Marja-Sisko Aalto
Marja-Sisko Aalto | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 29 July 1954 Lappeenranta, Finland |
| Nationality | Finnish |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | marja-siskonblogi |
Marja-Sisko Aalto (born 29 July 1954) is a Finnish writer of detective fiction and former minister of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. She was the vicar of the Imatra parish from 1986 to 2010.[1] She became notable as Finland's first openly transgender minister.[2] In 2009, the Finnish Women's Association named Aalto Lyyti of the Year.[3] Since her resignation as vicar, she has pursued a career as a writer.
Early life and education
[edit]Alto was born on 29 July 1954 in Lappeenranta as the seventh of eight children and was assigned male at birth. She entered the faculty of theology at the University of Helsinki in 1973.[4]
Clerical career
[edit]Aalto was the vicar of the Imatra parish from 1986 to 2010.[1]
In November 2008, Aalto came out as trans woman and announced her intent to have sex reassignment surgery. According to Aalto, her parents had decided to give her the name Marja-Sisko if she had been born a girl, as they had hoped.[5] She was preoccupied with the issue of gender from the age of three.[1] Although her parents had wanted a girl, they did not accept her gender identity. For example, they were angry when Aalto, as a child, asked why she could not wear a skirt when all the other girls did.[6]
Aalto's coming out as a trans woman caused a great controversy in the Church. The bishop of Mikkeli, Voitto Huotari, commented that there is no juridical obstacle for Aalto continuing as a vicar, but predicted that there would be problems.[1] In 2009, almost 600 members left the Imatra parish.[7] In November 2009, Aalto returned to the job of vicar after spending a year on leave. In March 2010, she requested to be allowed to resign, due in part to the discrimination she faced.[4][8]
She was elected the notary of diocese for Kuopio by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in 2010.[4]
Writing career
[edit]Since her resignation as vicar, Aalto has pursued a career as a writer of detective fiction. Aalto's first detective novel, Murder in the Cemetery, was published in Autumn 2013.[9] Her second novel, Deadly Snow was published on National Veterans' Day (Finland) on 27 April 2015. The work is dedicated to the veterans of the Lapland War and continues the story of the protagonist of the previous book.[10]
Personal life
[edit]Aalto has been married twice, and has three children.[4]
Works
[edit]Annette Savolainen series
[edit]- Murha tuomiokapitulissa [Murder in the Cemetery] (in Finnish). Icasos. 2013. ISBN 978-9526789620.
- Tappavaa lunta [Deadly Snow] (in Finnish). Icasos. 2015. ISBN 978-9526789644.
- Ikoni [Icon] (in Finnish). Icasos. 2016. ISBN 978-9526789675.
- Korppi [Raven] (in Finnish). Icasos. 2018. ISBN 978-9526878027.
- Timantti [Diamond] (in Finnish). Icasos. 2019. ISBN 978-9526878034.
Others
[edit]- Maan nielemät [Swallowed by the Earth] (in Finnish). 2020. ISBN 978-9526878089.
- Veri [Blood] (in Finnish). 2021. ISBN 978-9527412039.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Juhani Saarinen. "Kirkkoherra odotti vuosikymmeniä muutosta miehestä naiseksi - HS.fi - Kotimaa". HS.fi. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ "Piispan mielestä Olli Aallon olisi vaikea jatkaa seurakunnan työssä". Etelä-Saimaa. 2008-11-11. Archived from the original on 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2008-11-11.
- ^ Unioni
- ^ a b c d Anttonen, Veikko. "The sacredness of the self, of society and of the human body: the case of a Finnish transgender pastor Marja-Sisko Aalto" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-05-08.
- ^ "Olli Aallosta tulee Marja-Sisko Aalto". Kouvolan Sanomat. 2008-11-12. Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ Ylen Elävä arkisto: Onnellinen Marja-Sisko Aalto
- ^ Juhani Saarinen (2010-01-06). "Lähes 600 imatralaista erosi seurakunnasta - HS.fi - Kotimaa". HS.fi. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ "Marja-Sisko Aalto eroaa virastaan | Yle Uutiset". yle.fi. Archived from the original on 2010-03-23. Retrieved 2013-04-30.
- ^ Anu Pöntinen, Marja-Sisko Aallosta dekkaristi, Yle.fi, Uutiset, 26.11.2012
- ^ Juho Maijala (2015-04-08). "Marja-Sisko Aalto julkaisee toisen romaaninsa huhtikuun lopussa". Etelä-Saimaa. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
Further reading
[edit]- Huttunen, A. (2018). "First encounters with gender minority related information: results of an Internet survey". Informaatiotutkimus. 37 (3): 43–46. doi:10.23978/inf.76074. S2CID 169556929. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
External links
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- 1954 births
- Living people
- 20th-century Finnish Lutheran clergy
- 21st-century Finnish Lutheran clergy
- 21st-century Finnish novelists
- Detective fiction writers
- Discrimination against transgender people
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- People from Imatra
- Transfeminists
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- Women Lutheran clergy
- 21st-century Finnish women writers