Explanation

Women have been ordained clergy in The Episcopal Church since 1974 (adopted by Canon at the 65th General Convention of 1976). The disparity in role and pay, as documented and evidenced by the Church, and witnessed to by women clergy, continue to be a hindrance to women being able to fully live into their call, limiting not only women clergy, but the Church as a whole. Women clergy are often the victims of sexual harassment and other forms of abuse within the Church. The Church is to be a beacon of what is possible, good, and right in society, and yet participates in outright discrimination, setting a poor role model for women and girls. The Church should always be at the forefront of justice, and the status and treatment of women and girls must be a part of that gospel mission. Something must be done to remove the log from our own eye, so that we may work to remove it from that of the society in which we live. Sexism, like racism, is a societal ill that many participate in unaware, requiring us to engage in self-awareness of our own biases, and that of the world in which we live. Just as the Anti-Racism Trainings have opened the eyes of so many in this Diocese, we hope that the Anti-Sexism training and education will do the same. While required training may not eliminate outright sexism and misogyny, the Anti-Racism training has shown that by its very requirement in the canons, focus and attention on the issue is made manifest in the Church by those who have taken it. Whenever any part of God’s creation is abused, we all suffer, and it is our gospel mission to work for justice for all. The following are excerpts from Why Gender Still Matters by The Rev. Paula Nesbitt, PhD, Chair, 2012-15 Executive Council Committee on the Status of Women: “The following statistical trends from the Church Pension Fund and other sources point to some areas where gender now matters little, but also to where it significantly matters. Where any group is disadvantaged, it limits the opportunity for the diversity of all gifts and skills in the ministry. It also can keep alive bias, as well as limit our imagination of the possibilities that the church is called to be.