Reconciling Ministries Network

Just Too Much

Yesterday, I said to a colleague, "Every time I open an Internet browser, it seems that I hear about another gay suicide." I know from my training as a student and scholar of communication that the number of news stories about something, whether shark attacks at the beach, plane crashes, or gay teenagers killing themselves is not necessarily indicative of a trend or pattern, but rather of newsworthiness.

I am not sure whether suicide rates of LGBTQ teenagers are increasing, but the recent number of stories about it has caused me to pause for thought. In a widely circulated video, Ellen addresses this series of recent stories poignantly:

As Ellen says, "we have an obligation to change this. There are messages everywhere that validate this, [...] and we have to make it stop. We can't let intolerance and ignorance take another kid's life."

My dear friends, if ever we become complacent in our work of reconciliation, let this be a reminder of what we're about. Our beloved United Methodist Church is one of the places that produces the sorts of messages Ellen refers to so powerfully here. I need not rehearse the hurtful terms in our polity or the even more hurtful things that faithful--but I believe misguided--United Methodists say in their attempts to interpret and live out that polity.

I know some of our readers would not consider themselves Reconciling UMs. Some are here with questions. Some are here to keep tabs and see what we're doing. So, I want to close with a question for those who disagree with me on the question of inclusion/reconciliation: Do you believe, as I do, that God's heart breaks for these young people and their families? And if so, how does the current language of our official position work to do anything but exacerbate their pain and God's pain? When will we understand the impact and the consequences of our language and the attitudes of our hearts?

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Leland G. Spencer IV, a lifelong United Methodist, is a PhD student in the department of speech communication at the University of Georgia, where he researches religious rhetoric as it intersects with gender and sexuality. Leland holds an M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati (2009). While in Cincinnati, Leland served as the worship intern at the Wesley Foundation. Leland served as a part-time local pastor at Mapleton United Methodist Church in the East Ohio Conference from 2005 until 2007 when Leland withdrew from the candidacy process because of the United Methodist Church's exclusive position about the ordination of LGBT persons.

Wonderfully Made

by Violet Fenn

On May 19, I took a major step in my gender transition when I had out-patient surgery that takes me closer to completion. As I think about this, I am reminded of a portion of Psalm 139. In this part, David praises God for creating him; he is “fearfully and wonderfully made.” This is an incredible concept, but one that unfortunately gets used towards those in the LGBTQ community in a judgmental manner. When we come out, we are told that those feelings are sinful. To add insult to injury, those same people presumptuously tell us that we weren’t created to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, as if they knew exactly what God was thinking.

My earliest memory of “feeling different” came at the age of six or seven. My fundamental religious upbringing forbade me from saying anything about it. As I grew up, there were several incidents that occurred that were evidence of my transgender nature but there was a sense of shame attached and I repressed my feelings. When I was 26, I finally realized that I am a transgender woman. Though I knew the answer, I believed that there was something wrong with me and felt like a freak of nature. I believed God wouldn’t make me like that and I actually developed a sense of self-hatred. Eventually with time and incredible support and resources, my self-hatred went away.

While I don’t know why I have been created as transgender, I know that there is a reason behind it, just as David acknowledged in Psalm 139’s sixteenth verse:

“Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.”

Those of us in the LGBTQ community are all beautiful children of God, just like our straight allies. We add to the incredible diversity of creation. Never forget that.

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Violet Fenn, a United Methodist for 5 years, is a senior at Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, OK majoring in English with a minor in Psychology. Violet became involved with RMN in April after attending a Call to Witness training. She is now part of leadership with MOSAIC as well as its TransJustice work group.

Christian, Gay, and Feminist

by Leland Spencer

Recently, The Institute for Women's Studies at the University of Georgia hosted a research symposium with the theme, "Feminist Research Across the Disciplines." I had the opportunity to present a narrative account of my own intersection of identities. Because the essay addresses a number of questions and topics relevant to this blog, I wanted to share an excerpt from it for interested readers. Click here to read the complete essay.

I gave a similarly-themed paper at another conference a few months ago, and in each case, I was thrilled with the great and thoughtful comments and questions from audience members. I am convinced that people are eager to hear affirming words about how it's possible to co-exist at these ostensibly paradoxical levels of identity, and that is part of what makes me so excited to be a part of this movement.

