Dioceses which have recently offered female-only elections include: Kansas, Colorado, West Tennessee, San Diego, Iowa, Vermont, Montana, Michigan, and Texas.

Other dioceses offering a token male for election include Central New York, Indianapolis, and Alabama. Women won in those elections also.

As a result, Cathleen Bascom (X Kansas); Kym Lucas (XI Colorado); Phoebe Roaf (IV West Tennessee); Susan Snook Brown (V San Diego); Betsy Monnot (IX Iowa); Shannon MacVean-Brown (XI Vermont); Martha Stebbins (X Montana); Bonnie Perry (XI Michigan); Kathryn Ryan (Texas-suffragan); DeDe Duncan-Probe (XI Central New York); Jennifer Baskerville-Brown (XI Indianapolis); and Glenda Curry (XII Alabama) joined the Episcopal House of Bishops.

To date there have been 46 women elected to the House of Bishops. Two women remain to be officially seated: Elizabeth Gardner, bishop-elect of Nevada, who is to be consecrated in March 2022; and Paula Clark, bishop-elect of Chicago, whose consecration has been put on hold due to health issues.

Of the 44 seated women bishops, 32 remain active either as a sitting diocesan bishop, suffragan bishop, provincial bishop, or assisting/assistant bishop.

In addition to those women bishops listed above, other working female bishops include: Ketlen Solak (IX TEC Pittsburgh); Lucinda Ashby (IV El Camino Real); Diana Akiyama (XI Oregon); Jennifer Reddall (VI Arizona); Megan Traquaire (VIII Northern California); Carlye Hughes (XI Newark); Marianne Budde (IX Washington DC); Audrey Scanlan (XI Central Pennsylvania); Susan Haynes (XI Southern Virginia); Gretchen Rehberg (IX Spokane); and Ruth Woodliff-Stanley (XI TEC South Carolina).

Also: Chilton Knudsen (Chicago-assisting); Gayle Harris (Massachusetts-suffragan); Laura Ahren (Connecticut-suffragan); Susan Goff (Virginia-suffragan with ecclesiastical authority); Jennifer Brooke-Davidson (Virginia-assisting); Anne Hodges-Coppell (North Carolina-suffragan); Mary Glasspool (New York-assistant); Carol Gallagher (Albany-assistant); and Diane Bruce (West Missouri-provincial).

Biological sex is not the only qualifier when it comes to The Episcopal Church determining qualities of a bishop. Persons-of-color are also highly favored.

Working black bishops include: Presiding Bishop Michael Curry; Eugene Sutton (XIV Maryland); Robert Wright (X Atlanta); Carl Wright (VII Armed Forces); Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows (XI Indianapolis); Carly Hughes (XI Newark); Phoebe Roaf (IV West Tennessee); Kym Lucas (XI Colorado); and Gayle Harris (Massachusetts-suffragan).

Also: Paula Clark is resolving health issues and dealing with a recent widowhood before she is to be created the XIII Bishop of Chicago. Her consecration has been put on hold.

Other bishops of ethnic heritage in the domestic Episcopal Church -- but not African-American -- include: Deon Johnson (XI Missouri ~ West Indies-Barbadian); Scott Hayashi (XI Utah ~ Japanese); Diana Akiyama (XI Oregon ~ Japanese); Michael Smith (Albany-assistant ~ American Indian, Pottawatomie Tribe); Carol Gallagher (Albany-assistant ~ American Indian, Cherokee Tribe); Nedi Rivera (Southern Ohio-assistant ~ Puerto Rican-Latina); Lucinda Ashby (IV El Camino Real ~ Peruvian-Latina); Daniel Gutierrez (XVI Pennsylvania ~ Mexican-Latino); Jose McLaughlin (VII Western Carolina ~ Puerto Rican-Latino); Peter Eaton (IV Southeast Florida ~ Puerto Rican-Latino); Allen Shin (New York-suffragan ~ South Korean); Santosh Marray (VI Easton ~ South America-Guyanese); Hector Monterroso (Texas-assistant ~ Central America-Guatemalan); and Prince Singh (Eastern & Western Michigan-provisional ~ India Indian).

Several members of the House of Bishops have been translated into the Episcopal Church from other Anglican Communion locations.

