Labour MP Challenges Homophobia in Church of England
“Patience is being worn very thin.” Ben Bradshaw says questions will be raised in parliament if LGBTQ+ values in the Church of England are not changed soon.
The MP for Exeter, UK, has spoken out against the Church of England’s continued discrimination against gay people, the Guardian reports. He said that the church must update their “unsustainable” regulations regarding same-sex relationships or face the “growing calls for disestablishment.” This statement comes after the Church of England refused to allow the daughter of late Archbishop Desmond Tutu to officiate at her godfather’s funeral due to the fact that she is married to a woman. Mpho Tutu van Furth was instead forced to hold the service in a marquee outside the church.
Bradshaw said this was one of many instances of homophobia from the church. He stated that the establishment discriminates on a daily basis, but it isn’t always reported by the media. “Cruelty like that is practiced on lesbian and gay people in the church all the time, every day – people you never hear about in the headlines, people whose lives are destroyed – and it can’t go on.”
The Labour MP discussed the progress made by Anglican churches in Wales and Scotland, even as far as Canada and the US, regarding the equal treatment of LGBTQ+ people. Noting that the Church of England had no excuse to continue excluding a whole portion of the population, he suggested that the many privileges the church possess (including the 26 reserved seats for Anglican bishops in the House of Lords) could be put into question in the near future if change is not discussed soon.
Bradshaw continues to be a staunch supporter of the Church of England, stating his belief that the establishment holds “great value” for everyone. But he remained insistent that the church needs to adapt with the times and change its treatment of LGBTQ+ people. “The contract with the nation has to be that it is there for everybody. It’s increasingly obvious that the C of E is not there for lesbian and gay people. And not only that, but it is actively homophobic, cruel, hurtful and institutionally hostile.”
