A diocese of the Episcopal Church has installed a woman who is believed to be its first openly lesbian bishop in the southern United States.
Rev. Sarah Fisher is in a same-sex union with Rev. Mandy Brady, The Christian Post reported May 28.
A spokesperson for the denomination told the outlet it was believed “Bishop Fisher is the first openly lesbian Episcopal Church bishop for a diocese based in the South.”
The Episcopal News Service reported May 26 that the Diocese of East Carolina ordained Fisher at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, North Carolina:
In a letter she wrote to the diocese and to those who have helped to shape her path, Fisher said this: “My friends, as we stand on the precipice of this new adventure together, may we hold fast to the promise that God’s power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. With a grateful and full heart, I can’t wait to see where we go.”
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Fisher is married to the Rev. Mandy Brady. In the autobiographical statement she sent during the search process, she described herself as “a pilgrim following the risen Christ,” with a love for congregational and organizational development. She believes “God’s love is irresistible and that Love Incarnate always gets the last and best word.”
According to the section of the Episcopal Church’s website regarding the LGBTQ+ community, leadership said it had “prayed, studied, and discerned” and “have seen the evidence of God’s blessing in the lives and love of our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ.”
The site reads:
In 2026, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of our church affirming that LGBTQ+ people have a full and equal claim to the love, acceptance, and pastoral care of the church. The journey to make that promise a reality continues today, as we remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for love and for lives that refuse to be erased.
The Episcopal Church in 2022 passed a resolution supporting sex change attempts for people of all ages, Breitbart News reported.
“The resolution specifically ‘affirms that all Episcopalians should be able to partake in gender affirming care with no restriction on movement, autonomy, or timing,’” the article reads. “The Episcopal Church also opposes laws that prohibit people, including children, from being medically assisted in their attempts to change their sex.”
“What the Episcopal Church refers to as ‘gender affirming care’ includes medical interventions such as the use of puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy,” it added, “as well as surgeries that permanently damage fully functioning body parts, or that seek to change one’s face shape.”
