her coming out as, not her becoming a woman, but rather, her giving up on pretending to be a man.

Several members of the congregation at North Chili United Methodist Church reported being moved to tears. The United Methodists of Upper New York provided her affirmation, saying "This moment is a significant step in Rev. Dr. Phaneuf's journey of authenticity and faith." Meanwhile, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos-Núñez responded "I give thanks for Rev. Dr. Phil Phaneuf's courage and honesty in embracing the fullness of who God created her to be."

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) offered their praise for both Phaneuf's bravery, as well as the response of the congregation. Brandon Wolf, HRC's national press secretary added "Reverend Phaneuf's coming out and the support she has received is a testament to the power of stepping into our truth and sharing our stories, and a reminder that LGBTQ+ people are in every community and part of the fabric of every piece of society."

Phaneuf came out to her parents around November 21, 2025. However, on the morning before the announcement, she received a text which outlined their rejection of her gender, stating "tell people, make sure that the people know where we stand on this." She saw her parents' response as being more concerned with how they looked to other people, rather than how she saw them. When Phaneuf included the rejection in the announcement, she states she did so because her parents requested it and not out of any desire to shame them for it. Her parents had attended remote Bible studies with the church in the past. Other of her family members, Phaneuf says, have shown her their affirmations, alongside many congregational members who were near her parents' age that have acted as surrogate parental figures to her to fill the emotional gap.

One person in the congregation walked out during Phaneuf's announcement. American politician Derrick Evans reacted on X "There's a special place in hell for fake 'pastors'". In regards to the backlash online, Phaneuf says "I'm not in a spot, nor do I want to be in a spot where I have to debate my existence". She explained that she decided to block the hate comments of those who she believed had no realistic possibility of changing their minds. "Friends are the ones giving you the support and the affirmation... so then any kind of strangers' hate comments pale in comparison. It just doesn't match up", she elaborates. She claims much of the hate comments are uncreatively copy-and-pasted and that they do not take away the "trans joy" that she felt when coming out.

International Family News argued against the United Methodist Church's affirmation of Phaneuf embracing being transgender, believing her physical changes in appearance, such as with hair and voice, "could disrupt the stability and role modeling expected from pastoral leadership." They claim that her assurances to uphold her duties to the church do not do much in addressing potential confusion and division that may arise from the congregation. They believe that such support from the denomination risks alienation from conservatives and dilution of the gospel, claiming this to be falling into societal pressure for inclusivity over orthodoxy. The American Spectator claimed that Phaneuf's transition demonstrates how the United Methodist Church is in turmoil, believing them to have gone "full woke" saying "The church's population is falling off a cliff and its finances are in shambles." Meanwhile, the White Water Company reacted on X saying "Obviously this is PURE EVIL!" MXM News argued "the church navigates a transformation that seems to be driven less by Scripture and more by the shifting winds of modern identity politics."

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