The Lutheran parish in Imatra, Finland which has been rocked by the vicar’s decision to change genders has been hit by something of an exodus of members. Last year 581 people left the parish where Marja-Sisko Aalto returned to work after undergoing gender reassignment surgery. Previously, about 150 people a year would quit the parish. Losing nearly 600 members in a single year is quite a blow to a parish which had 23,600 members at the beginning of the year. The main reason for the exodus is believed to be the controversy surrounding the vicar’s gender identity. In 2008 Olli Aalto, who had guided his flock for some time, said that he would undergo surgery to become a woman.