First Ever Lesbian Chaplain Sworn in by New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department swore in its first ever lesbian chaplain on Tuesday.
Rev. Ann Kansfield, who ministers at Greenpoint Reformed Church in Brooklyn, New York, is the first openly gay female chaplain to serve in this position. She was profiled by The New York Times in an article published Monday where she shared her attitude toward people's opinions about the FDNY's decision.
"We shouldn't have to hide ourselves or worry about being judged," shared Kansfield, who grew up with firefighters in her family, including her grandfather who worked as an Illinois fire chief.
Kansfield said she was first drawn to seminary after 9/11.
"After college, I went and worked on Wall Street. For three years, I was an investment advisor. It was as a result of 9/11 that I realized I was called to something different," said told NYC outlet PIX11 News.
After seminary she was selected to serve as a minister at Greenpoint Reformed Church where she's beeen the pastor for 11 years.
Kansfield's new position could be the result of a lawsuit alleging discrimination in recruitment at the FDNY, which the current mayoral administration, led by Mayor Bill de Blasio, has settled.
"It shows the department is committed to including all of the people of the city," she said.
Kansfield, who'll be one of three Protestant ministers (along with three Catholic priests and one Jewish rabbi) serving an organization comprised of mostly men, told the Times: "My whole ministry has been in environments that don't look like me. I live in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood — their faith is not like mine, and they don't look like me. But that doesn't mean I won't have a ministry with them."
Even though the New York branch of the Reformed Church in America wouldn't ordain her, Kansfield was able to receive ordaination through the United Church of Christ, which is a denomination recognized by the Reformed Church in America.
Kansfiled's church describes itself as a "place that is willing to exist within a primary tension of the Christian faith" claiming that not everyone sees and experiences Christ in the same way.