C037 Working for Equity, Support, and Protection of All LGBTQIA+ Anglicans
Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,
That the 81st General Convention embolden the bishops of The Episcopal Church to open opportunities for engagement and to work actively for change in the Anglican Communion with regard to treatment of LGBTQIA+ persons; and be it further
Resolved, That the 81st General Convention, mindful of the failings of this Church to promote the dignity of every human being, stand ready, in a spirit of mutual confession and repentance, to work for reconciliation with other member churches of the Communion so that the injustices and violence of our several institutions against LGBTQIA+ persons be ended, both in our churches and in the larger society.
Explanation
This resolution, as amended by the 2023 Convention of the Diocese of Vermont, emerged over the course of a year of study and online gatherings in response to actions at the 2022 Lambeth Conference of deliberate exclusion and oppression against gay and lesbian members of The Episcopal Church.
Acts and statements that demean LGBTQIA+ persons and ignore the sin of those who hate them are deliberately harmful, prejudicial, and cannot be construed in any way as being founded in love or a spirit of unity or brotherhood within the Anglican Communion. As Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry oft proclaims: “If it’s not about love; it’s not about God.” All members of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement are urged to follow the 5th step of The Way of Love: “GO,” to tell their stories of relationship and listen to the stories of others.
The resolution urges bishops of The Episcopal Church to seek meaningful engagement with other leaders in the Anglican Communion whose words and actions lead to oppression of, and discrimination against, LGBTQIA+ persons, and it encourages intentional work for change and reconciliation.