On Saturday 11 July 2026, LGB Christians and friends gathered in Wolverhampton for their first national in-person conference. Revd Ray Gaston opened with a prayer that set the tone for the day:
‘… let truth be our leading light, inspiring us with fortitude, unity, and faith to live out our dignity and truth fully and freely today.’
What followed was warm, honest, and uplifting.
Professor Tina Beattie’s keynote was the highlight. She opened with Stealers Wheel’s ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’ – appropriate to our shared experience of long-standing Christian condemnation, now joined by newer marginalisation, even within church communities, for questioning the prioritisation of gender identity over biological sex. Tina affirmed the dignity of same-sex relationships and spoke with clarity about the harms that follow when gender is prioritised over the sexed body. Her words resonated:
“It comes at a high cost to speak out… but it would be a far higher cost not to.”
That line captured the day’s quiet courage. She called theologians to take the gender debate seriously and to bring a robust Christian understanding of the body back into the conversation.
Participants shared what it is to be dismissed or shamed, and what it is to long for something better. As one attendee put it:
“We long to be treated with respect and openness. To be respected as equals. To live our lives without feeling judged and discriminated against and made to feel shame.”
A single-sex discussion session gave valuable space for honest conversation grounded in sex-based experience.
LGB Christians are navigating old condemnations while resisting new pressure to accept ideologically driven beliefs that leave little room for honest, theologically informed reflection on sex, sexuality, and the human person. By offering a forum free from fear of rejection or silencing, the conference filled a vital pastoral gap. Delegates left energised and eager for a longer conference next time.
Philomena Heffernan