It took 3 years before
I claimed my shelter
under the Trans* umbrella.
I didn’t know I was allowed.

I thought, perhaps like you,
that being trans was like
applying for a credit card;
I didn’t qualify.

I am not trying to
destroy the English language.
Why is it the way it is?
I don’t know.
But my guess is
patriarchy, erasure, ignorance.

Did you know
that uterus comes
from the
Greek word for hysterical?
Yeah.
English is already broken,
because of course,
we wrote it.

I just know that
I don’t want to be an It.
When I am a They,
I feel
seen and heard,
honored and protected.

And I am sorry that
Shirley English
has you reeling
over what’s Proper.
I am not looking for proper.
I am asking for Right.

My pronouns are they/them/theirs.
Now, use it in a sentence.

The Rev. Molly McGinnis (they/them) is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and currently serves as an Associate Pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta. Molly earned their B.A. from the University of Arkansas in 2009 and a Masters of Divinity at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 2014. Molly has a heart for LGBTQ inclusion and advocacy in the Church. As a transgender pastor, Molly seeks to reconcile queer people and faith communities and to help educate people on intersections of faith, gender identity, and sexual identity. Molly is a poet, foodie, and traveler. They like to spend their free time with their dog and with their partner.