A California-based transgender pastor, Drew Stever, has spoken out about creating a more inclusive ministry for the LGBTQ+ community, saying that the Bible "wasn't written for 2024".
Stever, who identifies as a transgender man, serves at Hope Lutheran Church in Hollywood, part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
In an interview with The Daily Mail, he said he believes that traditional interpretations of gender, as outlined in the Bible, are "outdated".
He argued: "When we read in scripture that God created man and woman, yes, but God created everyone else as well."
His aim is to challenge the binary understanding of gender found in religious texts and provide a more welcoming space for people of all identities.
Raised in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, Stever grew up attending a Catholic school but struggled with anger and depression related to gender dysphoria.
It was a school teacher who introduced him to a theology that embraced inclusivity, igniting his calling to ministry.
Stever began his transition from female to male after finishing seminary in 2016.
He recalls feeling a divine message, saying: "There was a moment where I woke up, and the words that came to mind were, you don’t have to be angry anymore."
Stever and his partner Hazel, who is also an ordained minister, live with their three children in southern California.
Both have faced discrimination in the church, as many Christian denominations either limit women's roles or reject transgender clergy.
Stever acknowledges that the ELCA is "trying hard" to be a safer space for transgender individuals but recognises that acceptance remains slow across many faith communities.
While the ELCA ordained its first transgender pastor in 2015, and other denominations like the Methodist, Episcopal, and Presbyterian churches have followed suit, many Christian groups still hold to traditional gender definitions based on the Book of Genesis.