Jo Inkpin

{{Short description|Australia's first openly transgender Anglican priest}} {{Use Australian English|date=July 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = Priest | name = Jo Inkpin | image =  | alt =  | caption = | ordination = {{plainlist| * 1986 (deacon) * 1987 (priest) }} | birth_name =  | birth_date =  | birth_place = England | death_date =  | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | religion = {{plainlist| * Church of England (until 2000) * Anglican Church of Australia (2000–2021) * Uniting Church in Australia (2021–present) }} | 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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=22 February 2018|title=Meet Australia's first transgender priest|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-23/australias-first-transgender-priest/9477100|access-date=9 July 2021|website=ABC News |publisher =Australian Broadcasting Corporation |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Early life and education == 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".<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Coleman|first=Ashleigh|title=Josephine Inkpin|url=https://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/schools/theology/staff/profiles/academic-staff/josephine-inkpin|access-date=9 July 2021|website=arts-ed.csu.edu.au|language=en-AU|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709190524/https://arts-ed.csu.edu.au/schools/theology/staff/profiles/academic-staff/josephine-inkpin|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|url=http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/1517/|title=Combatting the 'sin of self-sacrifice'? : Christian feminism in the women's suffrage struggle, 1903–1918|year=1996|publisher=Durham University|type=doctoral thesis|access-date=21 July 2021}}</ref>

==Career== Inkpin taught history and theology at Oxford University.<ref name=":1" /> She was ordained a deacon in 1986 and a priest in 1987.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=Q&A with priests, academics and spouses, The Rev'd Penny Jones and The Rev'd Dr Jo Inkpin|url=https://anglicanfocus.org.au/2020/09/21/qa-with-priests-academics-and-spouses-the-revd-penny-jones-and-the-revd-dr-jo-inkpin/|access-date=9 July 2021|language=en}}</ref> 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".<ref name=":0" />

Inkpin and her wife Penny served in the Church of England before moving to Australia.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|date=30 March 2021|title='Tears of joy' as trans priest becomes Uniting Church minister|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-31/reverend-jo-inkpin-making-history-in-uniting-church-role/13282256|access-date=9 July 2021|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Transition == Inkpin made a public statement in July 2017 announcing her transition.<ref>{{Cite news|date=24 July 2017|title=Statement on gender transformation from Dr Jo Inkpin – Anglican Ink © 2021|language=en-US|work=Anglican Ink © 2021|url=https://anglican.ink/2017/07/24/statement-on-gender-transformation-from-dr-jo-inkpin/|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref> At this time she was aged in her fifties and had felt that she was a woman for many years.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Married priest transitions to become Australia's first Anglican transgender clergy|url=https://evangelicalfocus.com/world/3296/married-priest-transitions-to-become-australias-first-anglican-transgender-clergy|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Evangelical Focus|language=en}}</ref> She chose the name "Josephine" in honour of Josephine Butler, an Anglican saint and theologian.<ref name=":2" />

The Archbishop of Brisbane supported her transition and encouraged her to continue with her ministry.<ref name=":0" /> Other parts of the church, including the Sydney Anglican Diocese, were not as supportive.<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 March 2021|title='Tears of joy' as trans priest becomes Uniting Church minister|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-31/reverend-jo-inkpin-making-history-in-uniting-church-role/13282256|access-date=17 July 2021|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":3" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=7 April 2021|title='Another step forward': Trailblazer Reverend Jo Inkpin calls for increasing LGBTIQ+ acceptance in religion »|url=https://pinkadvocate.com/2021/04/07/another-step-forward-trailblazer-reverend-jo-inkpin-calls-for-increasing-lgbtiq-acceptance-in-religion/|access-date=9 July 2021|website=pinkadvocate.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jo Inkpin makes history as first trans minister inducted into a mainstream church {{!}} The Drum – The Global Herald|date=31 March 2021 |url=https://theglobalherald.com/news/jo-inkpin-makes-history-as-first-trans-minister-inducted-into-a-mainstream-church-the-drum/|access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=1 April 2021|title=Trans minister Reverend Jo Inkpin makes history in Uniting Church|url=https://qnews.com.au/trans-minister-reverend-jo-inkpin-makes-history-in-uniting-church/|access-date=9 July 2021|website=QNews|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Joesphine Inkpin to serve as new minister at Pitt Street Uniting Church|url=https://www.insights.uca.org.au/joesphine-inkpin-to-serve-as-new-minister-at-pitt-street-uniting-church/|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Insights Magazine}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Reverend Jo Inkpin|url=https://www.alexgreenwich.com/reverend_jo_inkpin|date=4 May 2021|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Alex Greenwich}}</ref>

