Keywords:
unwelcome, gay bishop, conservative, Anglican Church, gay family, homophobia, resistance, discouragement, change, schools, advocacy, safe space
unwelcome, gay bishop, conservative, Anglican Church, gay family, homophobia, resistance, discouragement, change, schools, advocacy, safe space
Transcript
Kevin: Even though we moved tremendously – we are not, um, we’re not there yet. So I have fifty-eight parishes in my area of the diocese. So between University Avenue and Pickering, and Lake Ontario and Steeles Avenue, that’s my area of the diocese of Toronto. There are fifty-eight parishes and missions, and I’ve been to – by the end of March I will have been to fifty-six of them, I have not been – or fifty-five. I will have not been to the other three, because, frankly, I’m not really welcomed there. Now, I’m the Bishop, so I have a right to be there, but we are still in conversation about what that’s going to look like. They’re the three most conservative parishes, and I would have hoped that a year in, people in our Anglican Church in the diocese would have said, alright, we’ve got an openly gay bishop with a partner and two kids, it – let’s just move on. And for the most part I think they have, really. But in a couple of places, there are still people who are like, I’m not accepting the leadership and ministry of a gay bishop. Um, I’m not sure they would say that in the words that I have just used, but it’s abundantly clear when I say, I going to visit your parish on such-and-such a Sunday. Well, you know, I’m not sure, you know, I think we need to have a conversation about that. So there is – in some pockets there is still – still some resistance, if I can use that analogy. And that’s discouraging. I know change takes time, and I do believe changes have happened relatively quickly in our church, so I’m not – this isn’t sour grapes, I’m really grateful, but the work is not yet done. And I would say the work is not yet done in schools, even though we’ve had a great experience, we’re at a particularly good place, because we have such a great school, such great teachers, but I imagine that that’s not the case everywhere, so I think we’ve got tons of work to do in society, in schools, in the Church, to make those places safe places for everyone.
Kevin: Even though we moved tremendously – we are not, um, we’re not there yet. So I have fifty-eight parishes in my area of the diocese. So between University Avenue and Pickering, and Lake Ontario and Steeles Avenue, that’s my area of the diocese of Toronto. There are fifty-eight parishes and missions, and I’ve been to – by the end of March I will have been to fifty-six of them, I have not been – or fifty-five. I will have not been to the other three, because, frankly, I’m not really welcomed there. Now, I’m the Bishop, so I have a right to be there, but we are still in conversation about what that’s going to look like. They’re the three most conservative parishes, and I would have hoped that a year in, people in our Anglican Church in the diocese would have said, alright, we’ve got an openly gay bishop with a partner and two kids, it – let’s just move on. And for the most part I think they have, really. But in a couple of places, there are still people who are like, I’m not accepting the leadership and ministry of a gay bishop. Um, I’m not sure they would say that in the words that I have just used, but it’s abundantly clear when I say, I going to visit your parish on such-and-such a Sunday. Well, you know, I’m not sure, you know, I think we need to have a conversation about that. So there is – in some pockets there is still – still some resistance, if I can use that analogy. And that’s discouraging. I know change takes time, and I do believe changes have happened relatively quickly in our church, so I’m not – this isn’t sour grapes, I’m really grateful, but the work is not yet done. And I would say the work is not yet done in schools, even though we’ve had a great experience, we’re at a particularly good place, because we have such a great school, such great teachers, but I imagine that that’s not the case everywhere, so I think we’ve got tons of work to do in society, in schools, in the Church, to make those places safe places for everyone.