Visible and Invisible: Report on Trans People and Safe Spaces in the Church of Norway
Vibeke Bergsjø Aas (photo) has written a report on transgender people and safe spaces in the Church of Norway. It gives an interesting glimpse into the challenges facing trans people in this cultural setting.
The report explores what the concept of “safe spaces” can mean for transgender people within the Church of Norway, and how church communities can contribute to creating such spaces.
The title, Visible and Invisible, refers both to the experience of trans people being simultaneously unseen and overexposed, and to the theological distinction between the visible and invisible in creation.
The Church of Norway is the largest church in the country. It used to be the Lutheran state church, but is now independent. Compared to, let's say, American Evangelicals, the protestantism of the Church of Norway is rather liberal and open minded, with - for instance - both female and queer priests and bishops.
Reactionary Christians are more likely to find their home in the protestant "free churches".
Background and research questions
The author, Vibeke Bergsjø Aas, has long been engaged in promoting LGBTQ+ awareness within the church.
She observes that there is widespread uncertainty and lack of knowledge about what the “T” in LGBTQ+ entails. Her motivation is also personal. She is the mother of a transgender person.
The report addresses two central questions:
What does the idea of “safe spaces” mean for trans people in the church?
How can the church and its congregations create such spaces?
The study uses a qualitative approach, based on semi-structured interviews with seven people identifying as transgender who have had some form of connection with the Church of Norway.
Bergsjø Aas presents the participants’ own stories, marked by shame, fear, concealment, but also courage, hope, and faith. Many describe life before coming out as a kind of performance: adapting to others’ expectations, hiding their identity, and living in half-truths.
Several say that living “invisibly” could feel safer but came at a high emotional and existential cost. As one participant put it, “it always came back” — identity cannot be indefinitely suppressed. Over time, most described a strong need to come forward, share their story, and be recognized as who they are.
The narratives also highlight how shame and anxiety are often intertwined with social insecurity: fear of rejection, discrimination, misgendering, “deadnaming” (being called by a previous name), and not being taken seriously. For many, the church - instead of being a refuge - has been a place of unease and apprehension.
There are conservative Christians in Norway today who argue that the gender identity of trans people is based on emotions or personal preferences caused by "gender ideology" (echoing right wing extremists and TERFs world wide).
Bergsjø Aas puts it this way:
In a society where it is forbidden to be taller than 1.70 meters, there will be many people walking with hunched backs.
In a society where it is forbidden to be left-handed, people will adapt and write with their right hand – at least in public.
I wonder if the goal of the anti-trans movement is to reverse the progress of recent years, during which trans people have become more accepted in society.
To me, it seems that the aim is to push trans people back into the closet and to reinstate their invisibility.
Nevertheless, she writes, there are glimpses of hope. Some have experienced acceptance and genuine dialogue within church settings.
They express a desire for the church to be a place where they can exist fully, spiritually, socially, and in their gender identity. Several participants believe the church could serve as a sanctuary if it practices visible, explicit inclusion and compassion.
The report discusses the dual nature of the church as both a potentially unsafe and a potentially safe space, depending on the local environment and leadership.
One key tension lies between the pursuit of theological consistency and the practice of inclusion. Some participants said they initially held negative assumptions about the church but later found genuine kindness and care among its members.
The report concludes with four key appeals:
To church leadership: take clear responsibility for communicating inclusion and support.
To church employees: build competence, show respect, and act as allies in practice.
To local congregations: cultivate awareness, openness, and create meeting spaces marked by acceptance.
To readers and individuals: reflect on personal attitudes, language, and one’s own potential role as an ally.
Synlig og usynlig: Rapport om transpersoner og “trygge rom” i Den norske kirke
Photo from the Church of Norway.
