lgbtqia
Today, too many people of Global Majority Heritage, women, LGBTQIA+ people, poor people, differently abled people and others outside of the Church do not feel fully welcome.
Despite the riches of our parishes, congregations, and theological education sector, attentive listening to the voices of those we are called to serve requires honesty about the sense of anxiety, pressures on resources both in terms of time and finance, the crisis in clergy wellbeing, the hurt felt by both GMH and LGBTQIA+ people, and uncertainty for TEIs about their viability and future.
I support Prayers of Love and Faith, and the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the Church.
Inclusion My work in universities and schools means I listen closely to those with neurodivergence, disabilities and LGBTQIA+ community
It is also my joy, along with two other clergy colleagues, to lead Village Church which is an informal Manchester Diocese chaplaincy to the LGBTQIA+ community which meets for worship twice each month.
I am deeply saddened that there remains such division in Synod over the gift of LGBTQIA+ people.
If I am elected to General Synod, I will seek to shine a light not only on the needs of the LGBTQIA+ community, but also on the needs of others who are often seen to be at the end of the queue.
I want to make sure that reality is properly understood and represented — alongside the wider issues that matter to me in the life of the Church: I am committed to equality for everyone, at every level and in every role in the church, regardless of disability, economic circumstance, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, mental health, neurodiversity or sexuality — including full inclusion for LGBTQIA+ people in the life, ministry and relationships of the church Equal opportunity for women at every level of the church, including the episcopate, drawing on my own years leading Shell’s UK Women’s Network Supporting the pastoral and practical needs of expatriate and international congregations — especially isolated and vulnerable members Racial justice and genuine diversity in church leadership Bringing rigour and discipline to how the Church manages change, safety and resources — without losing sight of its mission My Grandfather spent his scholarly life showing how the parables of Jesus keep reaching past the people already inside the door, that Jesus's ministry deliberately reached past religious insiders to outsiders and the excluded.
I long to minister in a church where someone who is married to their same-sex partner can discern a vocation to ordained ministry, where my LGBTQIA+ clergy siblings do not minister in a postcode lottery, and in which when someone enquires about whether they can be married in church I don’t have to check whether their partner is of the opposite sex in order to celebrate their love for and commitment to one another, and seek God’s blessing for their life together.
The Living in Love & Faith and Prayers of Love and Faith journey has enabled there to be hope that the LGBTQIA+ community can be more valued and affirmed.
• marriage for couples in healthy loving relationships (including LGBTQIA couples)
Transparency on LGBTQIA+ issues is important.
I stand as an ally to our oppressed LGBTQIA+ community because this is, for me, a matter of justice, dignity, and love.
I am a Trustee and Treasurer of Together For the Church of England which is a charity working to create a more equal church where all LGBTQIA+, GMH, neurodiverse, differently abled, etc Christians are welcomed and celebrated as equally beloved people made in the image of God.
• I spoke at debates on the topics of gender equality, LGBTQIA+ rights, racial justice, and
I support the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the life of the Church and ongoing work towards further justice in this regard.
I believe that discrimination and abuse directed against those who are UKME/GMH, LGBTQIA+, disabled and all other marginalized groups is a safeguarding issue in its own right.
the LGBTQIA+ community - this has strengthened my conviction that the Church must be a place where everyone is fully welcomed, included and valued.
LGBTQIA+
I want the Church of England to be a safe place for my LGBTQIA+ sisters and brothers, a place where they can use their gifts and where they can be valued, respected and loved and given positions of leadership in the life of the church.
Open Table is a network of communities which genuinely welcome, affirm, include and empower people who are: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, & Asexual (LGBTQIA)+ their families, friends & anyone who wants to belong in an accepting, loving community.
LLF – The last few years have been bruising for LGBTQIA+ folk.
Although I am not standing for any ‘constituency’, I will continue to be an ally for my LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters in whatever follows the Living in Love and Faith process.
