Concern for welfare of gay and lesbians in current climate

The current debate about the human rights of gays and lesbians is leaving vulnerable gay and lesbian people feeling devalued and at risk according to Freedom2b, a support organisation for gay and lesbian people of Christian backgrounds.

Freedom2b’s President, Michelle Kolev says: “Given the role played by conservative churches in the debate, we are particularly concerned for the welfare of same-sex attracted people from these churches.”

Kolev says that “The attacks by the Liberal National Party in Queensland and Katter’s Australian Party are strongly felt among lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The attacks on the rights of same-sex attracted people to marry are also keenly felt.”

“Groups such as the Australian Christian Lobby have made a particularly unhelpful contribution to the marriage debate, implying that there is only one viewpoint that Christians hold”, says Kolev. “Within every denomination, there will be people with a variety of views on issues such as the freedom to marry”, Kolev stated.

â€œSome churches are becoming increasingly uncomfortable and unwelcome spaces for many same-sex attracted people. This can create feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression for many same-sex attracted people of faith as they often feel they are stuck in the middle, torn between faith and sexual orientationâ€, Kolev said.

“Knowing that this vulnerability can be dangerous, we urge conservative Christian leaders to conduct themselves with sensitivity. We want to remind same-sex attracted Christians of the existence of support services such as Freedom2b, Lifeline, and the gay and lesbian welfare organisations in each State”.

At the same time, Ms Kolev also acknowledged and praised the excellent work being undertaken by community groups and some churches to enshrine the human rights of same-sex attracted people in law.

For further information, Michelle Kolev on 0403 987.723.

###

January 19, 2018

TERMS OF USE

By sending a press release and/or signing up for a subscription of our service Get The Word Out, you agree to the following terms of use, limitations, quality policy and fair use policy. Get The Word Out reserves the right to suspend or delete your account if any of the terms below are believed not to have been adhered to. Get The Word Out reserves the right to delete any content that does meet the following terms and policies.

1. Accuracy

By using Get The Word Out, you agree to only publish information that you know to be true and accurate. You are solely responsible for the facts and accuracy of all information submitted by you for distribution by Get The Word Out. Get The Word Out will make reasonable efforts to correct any error of fact brought to its attention.

2. Acceptable content

You agree to only submit content that might be classified as a “news announcement”. That is: it is a new event or statement related to the company or organisation that the release is being submitted under. You agree not to use Get The Word Out to distribute how-to articles, generally-information articles, whitepapers, or opinions. You must not submit content that infringes on copyright or the proprietary rights of a third party, or is unlawful or offensive. Releases must adhere to professional standards and may be deleted if they do not. You acknowledge that we reserve the right to edit your release's headline, subject and body text to ensure it is appropriate, relevant and suitable for the purpose.

3. Attribution

You agree to submit content only on behalf of the organisation that the release is being submitted under. Content that may be considered misleading in terms of who the material is being submitted by, or in terms of who the content is related to should not be posted and may be deleted or edited. When submitting a release you must be the owner of the email that is being used to send emails via Get The Word Out.

4. Categorisation

You agree to categorise content only under those categories that are relevant to the content. In general, we advise attempts to categorise content under more than five categories will lead to that content being reviewed and possibly removed. You acknowledge that we reserve the right to edit release's tags to ensure your release is sent only to relevant people.

5. Linking and fair-use

You agree not to add more than one link to a website in any press release. Over-linking solely for Search Engine Optimisation purposes is not allowed and is advised against due to penalties that may be associated with over-linking. And our gremlins will hunt down over-linking and delete such transgressions.

Inquiries concerning any Get The Word Out content including text, photos, video, audio and other content, or that may be related to the use of the Get The Word Out service should be addressed to The Director, Digitaliyf Pty Ltd of PO Box 3045, Newstead, 4006 Australia.