Against the tide: LGBTQIA+ inclusive churches thrive amid rising conservatism in Brazil
Reverend Luiz Gustavo Silva of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC - Igreja da Comunidade Metropolitana) of Rio de Janeiro.
PHOTO: ICM Rio.
SINCE 2022 the Open Table Network has received a growing number of contacts from around the world. We encourage our community members to show solidarity through prayer, advocacy and giving.
In the first of a new series of blogs highlighting stories from our LGBTQIA+ siblings in other countries, journalist André Aram reports from the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world.
Content warning: Brazil has a high incidence of transphobic violence.
Inclusive churches are still relatively new in Brazil. The first inclusive congregation only appeared in 2004 in Rio de Janeiro as a congregation of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC). This paved the way for other churches to emerge around the country that embraced diversity without judgment. These Christian communities welcome all sexual orientations and gender identities, enabling a religious experience without prejudice. In these congregations, diversity is also seen as the work of God.
Minister Leandro Rodrigues who co-founded the Habitar church in São Paulo
According to a 2022 survey, 9.3% of the population of Brazil identify as LGBTQIA+. For a country with 211 million inhabitants (2023), with more than 80% of the population associated with a Christian church, you might expect to find a large number of inclusive churches. However, there are currently just over 40 inclusive churches in Brazil, belonging to different denominations, generally concentrated in the two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Pastor Cinthya Martins, of the Reconciliar Church located in northeastern Brazil, emphasised the importance of this sense of belonging to a religion, especially in a community that is still stigmatized by society:
'Above all, believe that there is a God who loves and welcomes everyone, and who you can be yourself with.'
The need for churches that demonstrate God's love and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people is clear. For the 16th consecutive year, Brazil ranks as the country with the most fatalities due to transphobia, according to Antra Brasil (National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals). In 2024, 122 deaths were recorded. Despite the criminalization of homophobia and transphobia in 2019 by the Federal Supreme Court, the violence continues. In the context of this sad statistic, faith can provide support for those who live with constant fear.
“Fundamentalist churches have created a hostile environment for LGBTQIA+ people through prejudiced dogma, and inclusive churches continue to face prejudice and intolerance from some conservative sectors of wider society.”
In these sacred spaces, where everyone is accepted, Christian teaching encourages and supports its LGBTQIA+ followers. Before the emergence of inclusive churches on Brazilian soil, many people attended traditional churches, keeping their sexual orientation or gender identity secret, or even sought an acceptance in Afro-Brazilian religions that they didn’t find in Christianity. Recalling this situation, Pastor Marcos Gladstone of the Contemporânea church, present in four Brazilian states, commented:
'This scenario has changed, because now people can choose where they feel comfortable, and not just follow another religion because it's the only one that accepts them.'
The challenges for inclusive churches
It was not uncommon for believers to be expelled from more conservative Christian congregations when their sexual orientation came to light. In some cases, they were subjected to conversion therapies in order to ‘become straight’, then used in services as a showcase of a successful example of a ‘gay cure’. Fortunately, situations like this have become increasingly rare, though many churches are sadly still not places where Christians can exercise their faith with a sense of full belonging.
For minister Chlisman Toniazzo, founder of the Arena Apostólica Church in Brasília, some of these fundamentalist churches are open to discussion, even if they consider LGBTQIA+ acceptance to be too liberal, while others isolate Arena for its inclusive stance. Toniazzo, whose worship services bring together an average of 220 members, said:
‘There are traditional leaders who take a morally condemnatory stance, considering LGBTQIA+ identities a “sin”. This generates theological and social tensions.’
The path is full of challenges for LGBTQIA+ believers, especially those who have started a family. Married for almost 20 years, pastors Leandro Rodrigues and Marcilio Almeida founded the Habitar church in São Paulo five years ago. The couple have two adopted children. According to Leandro, one of the biggest challenges is not the rigid view of other traditional churches, but being able to help LGBTQIA+ people free themselves from past traumas, promoting mental health and showing that there is a God who doesn't judge. Asked what these traumas are, Rodrigues explained:
'LGBTQIA+ people are hurt throughout their lives, by bullying at school, rejection by their families, discrimination and aggression in other environments. All this prejudice that the LGBTQIA+ community suffers has its origins in religion.'
If traditional churches label homosexuality a sin, how can this dogmatic presentation of the gospel be broken? Is it the result of their misinterpretation of certain passages in the Bible? Addressing this controversial question, Reverend Luiz Gustavo Silva of MCC Brasil (Igreja da Comunidade Metropolitana) said:
'These religious groups read the Bible selectively, especially the Old Testament, to accuse LGBTQIA+ people of being sinful.'
Pastor Gladstone shared the same opinion:
'For the church, homosexuality is a sin, even though they know that the texts they use against LGBTQIA+ people are outdated and misinterpreted'.
Inclusive churches exist to include LGBTQIA+ people who are excluded from traditional worship services based on misinterpretations of the Bible.
According to Gladstone, 95% of the people who make up his church are believers who have left other religious congregations that didn’t accept their sexual orientation. Fundamentalist churches have created a hostile environment for LGBTQIA+ people through prejudiced dogma, and inclusive churches continue to face prejudice and intolerance from some conservative sectors of wider society. But this doesn’t seem to intimidate their members, who fill worship services in different regions of Brazil. Describing what they seek to find in a Christian environment reveals a series of issues that go beyond respect for human diversity. For Toniazzo of Arena, the community offers emotional support, listening, Bible studies and emotional connection, often bridging family or community gaps.
The rise of conservatism in Brazil
The growth of conservatism in the country, sharpened during the mandate of former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), has emboldened a section of society that agrees with a traditionalist line of reasoning. But this hasn’t frightened the religious leaders of some inclusive churches, who have seen growth despite the spread of conservative rhetoric. M|inister Cinthya, who in the past has received abuse on social media from people saying that she was 'leading followers to hell', said:
'Over the years, we’ve seen inclusive churches expanding and people saying “I’m gay, and I’m a Christian”, so it doesn’t represent a threat, because today we're consolidated, we’ve managed to create our own space, and we continue to do so.'
Toniazzo also shared an optimistic view:
'We and similar churches have been building support networks, visibility and alliances with social movements, strengthening their resilience and ability to respond.'
Luiz Gustavo offered a more cautious analysis:
'I have perceived a stagnation in the growth of inclusive churches in Brazil in the last decade. There are far fewer than we need in a country with so much violence against trans people.'
However, the future of inclusive churches in Brazil still sounds promising for many of the leaders interviewed, despite all the obstacles. Gladstone said:
'The biggest challenge today is to speak of God’s love to everyone without prejudice; it's to welcome those who are arriving today, often wounded by religion. We continually receive LGBTQIA+ children of evangelicals who are being expelled from their homes.'
Inclusive churches are based on the principle of inclusive theology, in which Christians are free to worship God, enjoy fellowship with their Christian siblings and participate in God’s work, all without fear of judgment, and free from the need to deny or repress their sexuality and gender identity. Having rejected religious fundamentalism, inclusive churches propose a progressive Christian vision, providing a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people to express their faith. Luiz Gustavo remained hopeful:
'I hope that we will see growth in churches that affirm diversity, with leaders who are prepared to welcome wounded people, and confront the religious fundamentalism that is devastating cultural and religious diversity in our country.'
