ELCA’s First Trans Bishop Sues Denomination After Forced Resignation

The first trans-identified bishop in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has filed a lawsuit against the denomination after being compelled to resign over allegations of racism and other issues. Megan Rohrer filed the suit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking monetary damages. The filing also names the Sierra Pacific Synod, the regional body where Rohrer served as bishop, and Does 1-25, who may be named as the litigation continues.

The complaint states that Rohrer was terminated by the ELCA “after suffering harassment and engaging in whistleblowing.” It argues that church leadership acted with “animus” and falsely cast the former bishop as a racist. The filing also claims that the “Church demonstrated its lack of acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people.”

“The Church’s history of prejudice far predated Megan Rohrer’s entry into the Church, and the notion he was motivated by racial animus in any personnel decisions is an outright falsehood propagated by the Church to deflect blame,” the lawsuit reads. “It has also had the tragic effect of turning marginalized communities against each other.”

Rohrer accuses the denomination of mistreatment, intentional and repeated misgendering, and mocking gender identity. The plaintiff seeks “economic and non-economic damages,” legal fees, exemplary damages, and the imposition of applicable fines and penalties for “wrongful conduct.” According to the source, Rohrer’s contract as bishop did not end until June 30, 2027, but Rohrer was forced to resign on June 4, 2022, over the termination of a Hispanic pastor. In late May 2022, ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton issued a statement publicly calling for Rohrer’s resignation. The complaint says that the presiding bishop and her predecessor “minimized Rohrer’s gender identity and complained about [her] presence in leadership,” and it describes “near-daily hate mail, death threats, and overtly hateful vitriol” directed at Rohrer from congregants and members of the public.

Rohrer is represented by Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP, a law firm with offices in California, New York and Washington state. Attorney Tamarah Prevost said in a statement on Wednesday that Rohrer “is an extraordinary individual who has dedicated [her] life to lifting marginalized communities in faith and in service.” Prevost added that “The Church’s public false statements implying he is racist are egregious, absurd, and are contradicted by [her] entire life’s work.”

In September 2021, Rohrer became the first trans-identified bishop in the history of the ELCA. Rohrer had previously served as community chaplain coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department and as pastor of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in San Francisco. Shortly after being installed as bishop, allegations surfaced that Rohrer had engaged in unethical behavior, including the firing of Pastor Nelson Rabell-Gonzalez of Misión Latina Luterana. Critics accused the firing of having racial motivations. The source also notes litigation surrounding Rohrer’s actions as pastor of Grace Lutheran. Holding leaders to account for their decisions, and weighing the facts fairly before judging them, is the kind of honest dealing that Scripture ties to truthful speech (Proverbs 18:17).

In her statement calling for Rohrer’s resignation, Eaton referred to “profound issues regarding the circumstances surrounding the end of Nelson Rabell-González’ call to the Misión Latina Luterana community on the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a day of such importance to that congregation and community.” Eaton said her decision “was not made hastily nor without much deep consideration” and was based on “a careful analysis of both the totality of information available and the disciplinary criteria and processes as described in the Constitution, Bylaws, and Continuing Resolutions of the ELCA.”

The lawsuit disputes that account. It claims Rohrer was a victim of scapegoating for “following the directive” of superiors to “terminate Rabell-González on the precise date.” The complaint states that “The Church’s narrative surrounding Rohrer’s termination is replete with falsehoods and post-hoc justifications that are ungrounded in fact. The Church investigated, and disciplined, Rev. Rabell-González’s before Rohrer became Bishop.”

Source: Read the original report