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Christian, Gay, and Feminist: A Feminist Research Axiology Across Identities

Welcome to my story. My hope is that by the end of this essay, you will have an understanding for who I am and what I value as a scholar. My inspiration for this essay is three-pronged. The first two prongs are panels from the thirty-first meeting of the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender in Nashville, Tennessee. One panel focused on narratives; the panelists functioned as small group conveners and shared their own narratives and then invited everyone else to begin crafting a narrative (Defenbaugh, Tigerlily, O’Neill, & MacDonald, 2008). The themes and dynamics of my own narrative resonated within me throughout the conference, and then I found myself at another panel, the Vice President’s panel on feminist paradoxes (Kirby, 2008). Again arranged in small groups, we talked about how we navigate those moments in our lives when our feminist consciousnesses clash with other important values. In my small group, most of the participants identified religion or spirituality as their paradox. The question was asked by different voices using different words, but at its base, the issue was this: are faith and feminism compatible?

As I traveled home from the conference, these two influential panels merged in my mind, and the thought of their combined influence would not let me go. Somewhere at the overlap of knowing that narratives are powerful and thinking about the feminist paradoxes in my life, I knew I had a story to offer, a story that explains who I am, what I value, and why I do the work I do as a communication scholar. The two panels are the main reasons why I write this narrative; the third reason I want to tell my story is the very existence of the paradox. I am a Christian. I am a gay man. I am a feminist. So often in my life, I find that people are surprised by that combination. It seems unlikely—even impossible—that someone could identify with all three of those statements, and yet my life and my research is (I hope) a living embodiment of all three. I do not see my sexuality, spirituality, and feminism as contradictions of each other. Alternatively, I see them as mutual fulfillments of one another.

My thesis is that I can simultaneously affirm my identities as a Christian, a gay man, and a feminist because each of those parts of my identity is fundamentally emancipatory. My axiology is one that affirms human dignity as a central value. In my personal life and my professional work as a communication scholar, I believe in advancing human dignity and disrupting oppression. Those values are central to my life, and they are located at the nexus of my ostensibly paradoxical Christian, gay, and feminist identities. In the paragraphs that follow, I share my narrative and thus explain my axiology, dismantling each apparent paradox along the way.

Christianity and feminism

I begin with Christianity and feminism because the perceived incompatibility of these two central parts of my identity haunted several people in the small group of which I was a part at the conference. One scholar talked about the conservative church where she grew up; she remembered hearing feminism condemned. Another scholar said she often felt a contradiction between her faith as a Roman Catholic and her views as a feminist. She was unsure how to reconcile those parts of her being.

I appreciated the openness and honesty of my feminist colleagues around that circle, and I was grateful to be a part of a faith tradition that affirms both the primacy of scripture and the equality of women and men as an intention of creation. I first figured out I was a feminist because of my faith. I was at a church retreat, and I met a wonderfully gifted pastor. I was amazed by this pastor’s knowledge and ability to relate scripture to people’s lives in such personal and relevant ways. This pastor was unlike any I had met before. I was profoundly hurt when I learned that she had faced discrimination; that some congregations were unreceptive of her simply because of her gender. I felt the unfairness of it in the depths of my soul. It hurt me that this profoundly gifted pastor faced challenges that her colleagues who were men would never have to face. Though I may not have known the word feminism, I became a feminist that day because I acknowledged male privilege, identified a source and consequence of sexism, and began looking for ways to disrupt patriarchal oppression. Read more..

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Leland G. Spencer IV, a lifelong United Methodist, is a PhD student in the department of speech communication at the University of Georgia, where he researches religious rhetoric as it intersects with gender and sexuality. Leland holds an M.A. in Communication from the University of Cincinnati (2009). While in Cincinnati, Leland served as the worship intern at the Wesley Foundation. Leland served as a part-time local pastor at Mapleton United Methodist Church in the East Ohio Conference from 2005 until 2007 when Leland withdrew from the candidacy process because of the United Methodist Church's exclusive position about the ordination of LGBT persons.

