Our Christian Commitment

We are a coalition of faithful Christians across Northern Ireland who support a comprehensive ban on conversion practices, including within religious settings.

While many of us prefer to engage with issues of public policy by participating in broader organising efforts, we have made a conscious choice to issue this statement speaking specifically as Christians. When the terms of the debate are framed in a way that pits a particular, singular version of Christian theology and practice against LGBTQ+ people and their allies, we find ourselves erased by a false binary. We are Christians and we stand in solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community; some of us are, indeed, LGBTQ+ Christians.

Yes, we stand in support of current legislative efforts to ban conversion practices in Northern Ireland, but at an even deeper level, we grieve the ongoing harm perpetrated against LGBTQ+ people in the name of the Church.

While we cannot take responsibility for others within the broader Christian tradition, we recognise that, as followers of the teachings of Jesus, we are implicated by their actions. So how could we not speak when their voices are being amplified?

If you, or someone you love, have ever been targeted, coerced, condemned or shamed for who you love or how you embody your gender, we are sorry. It was, and continues to be, wrong. We are committed to bearing witness to a Christ who celebrates love and challenges systems of oppression.

We pray for a day when questions about the role of the State in safeguarding the well-being of people within faith communities become moot because the care offered within those communities exceeds the minimum standards that would otherwise require intervention. Until then, we join this wider movement to protect the dignity and safety of our friends and neighbours, saying: “You, too, are a beloved child of God.”