LGBTQ People Are Hurting Today
Our friends have thrown us to the wolves
When your enemies hurl insults, you take it in stride. You already know they don’t like you, so you shrug and dream up colorful comebacks. But when your friends thumb their nose at you (sir), that’s when you really hurt.
In the last week, LGBTQ people have been egregiously insulted and treated as less than fully human by people who are supposed to be our friends and allies. When the Anglican Communion, in the person of Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, explicitly disinvited same-sex spouses of priests, bishops, and other leaders from breaking bread at the decennial Lambeth Conference, I felt like a school bully had punched me in the gut.
I literally shed tears.
The Lambeth Conference, due to take place in Canterbury, England, is held once every 10 years. It brings together representatives of the 85 million-strong church, which has a presence in more than 165 countries around the world.
Anglicans are supposed to be wonderful, loving friends to LGBTQ people. One of my dearest friends for many years was an Anglican vicar in Montreal who went to tremendous lengths (requiring tremendous patience on his part) to demonstrate genuine Christian love. He broke through my wounds and helped me understand that Christians aren’t the…
