An Episcopal priest in New York City has stirred controversy by asserting that Jesus Christ was transgender and that God is nonbinary. This belief aligns with previous comments made by James Talarico, a Texas Democratic Senate candidate.
Father Flourish Klink, who identifies as nonbinary and transgender, shared these views during a sermon at Christ & St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on the Upper West Side. In a livestreamed segment, Klink boldly stated, “God is nonbinary,” before adding, “But I’m going to go further than that, and I’m going to say God is actually also trans.”
Klink, using pronouns like “they/elle/hen,” elaborated on how transgender individuals are often assigned a gender at birth based solely on external appearances. This concept was utilized to justify the claim that “God is trans.” They noted, “When we’re old enough, we realize that wasn’t right and we’re not, in our deepest selves, the gender that everyone thought we were. Reasonable working definition of a trans person, right?”
Continuing their argument, Klink pointed out that when God, who they had earlier identified as nonbinary, took human form as Jesus, Mary referred to him as a baby boy. However, Klink quickly asserted, “God isn’t a boy, we have established this. God is beyond boy and girl.”
The priest acknowledged having a spouse and daughter, then argued that the gender assigned to God at birth was ultimately incorrect. They said, “If you’re gonna deny that God is trans, I think you’re going to be denying the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ and I have some notes about that.”
Klink further claimed that Jesus didn’t conform to the traditional male role of his time. Instead of marrying, he chose to teach and connect with women in ways typical men of the first century did not. The priest referenced biblical passages about how Jesus appeared differently after his resurrection as a point to this theory.
Klink concluded their sermon with personal interpretations rather than substantial evidence, saying, “Now I don’t know for sure, I wasn’t there. But based on everything else I know about God, I have an idea. I think Jesus was resurrected as Jesus’ true self, which is beyond male or female. I think Jesus was not only transfigured; I think Jesus transitioned.”
Klink’s assertions echo earlier remarks by Talarico, who stated, “God is both masculine and feminine and everything in between. God is nonbinary,” during his time as a state representative in 2021. However, he has since walked back these comments as he campaigns in a closely watched Senate race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Talarico later clarified, “What I was trying to say is that you can’t use human categories to define God, and that’s not controversial theologically.”
