The Church of Sweden Held Trans Seminar: “Love Won”

Since 2021, the Church of Sweden has organized the event Transblessing, a :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89: conference for Christian transgender people. This year’s program included, among other things, a seminar with a Swiss pastoral student who spoke about queer theology from a trans perspective.

On March 31 every year, the American creation Transgender Day of Visibility takes place, something the Church of Sweden considers necessary here as well and has thus imported the day to Sweden. In addition to recognizing the day, Transblessing was also organized for the sixth consecutive year.

In the past, Transblessing organizers have insisted that the event should be a separatist space, but this year anyone interested could participate in “Transblessing for All,” a webinar for those who want to learn more about trans and gender identity, and contribute to a more inclusive environment for transgender people.

One of the scheduled events was a seminar with a pastoral student from Switzerland who spoke about queer theology from a trans perspective, and three young trans people shared their experiences. They discussed issues such as inclusive room divisions at camps and the importance of making name and pronoun rounds the norm in all congregation contexts.

– We are very pleased with the program and the speakers. It felt like we had a broad range and that we managed to deliver what we wanted—to make it feel like our conferences, says organizer Oliver Jähnke to Kyrkans Tidning.

Love Won

Before the day, the organizers wanted the focus not only to be on the challenges faced by trans people but also “trans joy.” According to Jähnke, this can mean everyday happiness that everyone feels, but also joy that is specific to trans people, like gender euphoria.

In the lead-up to the event, organizers reportedly received threats and the day was carried out under police supervision.

– We’ve had to spend time on things we absolutely don’t want to have to deal with, and it feels downright awful to have to adapt because of these threats. But during the actual event, it felt safe. There were a few people who were not there out of genuine curiosity and goodwill, but they did not take over—throughout the day, it really felt like love won.