OneBodyOneFaith responds to the report produced by MCC North London: “LGBT African Asylum Seeker Research Project”.

OneBodyOneFaith responds to the report produced by MCC North London: “LGBT African Asylum Seeker Research Project”.

The Home Office wielding Christianity as a weapon against LGBT+ asylum seekers would be a farce if it weren’t for the harm it is causing two- or three-times marginalised people; it is offensive to the message contained within Scripture, lived out in the life of Christ, to dangerously misappropriate the Christian faith in this way; and the clear misuse of Scripture to manipulate people smacks of colonialism.

To suggest that living authentically as a person of the Christian faith and follower of the Scriptures is incoherent as an LGBT+ person is not only a lie, but it undermines the lived experience of faithful LGBT+ Christians across the world.

The report produced by MCC North London is a damning indictment against the Home Office and their ignorance of LGBT+ experiences, particularly for People of Colour, those belonging to faith communities, and those who are forced to seek asylum.

OneBodyOneFaith, formerly LGCM – the oldest Christian LGBT+ members organisation in the UK, fully affirms the entirety of the identities of LGBT+ Christians and we would suggest that the Home Office seek out the expertise of our organisation and those like MCC and others to ensure that they are not continuing to further harm incredibly vulnerable people.

We are grateful for the work of MCC North London, both in this report and their support to the wider LGBT+ community.

 

Luke Dowding

Executive Director

OneBodyOneFaith