Created by God

by Joey Heath

It is a momentous time in the movement for equality for LGBTQ people. Marriage Equality has now reached the US capital Washington, DC. The Soulforce Equality Ride is on the road again bringing a message of affirmation for LGBTQ people where that message might not be heard. What a time it is to be involved in the LGBTQ rights movement. So much work is being done but so much more is left to do and as such I wanted to start my next post based off of a post a friend of mine made on the Gay Christian Network. My friend (Matthew, a seminary student at BU) posted this:

“My sexuality is an expression of the diversity that God created into nature. Diversity is not a result of sin. It is all part of God's plan. As for myself I believe God made me gay in a fallen world and he would have made me gay in a hypothetical non-fallen world. I believe that it is homophobia and hate that are results of the sin of the world. Those are the things that come from sin”

There is much more to his post then just this quote but this is what really struck me. I hear so often people say that homosexuality is the result of our fallen world. They make it sound as if the sexual orientation of a segment of the population was just an accident. Well I am standing up today and saying this is wrong. The sexuality and gender identity of LGBTQ people IS NOT an accident. God created us each to be diverse individuals. People come in so many different ways, shapes, sizes, hair color, eye color, skin color, etc. So why is it so hard to believe that sexuality and gender identity would be part of that beautiful diversity?

In Jer. 1:5 God say “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Now this was a message to Jeremiah calling him to be a prophet but I think it also speaks to the idea that God knows us even before we are born and that God puts us together,creating us into a unique creation. This means my sexuality can not be an accident because it is a part of who I am, a God created part of my identity. This idea that God would rather all of the world be heterosexual but because of sin coming into the world this accidental sexuality exists is based on a heterocentric worldview and denies the very creation of God. Look throughout the animal kingdom, this diversity of sexuality also exists there. So the next time someone is trying tell you that this homosexuality is the result of fallen humanity kindly remind them the it is homophobia and hatred that are the result of sin and that sexuality and gender identity are a part of the beautifully diverse creation of God.

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Joey Heath is a 26 year old life long United Methodist. He is currently a graduate student at Wesley Theological Seminary completing his Masters in Divinity. Once an ordained pastor, Joey hopes he will be able to bring real change to the UMC on the issues of sexuality and gender identity at the broader church level, but also with individuals, so that one day the church will truly be a place that is inclusive of all people.

Bishops seek younger membership by 2019

By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

(United Methodist News Service headline, November 5, 2009)

 At the age of 76 and as a 3rd generation Methodist/United Methodist, I like many others, am pleased that our United Methodist Bishops have expressed this commitment. My family tells me that my mind sometimes makes "peculiar" connections. When I read the story with the above title, I thought of President Ronald Reagan's often-quoted words; "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall". Reagan's comments about the Berlin Wall have been remembered as we observe the anniversary of the fall of that wall.
 
One of the ways the Bishops and all of us could reach out to younger membership is for us to begin the process now of "bringing down" words and legislation in our Book of Discipline related to our statement in the Social Principles; "The United Methodist Church does not condone the practice of homosexuality and consider this practice incompatible with Christian teaching." It is time for us to acknowledge that our words and legislation on homosexuality have been a "wall" separating "old United Methodism from what must become "new" United Methodism"
 
I have found an illustration in how we might begin to do this in what for some will be viewed as a strange place; The Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. In 1983, Missouri Synod Lutherans developed a resolution in response to the criticisms about the anti-Semitic statements in Volume 47 of Martin Luther Works - On the Jews and Their Lies.
 
They stated; "Resolved, That while, on the one hand, we are deeply indebted to Luther for his rediscovery of the Gospel, on the other hand, we deplore and disassociate ourselves from Luther's negative statements about the Jewish people, and by the same token, we deplore the use today of such sentiments to incite anti-Christian/and or anti-Lutheran sentiment;..."
 
It is difficult for us as individuals and as a denomination to admit that Biblically sanctioned words and actions of exclusion, separation and segregation of blacks and women, have now been rendered obsolete and represent superficial Biblical interpretation. General Conference legislation and Book of Discipline language, indicate we have moved from exclusion to inclusion of women and blacks. Younger United Methodists and potential United Methodists, will be watching and learning as we begin to delete words and legislation about Gay and Lesbian persons that have been demeaning and divisive stumbling blocks for so many for too many years.
 
Young people that I know and many of us who are not-so-young, have wondered why we have never consistently declared that sexism, racism, classism, militarism, etc when "practiced", are "incompatible with Christian teaching". Yet for years, we have allowed our language about the "incompatibility of homosexuality" to shape our negative and punitive legislation about LGBT persons and same gender couples. If we are serious about younger membership and much of the present less-than-young membership, we will allow the "new occasion" of the 21st century, to provide reason and rationale for "tearing down our walls."

Maine and a Personal Concern About Heterosexism

By Rev. Gilbert H. Caldwell

The Vote by a Majority of the Voters in Maine to prohibit Same Gender Marriage when "connected" to the 30 other states that have done something comparable, now means that 31 states have aligned themselves with the hetereosexist legislation of the United Methodist Church re; homosexuality and same gender couples.

