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OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
9:02 AM – Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Reverend Phillip Phaneuf of the North Chili United Methodist Church (UMC) in Upstate New York announced to his congregation that he will be transitioning to identify as a woman.
Phaneuf, 51, stood before churchgoers on a Sunday in late November wearing a rainbow stole.
“I did not get into ministry to talk about myself or my personal life, but sometimes there are things that happen in a pastor’s personal life that is going to find its way out into … ministry,” Phaneuf said, no longer wearing the beard he was photographed with for his UMC headshot. “So, I am inviting you to join me in a season of creative transformation for myself and I think for all of us.”
He continued to liken his new revelation about himself to a doctor giving advice that could “transform exponentially” one’s “quality and outlook on life.”
“I get to announce with joy that I am transitioning. I am affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender,” the pastor declared. “So, the best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”
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The pastor said that this would be a “process where we invite God’s Holy Spirit to grant us grace and peace” and asked the congregation to be aware of their “fear of the unknown.”
Many things would stay the same, Phaneuf said, including his commitment to “the good news of Jesus Christ.”
The church leader announced that he would be taking on the name Phillippa Faye Phaneuf and would like to continue being called Pastor Phil or Reverend Phil.
“I’m not going to be the pronoun police,” he told the crowd. “I don’t think that anybody will misgender or mis-pronoun out of malice.”
He also said his appearance will change, joking that the congregation did not choose him for his looks, anyway. He added that his voice may sound higher and that he had already started hormone replacement therapy.
The Methodist pastor claimed that the scriptures, Methodist theology, his district superintendent, his bishop, and the UMC are “okay” with his transition, adding that the ancient text of the Bible recognized “more than two” genders.
He did admit, however, that his parents did not support the transition, and they asked for their position to be made known to the church.
Phaneuf also confirmed that he identified as asexual, but that he’d been that way for a while.
“I’m not living my life in such a way that I am looking for romance,” the pastor said, “and that’s okay!”
Phaneuf posted a video of his announcement on social media, followed by selfies wearing feminine makeup and earrings.
He told Fox News, “Since coming out to my congregation, they have been overwhelmingly affirming!”
Last year, the UMC revised its rules against LGBTQ individuals in the community, according to its official website. It now affirms sexuality as “a sacred gift,” which it says “applies to all persons, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
“The United Methodist Church commits to befriending and caring for all persons, including LGBTQ persons in our churches and communities,” it held.
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