|
|
Greetings!
As I stepped out of our home for my morning run this morning, I was greeted by a blanket of thick fog hovering and accompanying me. Images of mystery, adventure, the unknown and hope came to mind as I ran into the cloud. To me it was a manifestation of where I/we find ourselves in the daily journey of the global pandemic. Things remain uncertain as we hope and pray for a good day.
My memory of 2020 Pride is a blur as we had to adjust to the impact of COVID-19. We have fond memories of the 2019 World Pride celebrations in New York. To be honest, it now seems like such a distant memory. In light of continuous killings of young LGBTQ+ people in South Africa and the recent arrest of 21 LGBTQ+ activists in Ghana, celebration remains limited. Collectively, as LGBTQ+ organisations, we continue to work to address and stop these atrocities. We continue to ask you for your prayers and support in eradicating homophobia, biphobia and transphobia so that ALL LGBTQ+ people can be celebrated and live without fear.
At IAM, we work daily to make that vision a reality throughout Africa. Building community and care networks is an important part of the work. One way we’re doing that in 2021 is hosting the third Queer Clergy Think Tank retreat in collaboration with the University of KwaZulu Natal at the end of June. Unfortunately limited to a small gathering this year due to COVID-19 regulations, the Think Tank will bring together clergy from across denominations to build solidarity and learn from one another. This year’s theme is “Counter Communities of Care” and the sessions aim to create a safe space for exploring how we seek and provide spaces of wellbeing, while at the same time taking a snapshot of the faith landscape and queer matters and, as a collective, devising new strategies to advance the recognition and celebration of LGBTQ+ people in faith communities.
Wherever you find yourself, live each day to its fullest. Also, please take care of yourself by keeping your distance, sanitizing, and wearing your mask.
God’s richest blessings!
| |
| |
Ecclesia de Lange
Director, IAM
| |
|
Counter Communities of Care: IAM’s third queer think tank
IAM has hosted two queer think tanks since 2015, each building on the previous learnings and providing a space for queer clergy, faith leaders and allies to analyse, assess and strategise towards the inclusion and recognition of LGBTIQ+ people in the faith landscape in South Africa.
| |
‘You are Muted, Unmute Yourself:’ An Open Letter to South African Church Leaders on the Plight of the LGBTIQ+ People
It is a silent genocide! People whose sexuality is diverse and whose gender identities do not conform to heteronormativity - namely, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-diverse, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people - are on the receiving end of barbarism in South Africa. We are stirred by this horrifying development to pen down this open letter to you, gravely disturbed that you are invisible, inactive, and muted as this evil unfolds.
| |
Underneath The Wool Part 2: The Other Side
This beautiful poem was written by LM Roberts, one of our Journey Of Hope participants.
| |
Justice for DF Malan High Schools LGBTIQ+ Students
On Monday, 7 June 2021, a small group of queer students and their allies came together at break to celebrate the first week of International Pride Month at DF Malan high school.
Instead of being greeted with understanding and treated with respect, they were subject to hate speech by queerphobic students and staff. The group of LGBTQ+ students was surrounded, threatened and intimidated. Read more and sign the petition.
| |
Gender Dynamix: Regional Research Project
This is why countering gender-based violence by defining safety, recognition, access, and social equity for trans and gender diverse persons research is important.
| |
Breaking Down SOGI Part 1: How Many More Funerals?
How many more burials should we attend for government to recognise the lived realities of dispossessed LGBTIQ bodies? Read Inclusive & Affirming Ministries (IAM) Intersectional Process Coordinator, Greyson Vanguard Thela's piece for Exit Newspaper South Africa.
| |
- IAM's third Queer Clergy Think Tank | 28 June - 2 July 2021 | by invitation only
- Parents of Pride online conversation | 15 June 2021 at 20:00 | Click here to register
- Registration is open for the 5th Pan-African ILGA virtual conference | 27-31 August 2021 | register and learn more here
| |
|
|
|
|
