Resources
Here we are gathering together different resources that aim to provide support to LGBT+ people of faith and help inform faith communities about LGBT+ identities. If you know of a particularly helpful resource from your faith tradition please let us know.
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GLIN would like to acknowledge The Faith and Belief Forum for providing a list of organisations and groups that can offer support and services to LGBT+ people of faith. This list was handed out at a Faith and Belief Forum training event “Principles, skills and tools for working with LGBT+ people of faith” that was attended by one of our team.
Multifaith
Resources that could be used by many faiths.
Human Rights Campaign
Explore: Religion & Faith
The HRC Religion and Faith Program is working to create a world where nobody is forced to choose between who they are, whom they love and what they believe. Thanks in part to this work, more and more faith communities aren’t simply engaging in dialogue around LGBTQ equality, they’re leading the conversation. They do this work not in spite of their religious beliefs but because of them.
Website full of many resources for people of different faiths.
LGBT History Month 2016
Religion, Belief and Philosophy Education Pack
The Proud Trust has teamed up with Schools OUT UK to bring you this free LGBT History Month Pack for February 2016. The theme of History Month is ‘Religion, Belief and Philosophy: A Leap of Faith’. The pack is full of handy session plans, ideas and a useful FAQs section.
Website with lots of educational information and links to PDFs.
ACTING OUT LOUD
The Religious Institute
The Religious Institute is an American multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual, gender, and reproductive health, education, and justice in faith communities and society. ACTING OUT LOUD is a guide for faith communities that want to move beyond welcome toward a wider embrace of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and their families.
Some links in this website are out of date.
Buddhist
Lion's Roar
LGBTQ Buddhists: Teachings, Profiles, and Conversations
A collection of teachings from, profiles on, and conversations with LGBTQ folks in Buddhism. Website with various links.
Glasgow Gay Men's Meditation Group
Triratna Buddhist
A group of men with varying degrees of meditation experience, including those who have never meditated before.
Christian
Diverse Gender Identities and Pastoral Care
Church of Scotland
A booklet that has been created to help our pastoral teams to support those in our communities who identify themselves as transgender. We wanted to offer a space for people to share this aspect of their life’s journey in their own words. This means that they can define themselves using the vocabulary they are comfortable with; they can share the ups and downs of this journey of identity as they have experienced them.
Website with link to download PDF.
Lifeboats by B.T. Harman
The purpose of the Lifeboats film is really simple: To prepare parents to lavishly love their children during and after a coming out conversation.
Website with short film/spoken word poem and other content aimed at Christian parents.
Queer Theology
Queer Theology website provides a supportive community and in-depth resources for queer Christians and straight supporters.
A Christian Conversation Guide
Human Rights Campaign
Focused on Christian congregations, this guide provides practical suggestions Christians can take to build safe and inclusive communities and congregations. Included in the guide is a step-by-step conversation guide for small group discussions on the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ people; and a list of actions faith communities can immediately take in their congregation and communities. (American bassed but very useful)
Website with link to PDF.
Metropolitan Community Church
We are an inclusive church founded by LGBT people of faith in Glasgow. We are part of an international Christian denomination, UFMCC, founded in and reaching beyond the LGBT+ communities.
Jewish
KeshetUK works to ensure a world where no one has to choose between their LGBT+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) and Jewish identity. We work with schools, youth and young adult organisations, synagogues, and wider community organisations to ensure Jewish LGBT+ people and their families are included throughout Jewish life in the UK.
Over the last year, KeshetUK has worked together with Chief Rabbi Mirvis, Jewish schools and Jewish LGBT+ people to produce a groundbreaking report. It covers the challenges that can be faced by some young people who might be struggling to reconcile their LGBT+ and Jewish identity and how to provide pastoral care for young LGBT+ Jews. The purpose of this Guide is to reduce harm to LGBT+ young people in the Jewish community.
Rainbow Jews is a pioneering oral history project showcasing the lives of Jewish Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in the UK from the 1950s to today. It was launched in October 2012.
This is a Wikipedia timeline of LGBT Jewish history, which consists of events at the intersection of Judaism and queer people.
The World Congress of GLBT Jews consists of around 50 member organizations in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, France, Israel, Mexico, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States. The World Congress holds conferences and workshops and the focus of these sessions varies from regional, national, continental, to global. The Hebrew subtitle Keshet Ga’avah - Rainbow of Pride - emphasizes the importance of Hebrew and of Israel to the World Congress.
The Jewish LGBT+ Group (formerly JGLG) is the longest established Jewish LGBT+ group in the world. We welcome non-Jewish partners to all events and non-LGBT+ & non-Jewish guests to certain events, and although the group is based in London we have many members living across the country. We are primarily a social rather than religious group, and most of our religious events tend to follow Progressive/Reform traditions. Recently we have attracted many new Orthodox members and we are ensuring that the Jewish LGBT+ Group offers events that are suitable for all members, as much as possible. These events have added a new dimension to our group and fit into our calendar, alongside our long running tradition of monthly Friday night services held along Progressive/Reform lines.
We are a community of people who recognise the true diversity of the Jewish experience and who welcome all new members and participants, especially those who are distanced or estranged from many facets of contemporary Jewish community life.Â
Our community is involved with those aspects of contemporary Judaism which both respect and creatively engage with diversity. We encourage participation in, and contributions to, our services and our after-service and secular events.
TransTorah helps people of all genders to fully access and transform Jewish tradition, and helps Jewish communities to be welcoming sanctuaries for people of all genders.
Muslim
Muslim Pride
Hidayah worked alongside the Naz and Matt Foundation and the Documentary Maker Sonia Singh to create 'Muslim Pride.' This documentary focuses on the lives of LGBTQI+ Muslims within the United Kingdom. Filmed at Hidayah's first birthday party in December 2017, it highlights the lived reality of many LGBTQI+ Muslims, their daily struggles, the issues they face and the ways in which they reconcile Islam and their sexuality.
Website with other information and support, video of short film.
Muslims for Progressive Values
Videos of LGBTQI lecture series that explored the ways in which the sacred texts of Islam affirm and justify human rights and that seeks to dismantle the religious justification for homophobia in Muslim communities with medical, social and religious history.
Website with video links and other writen content.
Other Faiths
Unitarian Universalist Association
LGBTQ+ Justice
A range of resources including a full program to become a Welcoming Congregation;Â readings, meditations, and stories you can use for LGBTQ-focused worship services;Â LGBTQ-related pamphlets, flyers, guides, and other print resources; and a sexuality education program for the entire lifespan, inclusive of sexuality and gender diversity.
Website with written information and links to PDFs.