                       A PERSONAL CONCERN ABOUT HETEROSEXISM
 
Whenever I encounter persons or institutions that in conversation or action, express attitudes of pre-judgment, prejudice, bias and bigotry toward homosexuality and homosexual persons, I wonder if I am in the presence also of unacknowledged and/or unresolved racism?
 
I do that because as an African American, I have experienced racism face-to-face and I know that despite the differences between the history and reality of racist and heterosexist words and actions, there are within each, threads of similarity.
 
But, there is a more personal reason. I realize that even though I have experienced racism first hand, that does not mean I have adequately dealt with the bits and pieces of racism within me. And, more importantly, I know that despite my years of activism to confront and conquer racism, I have not exorcised from my being, residuals of sexism, classism and anti-Semitism. The task of confronting the residuals of the above "isms" within ourselves and others, requires persistent and consistent prayer, reflection and action.  
 
A perusal of our United Methodist Book of Discipline suggests that directly/indirectly we have addressed the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism, and classism, but despite our language of the "sacred worth" of all persons, (including homosexuals), our negative assessment of "the practice of homosexuality" and the punishment imposed upon those who acknowledge that they do, reveals our heterosexism.
 
The vote in Maine when linked with similar actions in other states, ought suggest that the United Methodist Church ought begin now to prayerfully plan and act to reform and transform our current heterosexist words and legislation. The United Methodist Church in the 21st century has an opportunity to say that no longer will our legislation give direction, aid and comfort to Americans who believe that a vote of the majority has the right to limit the rights of those who are numerical minorities. When we do that, we will offer a "gift" to the USA that will not be forgotten!

Opposing Homophobia and Heterosexism Resolution (#2043, 2008 BOR)

WHEREAS, homophobia is the discrimination of people perceived to be non-heterosexual, regardless of the victim’s actual sexual orientation or sexual identity; and,

WHEREAS, heterosexism is a self-justifying system of homophobia that:

1) perpetuates stereotypical categories of what is essentially “masculine” and what is essentially “feminine,”

2) provides a privileged status for people who identify as culturally defined heterosexuals, and

3) discriminates against persons who, regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity, do not appear to fit within the particular category defined as appropriate for their gender; and,

WHEREAS, actions rooted in homophobia and heterosexism, including violence, threats, ridicule, humiliation, discrimination, isolation, and rejection, is damaging to persons of all sexual orientations and identities,

WHEREAS, homophobia and heterosexism are manifestations of sexism in general in that they foster stereotypes based on arbitrary distinctions of gender categories,

WHEREAS, the United Methodist Church is committed to the eradication of sexism (#48, 2004 Book of Resolutions),

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The United Methodist Church strengthen its advocacy of the eradication of sexism by opposing all forms of violence or discrimination based on gender, gender identity, sexual practice or sexual orientation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the General Board of Church and Society provide resources and materials aimed at educating members of the local churches about the reality, issues, and effects of homophobia and heterosexism and the need for Christian witness against these facets of marginalization.

Adopted by the 2008 General Conference

This link takes you to the General Board of Church and Society Website and resources for combating homophobia and heterosexism. http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.5473163/k.911A/Homophobia_and_Heterosexism.htm

 Take a look and continue the struggle to make the world a better place for all people! 

A Memoir on the Day Hate Crime Legislation was Signed

By Peter L. DeGroote

I am sitting in an office at Foundry United Methodist Church. Six blocks down the road, President Obama is signing legislation adding sexual orientation and gender identity to our hate crimes laws. It has been 30 years since passage of the original hate crimes law (1979) and 13 years since the last failed attempt at amendment. (This amendments includes protection based on gender and for those with disabilities and adds resources to help local governments investigate hate crimes.)

The original law came as part of the civil rights tide that washed over this country during the 60’s and 70’s. That was when we began to understand our oppression was also a denial of our civil rights.

People began to come out. The public reaction often seemed like a game of whack-a-mole. Whenever someone decided to live a more authentic life by being honest about his or her sexual identity there were many around ready to knock them back into silence and conformity. That included family and police. Law enforcement was an openly hostile institution just as capable of rendering violence as others.

I joined Foundry in 1980, a year after passage of the original hate crimes legislation. During the early years of that decade little footprints were painted on the sidewalks of the DuPont Circle neighborhood in which Foundry is located. They marked the spot where gay men had been physically attacked and, in a few cases, murdered.

