I was the Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs 2011 – 2018. One of the potential divisive challenges of those years was the LGBT – issue. Being an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church of Norway, I was passionate about the need for justice and full dignity for all our LGBT members. As [...]
LGBTQ PEOPLE OF FAITH Giving them visibility and a place at the table Background: In 2004, I had my first book launch. It was upstairs at the Midnight Shift Nightclub with about 350 people attending. The majority of those people had never been to a gay venue previously. It was a very exciting evening……all those [...]
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality as a mental illness from its diagnostic manual. Whilst mental health professionals faced the reality they were wrong, and moved on, much of the Christian Church was not having any of it. In their eyes, homosexuality was more than a mental illness. It was a God [...]
Free online viewing Thursday, 25 August, 8pm (AEST) REGISTER HERE Review Most people know there was a time when gay and lesbian people were considered mentally ill and mental health professionals used bizarre and cruel methods in their attempts to cure them. Probably fewer people could name the year that was reversed and fewer could detail [...]
Sometimes people tell me they don’t want to be labelled by their sexual orientation. "There's so much more to me than being gay, " they say. Not me though. For many years, I rejected my GAY identity. The last thing I would have ever have said was...... “I’m gay”. Taking ownership of that word was [...]
REGISTRATION FOR FREE "CURED" VIEWING Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International (ABBI) and Brave Network are pleased to announce a private virtual screening of the award-winning PBS documentary CURED, which highlights a pivotal but little-known moment in LGBTQ history when activists rose up to challenge a formidable institution — and won! On Thursday, August 25th at [...]
"I was 20 years old, and a Christian when I first met Sy Rogers. I was in the closet and severely troubled as I knew the Assemblies of God church I attended opposed homosexuality. I was invited to a small private meeting in an upstairs’ room in Hindley St, Adelaide organised by some church group [...]
Jem Clifton and Shane Clifton chat with Anthony Venn-Brown about his religious background, conversion therapy and tireless advocacy for LGBTQI people of faith. Shane and Anthony also reminisce about their long 'queer' friendship. See Anthony and Shane Clifton's 2004 interview, when Shane was a lecturer at Alphacrucis College (The Assemblies of God Bible College here: [...]
"It is time to remove all remaining discrimination of LGBTIQA+ communities and achieve holistic equality. Over the last 40 years, we have broken down many barriers for LGBTIQA+ people to create a brighter future for younger generations. But not all barriers have been removed with discrimination still embedded in a number of laws. The recently released NSW [...]