Improvement of the position of LGBTI+ people of faith throughout the continent

The Board of the European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups is happy to announce that it has received a new grant from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. With the grant the often vulnerable position of LGBTI+ people of faith can be improved. 

Countering the anti gender narrative
The European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups has been funded by the Dutch government since 2012. The overall goal of the new grant is to counter the anti-gender narrative that has been proven toxic for LGBTI+ people. Misza Czerniak, Co-President: “As the anti-gender rhetoric is mostly fueled by organisations with a Christian conservative background, organisations of LGBTI+ people of faith are the best capable ones to create a narrative that counters the anti-gender rhetoric and diminishes the negative effects it has on all LGBTI+ people.”

International Consultation
A comprehensive approach, diversifying the basic value of inclusivity is chosen as the main focus to counteract the fundamentalist narratives and forces. The church advocacy and political advocacy Working Groups of the European Forum will be facilitated to create positive faith-based narratives that can deconstruct the toxic narratives developed by the so-called anti-gender movement. The results of this work will be collected and debated during an international consultation in the Netherlands in 2025 with religious leaders and church representatives, to be able to operationalize these results in faith communities, as well as presented to political actors for the benefit of wider societies.

Rainbow Index of Churches (RICE)
An important tool for promoting the value of inclusivity and to map the status thereof in religious communities is the Rainbow Index of Churches in Europe and Central Asia. The first one was presented in 2021. The new grant now makes it possible to update this to a second version. Apart from the assessment it will also include recommendations as to how to make churches and their bodies more inclusive and affirmative. 

Professionalisation and capacity-building
The European Forum that is mainly volunteer based is now able to contract staff that can ensure the delivery of work of a high quality standard. This grant will also allow the European Forum to build the capacity of 20 activists in the area of countering the anti-gender narratives in their diverse contexts through the framework of a mutual mentoring programme that will last for 1,5 years, as well as to hold training sessions on this topic for specific intersectional communities. 

With all of these work streams, the European Forum is proud to be able to build on the already impressive track record that has gained acknowledgement by funders over the years. The European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups is grateful and excited to enter the next chapter with the new possibilities that new funding will allow.

European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups
The European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups is an ecumenical association of LGBTI+ Christian groups in Europe. The European Forum aims to achieve equality and inclusion for LGBTI+ people within and through Christian churches and other religious bodies and multilateral organisations. With over 40 member groups in more than 20 countries in Europe, the European Forum works for freedom of religion for LGBTI+ people, for human rights, for the dignity of LGBTI+ people and for an affirmative discourse on human sexuality.

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Note for editor, not for publication: more information can be obtained by e-mailing Misza Czerniak, Co-President of the European Forum of LGBTI+ Christian Groups: misza.czerniak@lgbtchristians.eu. Information about the European Forum in general can be found on: www.lgbtchristians.eu.