Genesis 19 is about gang rape. Anyone who says this has anything to say about consensual relationships has bigger problems than Biblical interpretation.

Leviticus is part of the Law of Moses, which is not binding on Christians. In any case the verses use an obscure Hebrew idiom that is rather unclear (as can been seen in the KJV translation).

Romans 1 26 and 27 does speak about same-sex relationships in a negative light, but then again verses 25 and 25 speak about opposite-sex relationships in an equally negative light. Nobody believes that Romans 1 teaches you can’t be straight and Christian.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and 1 Timothy 1:9-10 use an obscure Greek word, arsenokoites, which is also used to refer to heterosexual sin. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 also uses the word malakos, which is not a sexual term. If these passages were supposed to be about same-sex relationships, the writer could have used a lot of other, more common, terms.

Accepting Sexuality, an informal group of Methodists, is holding a seminar on equal marriage, on Wednesday 22 May at 7.30 pm in the Skainos building, 239 Newtownards Road, Belfast. (Sandwich tea beforehand from 6.30 pm.)

Legislation is going through the Houses of Parliament, and while it doesn’t cover Northern Ireland, it has prompted a debate on how we understand marriage. The seminar aims to discuss and understand the issues involved, to help people to think these through and  to reach their own conclusions.

James Grannell (editor of University College Dublin’s independent student newspaper) will provide an analysis of the debate;  Revd Diane Clutterbuck is bringing a biblical and historical perspective;  and Stephen Reain-Adair will speak from his own experience.  There’ll be a chance for discussion, too.

If you are going to attend, please contact Revd David Cooper on tdavidcooper@btopenworld.com.

More details.

We’ve been working with Roisin Lavery of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland on the new LGB web resource So Me. So Me stands for Sexual Orientation. More Equality.

In the Commission’s most recent ‘Do You Mean Me?’ survey, 53% of LGB people were likely to consider they had been subject to some form of unfair treatment, up from 34% in the last survey in 2008.

The new website is

“for LGB people in Northern Ireland – ´So Me´ (www.some-ni.co.uk).  It’s a hub for information and contacts, but also a new way for people to report anonymously, to share their experiences without having to give their names, and to access information, advice and support in a personalized, safe environment. So Me is linked to social media that are easily accessible to anyone.” — Michael Wardlow, Chief Commissioner.

If you believe you have been treated unfairly, you don’t need to put up and shut up,  ‘So Me’ is a new and additional way to access advice and information that could really help you deal with a situation in which you’re experiencing unfair treatment.

I’m proud to answer the question asked at the end of the video of “Are you in?”

Yes. I’m in

P.S. Watch out for Andrew!

Facebook event page

English: The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Français : Le Ruban rouge, symbole de la solidarité avec les personnes séro-positives. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday we had our monthly Faith, Pride, and Chat meeting at St George’s in Belfast, which was followed immediately by a service for World AIDS Day.

Although I am now very close indeed to someone living with HIV, my first contact with HIV came in the early 2000s, when I first became acquainted with the work of John Boswell, Michel Foucault, and John J. Winkler. Those scholars were invaluable to me in my studies of the New Testament texts on same-sex relationships. Even today I find myself reaching for Boswell’s Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality to check something, and I almost always seem to refer to Chapter 1 of Winkler’s The Constraints of Desire when writing about ‘nature’ in Romans 1.

Foucault died in 1984, Winkler in 1990, and Boswell in 1994. Foucault was 57, Winkler 46, and Boswell 47. When I reach for the books they published, I can’t help but wonder about the other books they might have written had they lived longer, especially Foucault’s planned fourth volume of The History of Sexuality which would have covered Christianity. In October of this year I found myself wondering what Boswell would have thought of my own understanding of arsenokoites and malakos.

Gay Christians owe a huge debt of gratitude to those three men. Their scholarship has enabled us to claim our rightful places in the Christian churches. They all died of AIDS-related illnesses. I thought of them in my prayers during the World AIDS Day service, and when I lit a candle I lit it for them. HIV affects everyone, not just gay people, but gay Christians should never forget what HIV has taken from us.

But nor should we forget what modern medical science has given us. HIV is no longer a death sentence. With today’s antiretroviral drugs it can be fought and held at bay. There are many people who are living with HIV today, including my wonderful husband Michael. In your prayers, remember all who have gone before, but also remember all who are still here and will still be here. Remember and be thankful for all those who have fought and will continue to fight HIV, through their work or through their lives.

At 8 p.m., also in St George’s, there will be a short service for World AIDS Day.

The service will begin promptly at eight o’clock in the evening. The aim is to remember those who have gone before, those living now, and those still to come who live with or are affected by HIV.