Russell T. Davis, author and showrunner for Doctor Who and prophet of truth for LGBTQIA+ people in contemporary British society has warned (in an article for the Big Issue, reported by the Guardian) that gay rights are “rapidly getting worse” thanks to the rise of Reform UK and the influence of the Trump presidency on British Politics. He told the Big Issue:
When Queer as Folk came out in 1999, if you’d said: ‘What will gay rights be like in 2025?’, we’d have said , ‘oh, it will all be marvellous – it’ll be sunshine and skipping down the street, hand in hand – gays. Queers, lesbians, everyone.’
Things got better but now things are rapidly and urgently getting worse. What happens in America always happens here – and as we look down the barrel of a Reform government, we, the gay community, queer community, should be revolting in terror and anger and action.
Davis said gay society was in the greatest danger he had ever seen after Trump’s presidential election triumph. “As a gay man, I feel like a wave of anger, and violence, and resentment is heading towards us on a vast scale. I think we are in the greatest danger I have ever seen.”
Two and a half weeks ago I witnessed the estimated 10,000 marchers in the Trans+ parade pass through Piccadilly Circus giving voice, energy and passion to unprecedented levels of anger and frustration in the Trans community and their allies. This was protest with a fierce edge, challenging church and society to a transformational, regressive change of attitude towards members of our society being humiliated and abused by changing government policy and Trump’s influence.
Davies warns that Reform has promised to ban “transgender ideology” in schools within the first 100 days of government and pledged to scrap diversity, equality and inclusion rules. Many businesses with American connections have already deleted their diversity, equity and inclusion protocols. He calls on the younger LGBTQ+ generation to get organised and fight back against the rhetoric and policies that have emerged on the hard right of British politics. I believe Davies is right. What happens in the USA has an effect on what happens in the UK, and I know that what happens in the UK has an effect on what happens in the churches in the UK.
A Progressive Era gave way to Regression
I have lived through an era from the 1990s onwards when real progress made towards changing the Church of England’s attitude towards LGBTQIA+ people. In 1991 the Southwark Diocese Lesbian and Gay Support Network was formed. Over the next decade diocesan support networks and LGCM and Changing Attitude diocesan and regional groups were formed in almost every English Diocese with Changing Attitude networks in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Progress continued to be made in the aftermath of the 1998 Lambeth Conference despite, or perhaps because of, the passing of Resolution 1.10. A strong relationship developed with Integrity in the USA and Integrity and Changing Attitude groups began to flourish in other Provinces of the Anglican Communion. LGBTQIA+ people were present at key international meetings of the Primates and the Anglican Consultative Council and at the next Lambeth Conference in 2008. In the USA and Scotland, goals were achieved. As a result, Integrity USA and Changing Attitude Scotland ceased to exist. In 2016 Changing Attitude England and the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement were amalgamated into OneBodyOneFaith and the campaigning vision and energy of CAE was lost. We allowed the institution to gradually take over the sexuality and gender debate. The result – the Living in Love and Faith process controlled by the House of Bishops. The House and a deeply divided General Synod prioritised unity as being of greater importance than the full and equal inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people.
The Global and National Scenario
Global culture is becoming increasingly reactionary, regressive, decadent, hostile to transformational movements seeking human well-being. The turmoil of wars pursued by arrogant, abusive, inadequate, individual men, Putin, Trump and Netanyahu, in Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, Sudan infects us all, disturbs our peace of mind, creates anxiety. Multiple social issues impact British society: years of inadequate funding and deliberate underfunding for our core social institutions – the National Health Service, education, police, libraries, children, young people, immigrants, victims of abuse.
Many, many churches and congregations are engaged in working actively to provide resources for those most at risk of poverty and neglect in our society, funding and organising food banks, social spaces for the isolated, lonely and elderly, groups for parents and children, social spaces for young people, singles, refugees, the homeless. In many congregations LGBTQIA+ people are actively welcomed. At the same time huge resources of time and money are being poured into ensuring safeguarding procedures and training are effectively implemented.
Russell T. Davies’s article articulates forcefully from a secular perspective what I have been warning about repeatedly in recent blogs. We live in regressive, abusive times that are increasingly hostile to the presence of, let alone the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ and straight people in church and society. I’ve added straight people to the list - straight people are discriminated against by the Church of England’s conviction that sexual activity is only allowed within marriage – a conviction ignored by the majority of the heterosexual population. The regressive secular movement is already having an impact on the Church of England and has contributed to the death of the LLF process – though no one mourns its demise. The negative, hostile movements in society will continue to impact the Church. Christians are influenced by changing attitudes in secular society as much as everyone else.
The backlash against Trans people is the most obvious and visible manifestation of the scenario Russell T. Davis predicts is going to undermine the progress towards equality achieved in the UK over the past twenty-five years. In the face of this reactionary backlash, Together for the Church of England’s campaign to increase the number of liberals standing for election in next year’s General Synod elections, while the right thing to do, is I fear going to be ultimately ineffective.
The need to organise
There is a terrible complacency among the organisations seeking LGBTQIA+ equality and equal marriage in the CofE. Look, people say - the Church of Wales has elected an openly partnered lesbian Archbishop – that’s going to make a difference; and look - Synod voted confidently to banish Issues in Human Sexuality – that too is going to make a difference. Confronted with the reactionary movement predicted by Davis, these developments will have little or no effect. We have to organise ourselves to make the arguments for a transformation of the homophobic, transphobic and sexually fearful attitudes enshrined in Christian teachings, Church Canons, Biblical fundamentalism and proof-texting. Active training programmes and campaign strategies have to be developed now to raise the levels of awareness and commitment in parishes and congregations, deanery and diocesan Synods. We have to develop arguments from feminist, queer, liberation, black and ethnic and ecological theologies.
The Challenge
If the motivation within individuals and in churches and congregations to organise, campaign for change and transformation, make a noise and stir up trouble has disappeared, then we are indeed in deep trouble, so I’ll set out my challenge once again. Is the Church of England version of Christianity rooted in God’s unconditional, infinite, intimate love and life in all its fulness – or not? Open Table says yes. So does Changing Attitude England. What about the rest? Are we going to counter Trump and the influence of Reform and hold a global, planetary, cosmic vision of God’s love in action, incarnated, transforming lives and societies? The times are urgent, says Russell T. Davies.