Charlie Bell ViaMedia.News Collusion, Hypocrisy & the Greasy Pole to Success
Colin Coward Unadulterated Love Living in Love and Faith in a Systemically Abusive Church
Stephen Parsons Surviving Church The work of a Diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. Insights from the Whitsey Report
In the week when the Government has started a consultation (https://committees.parliament.uk/call-for-evidence/291/reform-of-the-gender-recognition-act) on changes to the Equality Act to make it easier to exclude trans people from refuges, changing rooms and toilets, it is tone-deaf of Charlie Bell to say “The secular world has grasped the nettle and respected the dignity of LGBT people.”. I usually have the highest respect for ViaMedia News but publication of an article which takes the view that LGBT people are respected in society because gay men are, is distressing.
It is not a government consultation, Kate, but rather an inquiry by a select committee which tends to be better on equalities issues in general than cabinet ministers. And the situation for those in, or considering, being married to a same-gender spouse (not just gay men) is indeed very different in churches compared to most forms of employment or leadership roles, even if hidden unlawful discrimination is still a problem.
Fine piece by Charlie Bell. I’d take issue with one section: “The lying, silence, dissembling and wink-wink nudge-nudge way of ‘managing’ homosexuality in Church circles is not only embarrassing, but a grave sin. It moves the church into a place of hypocrisy and collusion, and it is one we are far too willing to tolerate.”
The church is already in that ‘place’ and has been for a long time. Love still doesn’t dare to speak its name.
Stephen Parsons’ blog highlights just how difficult a time some conscientious DSAs have had, in carrying out their duties to a good professional standard. It must have been exhausting and very painful to be continually baffled in attempts to deal well with these difficult situations, as the Chester DSA was. I hope all dioceses will now upgrade their DSAs to DSO status, and without delay. They need to be able to take executive decisions, rather than merely advise.
Someone recruited as DSA isn’t necessarily the right person to be a DSO.
Nevertheless, all dioceses should have a DSO.
Agreed but we need to recognise that that might mean making a DSA redundant so we need to be somewhat sensitive about the subject I think