These "transplanted" bishops include: Mark van Koevering (VIII Lexington) formerly the IV Bishop of Naissa in Mozambique; Hector Monterroso (Texas-assistant) formerly the III Bishop of Costa Rica; David Rice (V TEC San Joaquin) formerly the XVI Bishop of Waipau in New Zealand; and Santosh Marray (XI Easton) formerly the III Bishop of Seychelles, an island in the Indian Ocean.

Also: Prince Singh (Provisional bishop for Eastern & Western Michigan) was born in India and ordained deacon and priest by the Anglican Church of South India before relocating to the United States. Presiding Bishop Katherine Jeffery Schori consecrated him as the VIII Bishop of Rochester.

Robert Skirving (VIII East Carolina) was born in Canada and ordained deacon and priest in the Anglican Church of Canada before moving to the United States and being created an Episcopal bishop by Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori.

One bishop maintains ties with the Church of England. Susan Goff (Virginia-suffragan with ecclesiastical authority) is also a licensed Visiting Bishop for the CofE Diocese of Liverpool.

The diversity of faith walks is reflected in the fact that several Episcopal bishops are converts to The Episcopal Church from either other Christian denominations or other non-Christian traditions.

The converting bishops include: Mark van Koevering (VIII Lexington ~ Christian Reformed); Morris Thompson (XI Louisiana ~ Presbyterian & Baptist); Matthew Gunter (VIII Fond du Lac ~ Lutheran); Bonnie Perry (XI Michigan ~ Roman Catholic); Eugene Sutton (XVI Maryland ~ Baptist); Daniel Gutierrez (XVI Pennsylvania ~ Roman Catholic); Glenda Curry (XII Alabama ~ Baptist); Robert Wright (X Atlanta ~ Roman Catholic); and Don Wimberly (Atlanta-assistant ~ Methodist).

Other bishops were clergymen in other churches before becoming an Episcopal priest and eventually bishop.

They include: Douglas Fisher (IX Western Massachusetts ~ Roman Catholic priest); Lawrence Provenzano (Long Island ~ Roman Catholic priest); Kevin Nichols (Bethlehem-provincial ~ Roman Catholic priest); Michael Garrison (Southwest Florida-assistant ~ Roman Catholic priest); Douglas Sparks (VIII Northern Indiana ~ Roman Catholic priest); Patrick Bell (VII Eastern Oregon ~ Pentecostal preacher); and David Rice (XV TEC San Joaquin ~ Methodist minister).

Bishops with other faith traditions reflected include: Geralyn Wolf (Long Island-assisting ~ Jewish); Santosh Marray (XI Easton ~ Hindu); and Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows (XI Indianapolis ~ Unchurched).

HOMOSEXUAL INTRUSION

The homosexual movement has hit the House of Bishops with a force. To date, there is no transgendered bishop, although there are several transgendered priests and priestesses in The Episcopal Church. It is not really a stretch of the imagination to envision a transgendered Episcopal bishop following in the heels of a transgender Lutheran bishop.

However, there are currently five out and proud LGB bishops in the HOB. Through the years, though, there have been rumors of other homosexual bishops who have not self-identified nor openly embraced their hidden sexual lifestyle.

In addition to retired Bishop Vicky Gene Robinson (IX New Hampshire), openly professed homosexual and lesbian bishops include: Bonnie Perry (XI Michigan); Mary Glasspool (New York-assisting); Thomas Brown (X Maine); and Deon Johnson (XI Missouri).

Several bishops check at least two diversity boxes on the woke politically correct qualification checklist.

Black and homosexual: Deon Johnson (XI Missouri).

Female and lesbian: Mary Glasspool (New York-Assisting); and Bonnie Perry (XI Michigan).

Black and female: Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows (XI Indianapolis); Carly Hughes (XI Newark); Phoebe Roaf (IV West Tennessee); Kym Lucas (XI Colorado); Gayle Harris (Massachusetts-suffragan); and Paula Clark (Chicago bishop-elect).

Female and ethnic: Diana Akiyama (XI Oregon ~ Japanese); Carol Gallagher (Albany-assistant ~ American Indian, Cherokee Tribe); Nedi Rivera (Southern Ohio-assistant ~ Puerto Rican-Latina); and Lucinda Ashby (IV El Camino Real ~ Peruvian-Latina).

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline.