The CWS Safe Space program works to ensure that LGBTQ+ community members are respected, valued and included. Much of this work is done by engaging with leaders from faith communities in Africa. This story comes from someone of the Anglican faith who recently participated in a CWS engagement session and has been edited for clarity.
I was first introduced to the CWS Safe Space Program this year in a training that was conducted by CWS in collaboration with a local church. I have been from the Anglican tradition since childhood. I have grown as an active member and in adherence to the Church tradition. I have been baptized and have played different roles in the Church. I have held different positions which include being a youth leader and teaching Church school, and I currently serve as a leader in the group for young couples in our district.
Having subscribed to the Anglican tradition, it has been automatic for me to follow the Church doctrines. The Anglican tradition holds marriage as only between a man and a woman and never has it ever been taught in any other way apart from this perspective.
The issues around sexual minorities have been preached in the church as “against nature.” It has therefore been a contentious issue in Christian circles and especially in the Anglican Church. As a Christian leader and a member of the community where I serve and reside, I have come across several people who do not conform to heterosexuality or what is commonly referred to as “straight.” I have never had a chance to determine whether these people have made the choice to be different or whether it is in their nature to be different from the rest of the community. In fact, a male teacher in a school where my first-born daughter started schooling was rumored to be gay. The teacher was also one of the most competent, and the children liked him very much. What mattered to me was the fact that he is a good teacher. However, the kind of conversations that were held in society were not very nice towards him as many people viewed him as an outcast or someone who is possessed by some evil spirit.
When I was invited to the CWS-hosted training, I was privileged to get information about sexual minorities. For me, it was an eye-opening opportunity. I got an opportunity to interact with religious leaders from different Christian traditions. I also got a chance to have firsthand information from members of the LGBTQIA community. It had never occurred to me the pain and the hurt that is usually perpetrated by the church towards these children of God. The training gave me an opportunity to reflect on the lived realities of these people that are usually wounded out of ignorance.
When attending a meeting with a group of women in my village, the issue of homosexuality emerged in the conversation. It was neither predicted nor planned for. Some women were so angry at the idea of having gay children in their homes. It was also clear to me that there are so many myths that come with the perception of sexual minorities in society. I thought of how I would have also contributed negatively to the conversation had I not attended CWS training.
Fortunately, and in God’s given wisdom, I got a chance to educate the women on different sexualities. I was privileged to have been a clerk during the last national census. I pointed out that even the government had included intersex people in government records and recognized their existence in our society. I discussed intersex persons as an entry point towards shaping the conversation and somehow was able to talk to them about the creation of God.
What also helped me was the reference to the teacher in the school. Many of the women were parents in the school and knew the teacher very well and his competence in teaching. Talking about the teacher made the women realize that people who are different live among us and they are children of God, just like the rest of us. Since then, I have been cautious when dealing with children in the Sunday school ministry, especially those who seem to behave differently or those who portray what is not common in society. The training also gave me the ability to be more empathetic to people even when they are not members of the LGBTQIA community.
I pray that the message the Safe Space Program teaches can reach as many parents as possible and that governments can be informed when making policies concerning society. The Church, as a major institution that informs our society, should train as many members as possible on the issues around sexuality. I am therefore grateful to CWS for the work they are doing, and I have taken it upon myself to share information with others around me whenever the issues of homosexuality or of people who do not present as the society expects arises.
Read another testimony from a Safe Space program participant here!
We would like to thank the Arcus Foundation for their support of this important work.