Christians Welcoming Trans & Gender Diverse People

Overview

How do we create Christian communities and families that genuinely welcome and support transgender and gender diverse people?

Across Australia and around the world, trans and gender diverse people are facing increasing hostility - much of it fuelled by Christian voices. Trans people have been caught up in the middle of many political debates and misinformation. Yet, our faith calls us toward justice, compassion, and expansive love. And many of the Christians in our communities and families are trans or gender diverse.

This workshop is for Christians who want to move beyond confusion or fear and into clarity, confidence, and care. It will bring together introductory and practical information:

Understanding Gender & Lived Experience

• The created diversity of sex and gender
• Transgender 101: foundations of language and experience
• Why gender affirmation is protective and life‑giving

Part B — Gender Expansive Theology

• The Bible's description of a God beyond binaries
• Jesus' disruption of gender norms
• Biblical images of gender fluidity and expansiveness
• How trans and gender diverse people reveal the Divine

Part C — Pastoral & Practical Care

• Top tips for supporting trans people in your community
• How to advocate in systems that often cause harm
• What to say, what not to say, and how to show up with love

I’m Steff (they/them) — a trans Christian pastor, writer, speaker, and author of Gender Expansive Faith. I’ve pastored a queer‑inclusive church, worked as a university chaplain, trained organisations across Australia, and spent years helping people navigate one of the most polarised intersections of identity and belief. My work centres on flipping the script on harmful gender narratives and helping communities move beyond “us vs. them” thinking.