== 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.<ref name=":2" />

Inkpin was featured on the Queensland State Library podcast "Dangerous Women".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dangerous Women |url=https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/dangerouswomen|access-date=9 July 2021|website=State Library Of Queensland}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Garcia|first=Jocelyn|title='Find your roar': Queensland's first transgender priest on living bravely|url=https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/queensland/find-your-roar-queensland-s-first-transgender-priest-on-living-bravely-20201006-p562e1.html|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Brisbane Times|date=11 October 2020 }}</ref>

== Personal life == Inkpin is married to Penny Jones, also an Anglican priest.<ref name=":0" /> They met in the early 1980s while they were both studying theology at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. They have twin daughters and are also grandparents. In July 2020 they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary and reaffirmed their vows at St John's Cathedral, Brisbane.<ref name=":2" />

== Writing == Inkpin is the author of Trans Spirit Flourishing, a website with resources for transgender Christians.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About the Author|url=https://www.transspirit.org/about-the-author.html|access-date=16 July 2021|website=TRANS SPIRIT FLOURISHING|language=en}}</ref>

She has two blogs – Blessed Imp<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jo Inkpin Blog|url=https://www.blessedimp.org/blog.html|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Blessed Imp|language=en}}</ref> and Pen and Ink Reflections, written with her wife, Penny.<ref>{{Cite web|title=About Josephine Inkpin and Penny Jones|url=https://www.penandinkreflections.org/about.html|access-date=9 July 2021|website=Pen and Ink Reflections|language=en}}</ref>

=== Books === *{{Cite book|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|title=Building a Model City of Peace and Harmony Down Under|work=We Will Seek Peace and Pursue It|publisher=Wild Goose Publications|year=2015|isbn=978-1849524285|editor-last=Paynter|editor-first=Neil|location=Glasgow}} *{{Cite book|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|title=Encountering God in Difference|work=Encountering God: Face to Face with the Divine|publisher=Morning Star Publishing|year=2014|isbn=978-1498230957|editor-last=Leaves|editor-first=Nigel|location=}}

=== Journal articles and other publications === * {{Cite journal|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|date=2016|title=From Bishops to Bunya Nuts: bringing Australian Reconciliation, Ecology and Mission together|journal=Australian Association of Mission Studies|volume=10|issue=2}} *{{Cite journal|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|date=2 November 2009|title=Review of James W. Jones, Blood that Cries Out from the Earth: The Psychology of Religious Violence|journal=Journal of Anglican Studies|volume=7|issue=2}} * {{Cite journal|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|date=2008|title=Nei Neiwa Yi Yu Gali: Towards a Whole Body Theology of Reconciliation|journal=Australian Association of Mission Studies|volume=|issue=}} *{{Cite journal|last=Inkpin|first=Jo|date=February 2006|title=The Lazarus Demand – Overcoming Indigenous Poverty: A Biblical Reflection on John Ch.11|journal=Australian e-Journal of Theology|volume=|issue=}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inkpin, Jo}} Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Durham University Category:Academics of the University of Oxford Category:20th-century Church of England clergy Category:LGBTQ Anglican clergy Category:English emigrants to Australia Category:Australian transgender women Category:Transgender academics Category:20th-century Australian Anglican priests Category:Uniting Church in Australia ministers Category:20th-century Australian LGBTQ people Category:21st-century Australian LGBTQ people Category:Transgender Christian clergy