ABOUT ME
Megan Rohrer (he/dr), PhD and DMin, is an activist known for their advocacy for the homeless and LGBTQ communities. Megan is an award winning author, filmmaker, musician and historian, who was a finalist for the Lambda Literary award, received an honorable mention as an Unsung Hero of Compassion by Wisdom in Action, with His Holiness the Dali Lama and as one of 95 individuals celebrated in Wittenberg, Germany during the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. He received an honorary doctorate from Palo Alto University.
Transitional Wisdom
The author of more than 50 books, Megan is a prolific writer and artist that focuses on efforts that amply diverse communities and intersectional storytelling. Through Wilgefortis Press, Megan has helped more than 50 authors share their stories with wider audiences.
His latest book for Arcadia Publishing's Images in America Series tells the history of San Francisco's Transgender District with historic images from the 1880's through the present was a #1 New Release on Amazon.
Listed in the Trans100, Megan’s exhibit on transgender mentoring from 1976-2009 in San Francisco was displayed at the GLBT Historical Society and won OutHistory’s Since Stonewall Local History Competition. Megan has also won international awards for the Trans themed documentary Zanderology and was a finalist in transgender non-fiction for the Lambda Literary Award.
Advocating for the Homeless
Megan is currently the Policy Director at Compass Family Services where he advocates for homeless families who are primarily Black and Latine. Compass is San Francisco's largest provider of services to homeless families, providing housing, shelter, emergency vouchers, shelter, work development, child care, diapers and other important services to vulnerable families. His efforts to support immigrants, increase racial equity and advocate for families living in vehicles has been highlighted by the media.
During his previous work as the Senior Church Communications Specialist at the historic Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, Megan supported sacred storytelling in San Francisco's Tenderloin District. In their role, they worked with rockstars, civil rights icons and political leaders, including: the Rev. Cecil Williams, Joan Baez, Bonnie Rait, Michael Franti, Angela Davis, Dolores Huerta, CA Controller Malia Coen, CA Attorney General Bonta, Representative Latifa Simon, Senator Laphonza Butler, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and countless others.
As the Executive Director of Welcome, for twelve years, Megan worked primarily with San Francisco’s LGBT homeless community at Old First Presbyterian Church. In addition to feeding the hungry on Polk Street and in the Castro, he created programs to provide urban farm spaces, groceries for HIV+ individuals, advocated nationally for homeless LGBT youth and to help faith communities’ welcome LGBT individuals. Megan’s advocacy brought national attention to the issues faced by transgender women of color, when they raised the funds needed to get Meagan Taylor released from jail in Des Moines, IA.
As the co-chair of San Francisco's Local Homeless Coordinating Board, Megan helped oversee Coordinated Entry redesign that oversees the triaging of housing and shelter resources. Their work on this committee resulted in Redesign Recommendations that were implemented to help decrease bias in shelter and housing and resulted in over $70 million dollars in yearly awards from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Healing Communities and Faithful Leadership
Megan worked for the City of San Francisco as the Community Chaplain Coordinator for the San Francisco Police Department. Creating a community centered response to grief at mass casualty incidents, Megan provided crucial support to first responders, emergency workers and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Megan served on the Executive Working Group to Decrease Bias in the SFPD and worked with Police Chief Bill Scott on a formal apology for the unjust laws and policing that led to the raid on California Hall and the Compton's Cafeteria Riot.
Megan has also served on the San Francisco Women's March and TransMarch Steering Committees, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission’s LGBT Advisory committee, walked with the San Francisco Night Ministry and created a project that has given over 1,000 pairs of prescription glasses to the homeless in San Francisco for SF CARES. Pastor Megan was awarded the Connector Award by Project Homeless Connect..
Megan has over 20 years experience working in faithful communities as a chaplain, pastor and Bishop. Megan was a groundbreaking leader in the church before the LGBTQ individuals were allowed to fully serve. Megan was the first openly transgender person ordained in the Lutheran Church, Ordained Extraordinarily in 2006, one of only 18 pastors ordained through ecclesiastical disobedience to anti-LGBTQ rules in the church. One of the many pastors arrested protesting the anti-gay marriage Prop 8, Megan officiated at historic weddings at San Francisco's City Hall before and after the marriages were legalized by the Supreme Court.
Megan became the first openly transgender bishop in a mainline denomination when they were elected bishop in 2021. During their they raised over $2 million dollars to support BIPOC faith communities and prioritized the voices of brave Latina women who came forward to report misconduct over those who bullied him to ignore misconduct by pastors. Megan continued their efforts to reform the church by filing a complaint in the United States District Court – Northern District of California, alleging he was demeaned, harassed, defamed, and eventually pushed out of his role as Bishop. Their whistleblower lawsuit paved the way for other trans individuals to serve openly in the church.
Credentialed as an interfaith chaplain, Megan teaches classes at The Chaplaincy Institute, preaches and teaches around the globe. Megan lives in Bernal Heights with his wife Laurel, two children, two cats and one deacon.