The violence had a profound impact on the entire neighborhood. It is one reason Foundry is a Reconciling Congregation and why most of the nearby churches have an open and welcoming attitude toward LGBT folks. Being a witness to violence, or knowing someone who has been beaten or killed, or realizing that such an act occurred just down the street calls up human capacities of compassion as well as questions about what it is we mean by justice.

During this time some of us who were members of Foundry began a bible study program that, after several years, launched a congregational discussion that ultimately led to Foundry’s becoming a Reconciling Congregation. Later, as clergy I had the privilege of being appointed to Foundry for a couple of years, one of which included the 10-year anniversary of the passage of the Reconciling resolution.

By then discussions had gone much further. The language of gay/lesbian was gone. The initials had grown to LGBTI. The term sexual preference, suggesting that we make a choice in our affectional ties/attractions was finally abandoned. In its place was sexual orientation. Gender identity emerged as term describing personal characteristics that many of us had to learn about—and many of us are still learning.

Along with all of those developments was emergence of the clear understanding that those tools by which we were being oppressed had to do with civil rights. In addition to hate crimes protection, we seek rights to military service, protection from discrimination in housing and employment, and marriage equality.

Civil rights are the product of the civil society, os which the church is only a member. The UM Church, claims it is committed to upholding the civil rights of all people to include LGBT people. We’ll get the civil rights, then we’ll see what the church does.  

Now, as a retired pastor, I am once more sitting here in the DuPont Circle neighborhood, in an office at Foundry, assisting in an interim way, only for a few weeks. On this fateful day I should celebrate but I feel strangely quiet. Maybe that will change tomorrow evening when we all go down the road just a little to Asbury United Methodist Church where DC clergy in support of the proposed marriage equality law in Washington have called us to join in Soulful Voices for Marriage Equality—a Faith Celebration.

The beat goes on! 

The "gay agenda"

By Joey Heath

Since the march on DC I have been watching the coverage the weekend got. The hate-crimes bill is also set to pass Congress and so after ten years of struggle it will become law. I keep seeing a phrase pop up here and there around the conservatives view of the weekend. I keep hearing the word gay agenda. I know I have written on this before and so have many others. In some ways I feel like I'm beating a dead horse by saying “What gay agenda???” but here are my thoughts on the subject.

I have heard it said that the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) rights movement is not a civil rights movement and that is really just some “gay agenda” to get special rights. People claim that no one is oppressing LGBTQ people so this must not be about civil rights. I heard it recently said that no one is forcing LGBTQ people to sit at the back of the bus or to go to segregated schools. They are right in saying this. The oppression that LGBTQ people are facing is different from that of the 1960's civil rights movement but that does not make the LGBTQ oppression any less real. The truth is that LGBTQ oppression is alive and well and preventing countless numbers of individuals from living the dream that so many dream of as small children.

So here is the real gay agenda, the real reason we struggle for equal rights. Are you ready?

It's about not having to hide the fact that the person we go home to after a long day of work is a person of the same gender, hiding this because we fear losing our jobs by being fired or forced to resign. It is about having protection from losing that house we go home to simply because our landlord doesn't want to rent to LGBTQ people. It's about being able to start a family with kids that may not be biologically ours but we will provide the much needed love and care just as if they were. It's about not having to fear walking down the street with our loved ones for fear of personal injury. It's about being able to officially declare our love for one another and have it recognized in the same way our heterosexual counterparts are recognized for their love. It's about not having to watch every move we make in public life for fear of the backlash of people finding out about our private lives. It is about being able to serve and protect the country and values we hold dear. It is about being able to openly move through society as the people we really are. I guess you could say it is simply about being seen and treated as an equal.

So there you have it. That is the infamous “gay agenda”. Now that we all know what is going on, how are we going to move forward? Are we going to work for hope or hate? It's your choice. I choose hope and a world where no one needs to live in fear. Now it's your turn to choose.

Other Sheep Kenya Holds Seminar in Nairobi

By John Makokha

Other Sheep Kenya held a seminar in a Nairobi hotel on August 22, 2009 called “Religion and Sexuality in an African Cultural Context.”  The 25 participants were drawn from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) community as well as Parents, Friends of Lesbian and Gay (PFLAG).

