Senior religious leaders launch safeguarding video to help protect LGBT+ people from harm

LOGO of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives (GIC+)

In March 2022, hundreds of religious leaders from around the world gathered in London at the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to agree a set of Six Principles to Safeguard LGBT+ Lives. This was the second meeting of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, whose patron is Dr Mary McAleese. This short video introduces the principles, which are based on the UK Care Act 2014 Safeguarding Principles. More information can be found at www.globalinterfaith.lgbt.

A VIDEO featuring six senior religious leaders has been released to promote six Safeguarding Principles that aim to ensure the safety of LGBT+ people in religious communities.

Entitled Principles to Protect LGBT+ Lives, the video highlights the six principles agreed by 150 religious leaders at the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives (GIC+) Conference earlier this year, which was sponsored by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. 

The principles are taken from the UK Care Act 2014 and have been made relevant for LGBT+ people in religious settings.

Speaking about the importance of the video, GIC+ Director, Jayne Ozanne said:

The principles are revolutionary and will, if adopted by religious organisations, transform the way LGBT+ people are treated within their religious communities.  Everyone deserves to be protected from harm and empowered to be who God has created them to be.  Religious leaders are duty bound to actively prevent abuse and must be held accountable when they fail to do so.  It’s time the harm that so many LGBT+ people have experienced in their communities is recognised and addressed.

The senior faith leaders who each speak to the importance of one of the principles, represent a broad range of religious groups from across the world.  They are:

• Revd Michaela Youngson – Assistant Secretary to the Methodist Conference

• Simran Stuelpnagel – Global Affairs Adviser, Sikhnet

• Revd Theo Pannavamsa – Sri Lanka’s Mindfulness Ambassador to Europe

• Sister Jeannine Gramick – Founder of New Ways Ministry, USA

• Rabbanit Leah Shakdiel – Rabbis for Human Rights, Israel

• Dilwar Hussian – Co-Chair of the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives.

The full text of the Principles to Safeguard LGBT+ Lives agreed in March 2022 in London is available here.

This is the second of two video statements the GIC+ has organised.  The first was the 2020 Dignity Declaration, launched by 400+ senior religious leaders, calling for an end to violence and discrimination against LGBT+ people and a global ban on ‘conversion therapy’.

More information about the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives can be found at www.globalinterfaith.lgbt or by contacting Jayne Ozanne at jayne@ozanne.foundation.