An Episcopal diocese based in North Carolina installed a woman in a purported same-sex relationship to serve as a bishop, marking the first self-proclaimed lesbian to serve in such a role in the South.

Sarah Fisher is now the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, according to a May 28 report from The Christian Post.

Fisher is in a same-sex union with Mandy Brady, another Episcopal cleric.

A representative for the Episcopal Church told The Christian Post that “Bishop Fisher is the first openly lesbian Episcopal Church bishop for a diocese based in the South.”

Fisher was elected last November, receiving the required simple majority among clergy and laity to win the contest.

Sarah Fisher installed as first openly lesbian Episcopal bishop in the South https://t.co/xiLAGh8p35

— The Christian Post (@ChristianPost) May 28, 2026

Episcopal News Service reported that Fisher was “ordained to the diaconate in 2004 and the priesthood in 2005, both in the Diocese of Atlanta.”

She will lead 66 parishes, as well as two college campus ministries.

The diocese “serves several military bases, a large Latino community and parishes of all sizes across five deaneries,” the outlet added.

Fisher wrote in a letter following her election, “My friends, as we stand on the precipice of this new adventure together, may we hold fast to the promise that God’s power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.”

“With a grateful and full heart, I can’t wait to see where we go,” she added.

The Episcopal Church, a mainline Protestant denomination, has a reputation for being both theologically and politically liberal.

The denomination notes on its website that 2026 marks “the 50th anniversary of our church affirming that LGBTQ+ people have a full and equal claim to the love, acceptance, and pastoral care of the church.”

“The journey to make that promise a reality continues today, as we remember the struggles, celebrate the joy, and give thanks for love and for lives that refuse to be erased,” the website adds.

Self-proclaimed homosexual and transgender individuals, of both sexes, are permitted to become bishops, priests, deacons, and lay leaders.

“We celebrate and give thanks for the beauty, strength, and sacred worth of LGBTQ+ leaders across all contexts and callings,” the website continues.

Biblical Christianity has historically taught that same-sex relationships and attractions are sinful, and that pastoral ministry is restricted to men qualified according to Scripture.

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