Here in Liverpool it’s a great privilege to work with the first Open Table congregation, and to see it become a thriving charity serving LGBTQIA+ congregations across the country.
I want LGBTQIA+ people, women, disabled and neurodivergent people, and people of every ethnicity and economic background to be able to participate equally in every aspect of the Church’s life, ministry, leadership and sacraments.
For 2.5 years I’ve led a small worshipping community for families with SEN, I’ve worked closely for 6 years with a HIV & LGBTQIA+ organisation to whom I offer chaplaincy & friendship, and I seek to create inclusive & welcoming spaces where all are welcome & able to participate (which is why I recently undertook training in Makaton and BSL).
LGBTQIA+ Support &
I am extremely committed that there is, and always should be, a fully active place within the Church of England for those who are LGBTQIA+ and may or may not be in a same-sex relationship.
Introduction of the Prayers of Love and Faith, acknowledge- ment of the cost paid by LGBTQIA+ people and moves to be more fully inclusive.
Years of failing to safeguard the most vulnerable and internal squabbling over full inclusion of women and LGBTQIA+ people have decimat- ed the Church’s credibility.
LGBTQIA+ People
Whilst personally committed to working for the church to move forward in our inclusivity and our provision for LGBTQIA+ people, I am committed to enabling the mutual flourishing of the whole of the church, and to honouring and protecting the theological integrity and legitimate position of all convictions.
I worship at St Bride's, Toxteth and have served for eighteen years as a Lay Minister with Open Table Liverpool, a Fresh Expression of Church for LGBTQIA+ people, friends and families.
As a gay married Christian, I support the Church moving to the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people, including the recognition and celebration of faithful same-sex marriages.
Sex and sexuality I pray for an age where LGBTQIA+ people are not seen as an ‘issue’ to be solved: an age where we talk about ‘us’, not ‘us and them’.
Inclusion is not a niche issue I identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and I care about the Church becoming fully inclusive.
That includes continuing to work for the possibility of blessings for same-sex couples and for LGBTQIA+ people to be fully recognised and valued within the Church.
LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
I affirm the compatibility of Christian discipleship and queer identity and would support the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people in the sacramental life of the Church.
I would support action to address cultural, racial, economic, and gender inequalities and to create a safe and viable environment for LGBTQIA+ clergy.
inclusion within the life of the Church of England for those in the LGBTQIA+ communities.
The connections I have made with others seeking to work for LGBTQIA+ inclusion have opened my eyes to the other dimensions of exclusion which exist both within the Church and beyond.
The previous Synod - and more recently the House of Bishops - failed spectacularly in its mission to offer ‘radical welcome’ to LGBTQIA/queer people, like me.
Living in Love and Faith (LLF) – I long to see a church that fully includes LGBTQIA people at all levels in the church.
Inclusion in a broad sense: I am committed to a Church in which LGBTQIA+ clergy and lay people are treated with dignity, compassion and respect, and are enabled to grow more fully into who they are in Christ.
I would work particularly for flourishing ministry, safer and healthier church cultures; better communication, conflict resolution, and neuroinclusion; the dignity and belonging of LGBTQIA+ people, the flourishing of women’s ministry, and a strong connection between national decision-making and the lived reality of our parishes.
In Living in Love and Faith debates I supported change, aware that LGBTQIA+ individuals and couples are deeply affected.
I am an LGBTQIA+ Chaplain in our Diocese, and serve on the Reference Group for the Chaplaincy.
I believe that those of us who are white have a responsibility to speak out against racism as allies (just as those of us who are straight have a parallel responsibility to be vocal in support of LGBTQIA+ inclusion).
Work that continues in relation to LGBTQIA+ people, women and safeguarding the most vulnerable.
LGBTQIA+ Chaplain, Diocese of Oxford (2020-2024)
Synod Motions at General Synod (See of Dover CNC, Confirmation statistics), Co-convenor of General Synod Anti-Racism network, part of General Synod Environment Group and working for full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ Anglicans in all roles in the Church of England.