LGBT+ History Month's 2021 theme is Mind, Body and Spirit and so Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons' Trust invites you to a discussion surrounding the intersection of faith and LGBT+ identity. We will be asking big questions around faith and the journey through rejection and reconciliation.
This event will use Webinar format so participants won't be visible and you'll be able to join anonymously.
This event will explore the intersections of faith and LGBT+ identity and look at interpretations of religious texts that include LGBT+ persons of faith. Guests on the panel will include:
Imaam Daayiee Abdullah
Abdullah was born in 1954 as Sidney Thompson in Detroit, Michigan. His parents supported him, his six older brothers, his younger sister, and his oldest step-sister from his father's first marriage to find religion despite his parent's Southern Baptist beliefs. When he was 8 years old, he visited a Synagogue, a Hindu temple, and an assortment of Christian denominations. None of these religions he had explored fit him exactly, so he continued to search for a religion he could put his faith into. He converted to Islam at age 30. When Abdullah was 15, he graduated from high school early because he had gone to summer school most summers. Along with summer school, he and his family travelled around North America so that he could see what the world was truly like. His parents believed that once a member of the family had graduated high school, he was an adult. Knowing this, Abdullah came out to his parents, and was accepted after assuring his parents that they had "done nothing wrong." Abdullah has said that he knew he was attracted to other boys at the age of five. His parents, now both deceased, were a source of inspiration and confidence for him growing up.
Abdullah graduated from the David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington, D.C. in 1995 as a Juris Doctor. He attended the Graduate School of Islamic Social Sciences in Ashburn, Virginia from 2000 to 2003, but was kicked out when the school discovered he was gay.
Abdullah created an LGBT-friendly masjid in Washington D.C. Later, in 2011, he helped create a mosque for anyone who wanted to attend located in a public library in D.C. The plan is to raise funds to create a purpose-built mosque of their own where all are free to worship. Since 2000, Abdullah has provided specialized counselling services for Muslims from a wide spectrum of Muslim religious and cultural backgrounds.
Abdullah is the imam and religious director of Masjid Nur Al-Isslaah (English: "Mosque for Enlightenment and Reformation" or "Light of Reform Mosque"), an LGBT-welcoming mosque. Imam Daayiee was Director of LGBT Outreach at Muslims for Progressive Values from 2010 until 2014 and remains on the Advisory Board of Muslims for Progressive Values. He also holds a position in Oslo, Norway at Skeiv Verden ("Gay World"). Since 2014, Imam Daayiee Abdullah is Executive Director of MECCA Institute, an educational and research organization whose mission is to help re-educate Muslims and non-Muslims on an inclusive and progressive Islamic theology.
Jayne Ozanne
Jayne Ozanne is a prominent gay evangelical who works to ensure full inclusion of all LGBTI Christians at every level of the Church. She is Director of the Ozanne Foundation, which works with religious organisations around the world to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality or gender in order to embrace and celebrate the equality and diversity of all.
On March 17th 2019 she was appointed to join the government’s LGBT Advisory Panel.
Having been a founding member of the Archbishops’ Council for the Church of England (1999 – 2004) she is now once again a member of General Synod where she is involved in campaigning for a range of issues. In 2017 she led a debate on the dangers of Conversion Therapy within the Church of England, which resulted in them calling on the government to ban it. She is actively engaged through her writings and broadcasts in helping the Church develop and promote a positive Christian ethic towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people.
Following a career in international marketing, where she managed many well-known household brands – such as BBC Television, Fairy Liquid and Kleenex – Jayne has worked as a strategic consultant to the charity sector. As such she has set up two charities for Canon Andrew White, the Foundation for Reconciliation in the Middle East, and Baroness Caroline Cox, the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust. In addition, she has overseen fundraising for large non-governmental organisations such as Oxfam GB, the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Jayne has academic qualifications from both the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford. In order to mark her success as the first British national on the Foreign Service Programme at the University of Oxford she was invited to continue on as a Visiting Study Fellow, and conducted research in International Relations and Religion. She has served on the Steering Committee of Trinity Theological College, Bristol and the Advisory Council of the International Centre for Reconciliation at Coventry Cathedral.
Rev’d Jide Macaulay
Reverend Jide Macaulay is the founding Pastor and CEO of House of Rainbow CIC. Openly gay British-Nigerian born in London, a Christian minister since 1998, a dynamic and an inspirational speaker, author, poet, pastor and preacher, HIV Positive Activist, holds a degree in Law, Master’s Degree in Theology and Post-graduate Certificate in Pastoral Theology.
He has won several awards including the 2003 and 2007 Black LGBT Community Award for “Man of the Year” for his work helping people of faith. Shortlisted for the National Diversity Awards 2014, in the category for Positive Role Model.
He served from 2007 to 2013 as Executive Board member and Co-Chair of Pan Africa International Lesbians and Gay Association. He is currently Africa Regional Representative at the Global Interfaith Network, Board of Trustee at Kaleidoscope Trust UK, Chairperson INERELA+ Europe, NASCAR's Award winner 2014, 2017, 2018 and a Trained Volunteer Champion at Africa Children’s Charity.
Shraddhasiddhi
(a.k.a. Jo Robinson) pronouns they/them, is an ordained Buddhist in the Triratna Buddhist Tradition. They have been practising for over twenty years as a mindfulness and meditation practitioner, and for over ten years as a Buddhist teacher. They identify themselves as a trans-non-binary queer person and co-facilitate events for LGBTQ+ and gender diverse people in the Triratna tradition. They also work at METRO Charity -an equality and diversity charity based in London and the South East, where they are Head of HIV, Mental Health & Wellbeing Services. They run a regular mindfulness class for staff and volunteers at METRO, and their interests include spirituality and faith and the intersection of marginalised communities. They also work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.
Om Dhumatkar
Om is a banking professional; and currently a strategy leader at Lloyds Banking Group. He came to the UK sixteen years ago as a student at the prestigious London School of Economics.
As a bi person of Indian origin, and a practising Hindu, Om speaks passionately on the intersection between race, religion, gender, sexuality, culture, personal values and professional success. He often shares how Hinduism (which he has studied in depth for 15 years now) helped him reconcile his bi identity – even when his racial background might not have been as supportive.
Outside of work, Om is a committed mentor for young BAME and LGBT+ people in building a career within the City
Chair Lukasz Konieczka
Has a fifteen-year long history of working with young LGBT+ persons and is a strong advocate for inclusion and intersectionality. He is an executive director of Mosaic LGBT+ Young Persons’ Trust. He also volunteers as a home visitor for charity ‘Refugees at Home’ where he helps to provide safe homes to refugees and asylum seekers. He was born into a Roman Catholic family in Poland but is now a Humanist Atheist with strong environmental and equity values that underpin his work and life philosophy.