Analysis: Dr Eeva John on living in Love & Faith

Image credit: Dr Eeva John

Dr Eeva John, Enabling Officer of the Living in Love and Faith project, gives her reaction to concerns over the representation of open LGBTI people in the process.

The Living in Love and Faith project is committed to involving, listening to and articulating the voices of the widest possible range of people in relation to identity, sexuality and genderThere are numerous ways in which the Living in Love and Faith project seeks to ensure that this diversity of voices is brought into the work of producing the resources.

First, through membership: there are 38 members working on the project; of these seven openly identify themselves as LGBTI+. The group has also invited a person with intersex traits to participate in the work. A sister project which advises the Living in Love and Faith group members on pastoral matters is composed of 10 members of whom four identify as LGBTI+.

Second, through a proactive wider participation process which is a key element of the project. This has involved meeting and recording conversations with over 40 individuals. In addition, a further 115 individuals have taken up the invitation to send written responses to the project. The majority of these 150+ individuals are LGBTI+. Transcripts of all these responses will feed into the process of producing the resources.

Finally, as the draft resources are produced, the project team plans to invite a wide range of individuals to read and respond to drafts. Some will respond from the perspective of their academic expertise, others because of their LGBTI+ identity, and still others, from both.

All of these factors combine to ensure that the Living in Love and Faith project is grounded in a wide diversity of lived LGBTI+ experiences and various perspectives.

For further information on ‘Living in Love and Faith’ see our factsheet 

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