Orion is not your typical teenager.
The 15-year-old student at Madison West studies Latin and is interested in the field of acoustical levitation – the science of using sound waves to suspend and move objects. He claims to be a “huge” Dr. Who fan, though he admits he hasn’t seen many episodes prior to the 2005 reboot.
And Orion – whose last name the Fitchburg Star is withholding at the family’s request – was born with the name “Molly.”
In April of this year, he revealed his new identity to his church congregation at Memorial United Church of Christ, following his announcement that the church would be holding a workshop on the matter. When “Molly” told those gathered that the event was important to him because he wanted to be called Orion and henceforth referred to as “he,” the announcement was met with wide applause, according to pastor Phil Haslanger.
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Though church has always been a part of Orion’s family, Orion’s mother said the tradition had less to do with studying Jesus and more to do with “trying to live like Jesus.”
In 2004, Orion’s mother began a search for a new church after experiencing frustration with that year’s election cycle. Orion tells the story of his mom calling around and asking about church policies, and hanging up the phone repeatedly. And then she found Memorial UCC.
At that time, Haslanger was only a student pastor with the church, and faintly remembers Orion’s mother at one of the church’s book club meetings. The group was discussing Jim Wallis’ book, “God's Politics.”
“I remember her saying, ‘I’m glad I belong to a church that can talk about these issues,’” Haslanger said.
Shortly after Orion’s family found a new spiritual home at the now 98-year-old church, the UCC denomination began recognizing homosexual marriages. In that same tradition, in early 2015, Haslanger was preparing a workshop for the congregation to discuss transgender issues. He did not know about Orion.