When I came out as a lesbian 50 years ago, I would never, in my wildest dreams, have imagined the moving change in general U.S. attitudes toward LGBTQ people over the last five decades. And I would never have guessed that I would have the rare and rewarding opportunity to see that change up close, as a passionate, full-time educator around LGBTQ people and concerns in diverse secular settings.
But as a person of faith from a conservative religious background, I also saw and grieved the fact that church-related individuals and institutions, by contrast, often lagged the general public in their understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ people—and made no bones about their stance.
Eager to work with this persistent challenge, I first studied it in seminary and divinity school, preparing myself in mind and heart to offer LGBTQ education, as possible, to church-related audiences. I then had the unique opportunity, as an invited consultant, to collaborate with two national church-related organizations in healthcare and adoption/foster care who had learned of my successful work in secular settings. With support from their leadership, I provided education to their numerous and diverse employees and helped create more inclusive policies and materials--work that was effective and valued.
My project aims to explore intensively—via interviews, discussion, reading, research, and reflection--why these collaborations were undertaken and successful, how they could be adapted to other church-related settings, and what lessons and inspiration they could offer more widely in these fraught times. My hope is to offer truly useful information and insights both to LGBTQ and church-related people (who overlap, of course and to the general public, via writing, podcasts, meetings, networking, and presentations online and in person.