The participants came from diverse religious backgrounds and organization such as the United Methodist Church, Baptist church, Anglicans, Kenya Assemblies of God, Catholic Church, Metropolitan Community Church, Nairobi Pentecostal Church, Apostolic Church, Redeemed Gospel Church, Islam, Changing Attitude, Reconciling Ministries Network, Ishtar MSM, Daystar University and the United States International University (USIU).

Rev. Henry Mayor (Retired Anglican minister from UK) and director of Changing Attitude said that he came to Kenya to help the Anglican Church discuss homosexuality. He facilitated on Changing Attitude: The European Experience of LGBTI ministry.  He had raised funds to train 40 Anglican clergy in the Bondo diocese in Kenya:  “This is a big step since a journey of a thousand miles start with a single step.”  Changing Attitude is linking up with Anglican groups around the world to officially accept LGBTI people in the Anglican Church.

Mayor said that there are people who say being gay is not African, but a western import.  Said Mayor, “Our organization is devoted to changing the attitude of the Anglican Church towards homosexuals.”  He believes his calling is from God: “There is no human being who is normal except Jesus Christ”.

He said that homosexuality has caused the great sin of dividing Christianity. Christians should love all people without discrimination based on sexual orientation.  The Christian community must change their attitude and be positive about LGBTI persons:  Stated Mayor, “Bishop Gene Robinson is such a wonderful Christian."

Rev. Michael Kimindu (MCC/Anglican minister and Other Sheep East Africa Coordinator) said that there are people whom the clergy and laity do not accept in the church such as divorcees, homosexuals, people living with AIDS, polygamists and alcoholics: “These are the other sheep.”

Kimindu said that sexual orientation is not an issue that is to be fought but accepted. Religious leaders should serve God by serving the vulnerable, including LGBTI persons. The gospel is not about hate but about repentance, reconciliation and renewal. Jesus did not die so that our sexual orientation can change, but our hearts.  As Mayor poignantly stated, “Hatred and isolation do not constitute the grace of God and Christ’s mind is love”.

Mayor continued that there are thousands of LGBTI persons who think God hates them. The message from Other Sheep is that God loves you.

Rev. John Makokha (United Methodist minister and Other Sheep Kenya Coordinator) said that most LGBTI persons who grapple with their sexual orientation have abandoned the church in Kenya: “You cannot worship God in a church where everyone is breathing homophobia.”

Scientific research has shown that sexual orientation is not a religious issue but a biological issue.

Makokha explained that Riruta United Methodist Church has officially moved out of the East Africa Annual Conference due to homophobia, isolation and rejection by the leadership.  Riruta UMC is the only reconciling church in Africa and it is now seeking to align itself to other annual conference/church outside Africa that shares its vision and mission of inclusiveness and love of Christ for all people.

Anne Baraza (Other Sheep Advisory Counselor and Riruta United Methodist Women President) said that LGBTI persons are a minority in Kenyan society and their needs are unlikely to be a burden to their clergy or congregation: “Sexual orientation is not chosen but intrinsic”.

Mrs. Baraza said that many LGBTI have traveled a difficult road due to depression, stigma and isolation perpetrated by the religious community: “I have had clients who have testified that they have visited charismatic conservative evangelical clergy to cast out demons/witchcraft of homosexuality to no avail.”  As Christians, we should be concerned with looking below the surface to the real person.

She told the clergy to attend to the LGBTI as they would to any other children of God for whom Christ died. The LGBTI community should not be judged, rejected or condemned, since they have experienced much pain and hurt already.  Baraza stated that “some have sought suicide as a way out.”  The clergy were advised to be there for the LGBTI community in the name of the Lord and help them walk on their journey of faith.

She advised the LGBTI community to not create room for heterosexuals to attack them: “You cannot hate homosexuals without understanding them. Start mingling with heterosexuals and when opportunity allows bring up the topic of homosexuality. Try to correct them where they are misinformed or under informed about homosexuals. This is one sure way of breaking the ice existing between the two.”

Peter Wanyama ( Anglican/Other Sheep Kenya Treasurer) said that some of the challenges facing the LGBTI community in Kenya include access to health care, high HIV/AIDS infection rates, self stigmatization, religious bias, security threats and lack of legal representation on homosexual related cases.

The participants recommended more seminars, especially for PFLAG, and counseling to address issues affecting them and their children.  The issue on HIV/AIDS came up, and the participants noted that homosexuals are at a higher risk of being infected, so it should be given serious attention. Capacity building programs should be put in place to address issues affecting them.

This seminar was a success due to the grant acquired from UHAI-EASHRI (East Africa Sexual and Health Rights Initiative).