More than just Christian and Proud

It's June, the sun is shining and Pride in London season is almost upon us. That means it's time to freshen up the purple Christians Together at Pride t-shirts proclaiming we are Christian and Proud and get ready to head to the capital not once but twice. On 28th June we head down to the main Pride in London event meeting outside Methodist Church House where last year we had a communion on the pavement, which I found really moving, before going and lining up for the parade. Then on 5th July there is the Christians Together at Pride service which is part of the wider festival of events that go on for pride. There are full details on their website, together with a note that the last date for t-shirt orders is Monday 23rd June.

June is also the month which has Tracey Byrne formally start her new job as CEO of LGCM and I wish her well in that. She is a familiar face to Greenbelt people having been one of the driving forces behind the Outerspace events.

On the subject of Greenbelt which is a great arts festival for people of all faiths and none besides the Outerspace events happening over the weekend I'd like to bring attention to a few other recent announcements re the festival which you may be interested in. Christian Feminist Network have announced they are hosting one of the worship events, Feminist academic and philosopher Marika Rose has been announced as one of the speakers and Vicky Beeching has announced she is hosting a panel looking which will be exploring faith and LGBT issues. This is an area where both her and Steve Chalke are increasingly acting as vocal allies in. Both of them are speaking at the Accepting Evangelicals anniversary event in October, (Vicky has recently been announced as a patron of this organisation) and at an exciting event Oasis are running next April The Church, Sexuality, Mission and theFuture which you can currently book for. Vicky is also one of the speakers at the Gay Christian Network (GCN) conference in the US next year.

GCN is an international network which is led by Justin Lee author of Torn. This organisation has members all over the world, including the UK, but is based in the US. They announced this week they have launched a new ministry programme called Sanctuary to create safe spaces in local congregations for LGBT Christians and those who care for them.  

Something to be celebrated too is the announcement that Rachel Mann, a trans lesbian Anglican priest, has been made a minor cannon at Manchester Cathedral. It is interesting to note that this together with the publication of a couple of other articles caused Anglican Mainstream (a conservative Anglican organisation) to claim in a post there were coordinated LGBT messages being put forward in  the English Christian media. The claim, which one can understand this type of organisation making as part of their wider campaign against what is happening at the moment, is wrong I believe and misunderstands what is happening.

The truth is there are a couple of things which have happened/ are happening which may make it look like this but are actually signs of something different.

The first reason I think there is more coverage at the moment is that we are now at a place where the subject is being properly debated, however uncomfortable that is for many, in a number of forums. The "don't ask, don't tell" and "don't mention the issue" culture is slowly and surely being eroded by a more healthy one where differences can be discussed as adults and people can be open about who they really are. Whilst this is not always easy I believe the spirit of fear is being broken, but in a way which seeks to be sensitive to those who find it difficult because of their own interpretations of scripture. This is something I think we should be especially thankful to high profile allies such as Chalke and Beeching for. The Christian media, who have a set of news values and processes just like other forms of media, is simply reflecting this spirit I believe.

The second is that there has been the emergence of new groups and new voices over the last couple of years. For example Diverse Church, a sister organisation to Two:23, which is the wonderful new group supporting 18-30 year olds, particularly who are in churches where they are not supported or affirmed. Some of these voices have been slowly, quietly developing over a number of years but because of the new climate are now being heard more widely. They are also involving people who are plugged in to a range of networks within the LGBT Christian world and beyond. The fruits we are seeing now are, in part , due to the mentoring which has gone in the past.

Thirdly, linked to my second point, there is a spirit of co-operation at the moment which means the fragmented Christian LGBT world is becoming far less fragmented. We are becoming much more of a networked community where "evangelical" and "liberal" groups are communicating well. This has led to something being formed which may seem akin to a movement because yes people are becoming more coordinated and media savvy, but it this is not the conspiracy Anglican Mainstream would like to claim.

There is also a growing body of academic work around queer studies which is actively seeking to include religion in its work. I have spoken about the Weeks Centre before and next week they host a conference looking at Queer Youth Histories. Queering Religion, Religious Queers edited by Yvette Taylor and Ria Snowden will be launched at this event. A review of the book will be published on this blog at some point over the next couple of weeks, (when my marking pile diminishes enough for me to read it properly and give it the attention it deserves). This is opening up ears in some quarters too I believe.

Finally, there has been a wider change I have started to observe. People are separating  the issues of who should be allowed to do what from the pastoral issues. There appears to be a wider recognition of the need to be pastorally sensitive to LGBT people. This is exemplified by  the fact the Methodist Conference programme shows a slot for discussing the pastoral implications of changes in marriage legislation on Monday 30th June which is separate to the main debate on the report of the working party on marriage and civil partnership happening on Wednesday 2nd July.

Going back to my third point there is also a growth in the cooperation between different parts of the LGBandT communities, the T is being more consciously included. This isn't just applicable in Christian circles, where organisations such as Accepting Evangelicals are exemplifying it. I was heartened to read on Twitter this week that Stonewall's Ruth Hunt is having a meeting with trans activists about further cooperation. I really, really hope that these talks are productive and that the trans activists going don't become a stumbling block in this process. Stonewall Scotland already includes the T element in its work and I passionately believe, as does my trans husband, that Stonewall England and Wales need to too.

Update: As I wrote this I hadn't caught up with the fact Colin Coward Director of Changing Attitude has been awarded an MBE in the Queens Birthday Honours List. This is well deserved and I congratulate him on this for all the hard work he and his team do. This is an example of how external factors often influence the timing of stories in both the secular and Christian media, something even Anglican Mainstream have to acknowledge cannot be controlled by LGBT activists.

Also caught a tweet from God_Loves_Women to say she had nominated Rachel Mann for a Diversity Award. Seems like something good to get behind and involved with. Nominations for the National Diversity Awards close on 18th July 2014