Jo Inkpin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 1986 (deacon)
- 1987 (priest)
- Church of England (until 2000)
- Anglican Church of Australia (2000–2021)
- Uniting Church in Australia (2021–present)
Jo Inkpin | |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | England |
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| Spouse | Penny Jones |
| Alma mater | Durham University |
Josephine McDonnell Inkpin is an Australian priest and activist. Currently a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia, she was previously a member of the Anglican Church of Australia and was the church's first openly transgender priest.[1]
Inkpin was born in England. She completed a PhD in theology at Durham University in 1996, with a thesis titled "Combatting the 'Sin of Self-Sacrifice'?: Christian Feminism in the Women's Suffrage Struggle: 1903–1918".[2][3]
Career
Inkpin taught history and theology at Oxford University.[2] She was ordained a deacon in 1986 and a priest in 1987.[4] She has noted that the role of priest allowed her to "exist in a way between sexes – in previous centuries they called it the third sex".[1]
Inkpin and her wife Penny served in the Church of England before moving to Australia.[5]
Transition
Inkpin made a public statement in July 2017 announcing her transition.[6] At this time she was aged in her fifties and had felt that she was a woman for many years.[7] She chose the name "Josephine" in honour of Josephine Butler, an Anglican saint and theologian.[4]
The Archbishop of Brisbane supported her transition and encouraged her to continue with her ministry.[1] Other parts of the church, including the Sydney Anglican Diocese, were not as supportive.[8]
In March 2021, Inkpin was inducted at Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney. This made her the first openly transgender person appointed within a mainstream church in Australia.[5][9][10][11][12] On 4 May 2021, local member of parliament Alex Greenwich issued a community recognition statement congratulating Inkpin on her appointment, noting that Inkpin and Jones were passionate, welcoming and focused on inclusion within the church.[13]
Activism
Inkpin was the co-chair of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group. She was also coordinator of the Rainbow Faith project.[4]
Inkpin was featured on the Queensland State Library podcast "Dangerous Women".[14][15]
