FOUR WOMEN NOW LEAD PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN CANADA

Canadian Governor General Mary Simon was joined by three leaders of Canadian church organizations for the site selection ceremony of the National Residential Schools monument on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on the 20th of June. Pictured here (l to r) are Her Excellency; The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Landsdowne, Moderator of the United Church of Canada; The Rev. Mary Fontaine, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and The Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.

It was a breath of fresh air to read of the recent election of Rev. Mary Fontaine as Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, meaning that the Presbyterian, United, Anglican and Lutheran churches are now all headed by women in our country -- a Canadian record.

Mary Fontaine is Nehiyaw (Cree) from Mistawasis Nehiywak, Saskatchewan. She has a B.A. in Native Studies from the University of Alberta (1995) and an M.Div. from the Vancouver School of Theology (2003). She was on the Executive Committee of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (2010–2017) and convenes the National Indigenous Ministries Council of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.

In June of last year The Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne was elected only the second Indigenous Moderator of the United Church in Canada. Born in Albert Bay, British Columbia, and a member of Heiltsuk First Nation, she was ordained in 2007 and is a prominent speaker and writer. .

The Most Rev. Linda Carol Nicholls is the 14th primate of the Anglican Church, having been elected in 2019, and The Rev. Susan C. Johnson was elected as the fourth national bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada in 2007, re-elected again in 2016.

This group of distinquished church leaders shows the possibilities and potential for women in leadership roles in other church denominations in Canada, as well as demonstrating how far many have come in the past couple of decades.

The question of who leads a spiritual assembly is very much up to members of that assembly. Even the head of the Global Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury Justine Welby, has spoken out on the subject.

Addressing a conference on religion and media, Welby said the structure of the Anglican communion (which claims 85 million members worldwide) needed reform "so it is no longer invariably run by a white guy from England in a communion that is 90 per cent global south."

JUST FOR UNDERSTANDING PURPOSES: A CURSORY LOOK AT SOCIETY'S HUMAN IDENTITY DIFFERENCES

"...and in the end, they shall join themselves together."

I am sure that like me, a number of Wrights Lane readers, have little understanding for widespread differences in the human community of which we are all members. No denying a general
reluctance to acknowledge certain differences, choosing instead to adopt perceived safety of an arm's length ignorance on the entire matter.

As a for instance, have you ever wondered what the "Q" in LGBTQ stands for? Or what the other letters mean? Just as language constantly evolves, the words we use to describe ourselves and other facets of identity are changing, too. 

I think that it behooves all of us to join the 21st Century by keeping up to date with the often complex evolutions impacting our society, none of which will go away now or in the future. 

To that end, here are some terms warranting ready acknowlgement and with which we should become familiar and feel comfortable using, based on resources from the American Psychological Association; The Association of LGBTQ Journalists and the National Center for Transgender Equality. 

LGBTQ: The first four letters of this standard abbreviation are fairly straightforward: “Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.” The Q can stand for “questioning” -- as in still exploring one’s sexuality -- or “queer,” or sometimes both.

QUEER: Once considered a demeaning slur for being gay, “queer” is being reclaimed by some as a self-affirming umbrella term, especially among those who consider other labels restrictive. Some still believe it’s a homophobic slur, so it’s always best to ask or wait for the person whom you’re speaking with to use it.

SEX: The scientific community views sex as different from gender. Sex is assigned at birth based on a newborn’s physical and biological characteristics, such as chromosomes, hormone prevalence and anatomy. Generally, a newborn’s sex is assigned male or female, though some states and countries provide a third option for those who are intersex.

INTERSEX: People born with sex chromosomes, external genitalia or an internal reproductive system that is not considered standard for males or females. Parents and physicians usually choose the sex of the child, resulting in surgery or hormone treatment. Some intersex adults want this practice to end because one’s sex at birth may not align with their own sense of gender or identity.

GENDER: The socially constructed roles, behaviors and attributes that serve as cultural indicators of someone’s personal and social identity. Typically, these roles are grouped into one of two categories: male or female. That’s starting to change, as society grows more comfortable with the idea of gender as a spectrum and not binary.

GENDER IDENTITY: A person’s emotional and psychological sense of their gender, which may not align with the sex they were assigned at birth. The most common examples of gender identity are male and female, but there are several terms for people who don’t fit into those categories, such as the following…

NON-BINARY: One of the more common terms to describe people who don’t identify as male or female. Some may have a gender that blends male and female elements, or they may not identify with any gender. Common synonyms or alternatives to non-binary terms include genderqueer and gender nonconforming.

TRANSGENDER: Unlike non-binary people, transgender people may identify as male or female. What the two groups share is the innate sense that their gender identity does not match the sex they were assigned at birth.

CISGENDER: The prefix “cis” means “on this side.” Adding it to the suffix “gender” creates a word for someone whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth. In other words, someone who does not identify as transgender.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: One’s innate sexual attraction to other men, women or others who identify as non-binary. Not to be confused with gender, sex or gender identity.

LESBIAN: A noun and an adjective for women who are attracted to other women, although some women prefer to be called gay or queer – it’s always best to ask!

GAY: An adjective and not a noun, most often used to describe men who are attracted to other men (except in the aforementioned cases).

BISEXUAL: Someone who is attracted to more than one gender.

ASEXUAL: Asexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by a lack of sexual attraction, but it doesn’t rule out romantic feelings or tendancies.

PANSEXUAL: The prefix “pan” says it all. Pansexual is an adjective for those who are attracted to all types of people, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.

TENDER LOVING CARE: A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS

An elementary school teacher tells of the morning she met a neighbor in the laundry room of their apartment building. “How’s your 10-year-old daughter doing in school?” she asked. “Well,” he said, “let’s put it this way: I was helping her with her homework last night when she looked up at me and said, ‘Dad, you’re almost as smart as a mom.'”

Indeed! Perhaps more important for that daughter is something that was again confirmed in a recent, well-regarded scientific study: All around the world, women are better empathizers than men. And no matter where they live in the world, no matter what their cultural or family influences, moms score high marks in this area of life. And we all know empathy is crucial for any parent who wants to provide tender, loving care for their children.

Many years ago, at the University of Wisconsin, there was an undergraduate literary club — a group of brilliant male students who had demonstrated considerable writing talent. They met regularly, and at each meeting, one of the members would read aloud a story or an essay he had written and then submit it to the criticism of the others.

When the criticism got underway, no punches were pulled. The group held nothing back. The material was mercilessly dissected, almost line by line. So brutal were the sessions that the members called themselves “The Stranglers.” 

Not long after, a similar club was formed. It was called “The Wranglers,” and its membership consisted of female undergraduates who had demonstrated considerable literary talent. They, too, read their manuscripts aloud at their meetings and then submitted them to the other members’ critiques. But there was a significant difference in the criticism. It was exceedingly gentle and sensitive. In fact, there was almost none. 

The Wranglers tried to find kind things to say. They spoke in tender, positive rather than negative terms. The key attitude was one of encouragement, even for the feeblest efforts.

About 20 years after “The Stranglers” and "The Wranglers” had been born, a university alumnus analyzed the members’ careers. She discovered that not one of the bright, young male talents in “The Stranglers” group had achieved a literary reputation of any kind. On the other hand, “The Wranglers” had produced half a dozen prominent, successful writers. 

The essential talent in the two groups had initially been much the same. The Wranglers uplifted and encouraged others to believe in themselves, esteem themselves highly, and aspire to their true worth. But the Stranglers did the opposite, promoting self-doubt, self-discouragement, and low self-esteem. 

It seems that in choosing a name for themselves, “The Stranglers” had been wiser than they realized.