Unity in Diversity: LGBT POC in

White Institutional Faith Spaces

​Fred Bowers
​Bethesda’s Wings
“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our
inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those
differences.”
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle
because we do not live single-issue lives.”
― Audre Lorde
introduction •
•
•
Defining Key Terms
Group Guidelines
Representative View of
LGBTQIA PoC
Interactions
introduction

What is a White Institutional Faith (WIF)

Space? Who are People of Color (PoC)?

​For the purposes of this caucus “white

institutional faith spaces” are religious
groups where more than 50% of adults
identify as white.

​The following religions fit into this category:

​Catholic, Evangelical Protestants, Jewish,
Mainline Protestants, Mormon, Orthodox
Christian, and Unaffiliated. - Pew Forum
Religious Landscape Study

​For the purposes of this caucus People of Pew Forum Religious Landscape Study
Color are Black, Asian, Latino, and [http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/racial-and-ethnic-

Other/Mixed. composition/]

4
Some Key Terms to Know/Understand
Intersectionality (or intersectionalism) is the study
of intersections between forms or systems of

“Who do oppression, domination or discrimination. An

example is black feminism, which argues that the
experience of being a black female cannot be
you say understood in terms of being black, and of being
female, considered independently, but must

that I am?” include the interactions, which frequently reinforce

― Matthew 16:15, Jesus Christ
to his disciples
each other.[1]
"Others" are virtually anyone that differs from the
societal schema of an average white male. Gloria
Anzaldúa theorizes that the sociological term for
this is "othering", or specifically attempting to
establish a person as unacceptable based on
certain criterion that fails to be met.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality
Recommended Group Guidelines
• One mic, one voice.
• Step up, step back.
• Use “I” statements.
• Avoid making generalizations.
• No assumptions — except for best intentions.
• Respect confidentiality.
• Don’t “yuck my yum.”
• Lean into discomfort.
• Be open to different types of communication (restricting to modern/standard English
is in and of itself oppressive.)
• Just Listen (Defer until you understand).
• Know that LGBTQIA PoC community experiences regarding race are more complex
than simply just Black/White.
• Know that just because LGBTQIA PoC do not discuss the impact of racism in their
lives on a daily basis, that our everyday realities as people of color are in fact shaped
by the continuous institution and perpetuation of racism especially when it goes
unaddressed.
• Understand LGBTQ stereotypes and how they often do not include people of color.

Courtesy of GLSEN and Campus Pride

Representative View of
Interactions in a White Institutional
Space
Religious
Leader
(lay or
ordained)

Faith
Non
LGBTQIA
LGBTQIA member
PoC PoC ally
(White)

White
LGBTQIA
force field ​Major Challenges
​LGBTQIA PoC Storytelling

analysis –
part 1
Force Field Analysis – LGBT POC in WIF
Spaces
Driving Forces –
Major Challenges Driving Forces
Major Challenges
1 Identity Crisis – Double/Triple
Minority
2 Lack of Safe Environment(s) to
Come Out
3 Judgment by non-LGBTQIA PoC

4 Assumptions by white LGBTQIA

5 Lack of Role Models/Allies

6 Lack of Access to Mental Heath

Providers
7 Significant Economic and Poverty
Issues

Resisting Forces –
Addressing Challenges
Storytelling – Experiences of LGBT PoC
in WIF
• Person One (5 minutes)
Tell us your religious/spiritual background and how you experience
intersectionality in your faith life. Please include one positive interaction
or conversation and one negative interaction
• Person Two (5 minutes)
Tell us your religious/spiritual background and how you experience
intersectionality in your faith life. Please include one positive interaction
or conversation and one negative interaction
force field ​Addressing Challenges

analysis –
part 2
Discussion about Resisting Forces:
Addressing Challenges
• Safe-spaces Free From Homophobia, Transphobia, Sexism, And Racism/Creating
Safe Environment(s) to Come Out in PoC Communities
• How has your local religious community created a safe space for LGBTQIA
PoC? Have you asked LGBTQIA PoC what a safe space for them would look
like?
• Are non-LGBTQIA PoC in your faith community encouraging their LGBTQIA PoC
to come out to them? If you are white, how can you help facilitate this
important conversation?
• Sharing LGBTQIA POC coming out stories with non-LGBTQIA PoC
• If there non-LGBTQIA PoC in your faith community, how can you facilitate
dialogues with LGBTQIA PoC to come out? If you are LGBTQIA PoC are you
ready to share your story?
• Sharing LGBTQIA PoC coming out stories with white LGBTQIA
• Are LGBTQIA PoC in your faith community sharing their LGBTQIA PoC coming
out stories with LGBTQIA PoC? If you are LGBTQIA PoC are you ready to share
your story? If you are white LGBTQIA, have you asked for their story?
Discussion about Resisting Forces:
Addressing Challenges (cont.)
• Executive, Leadership and Religious Mentors/Sponsors
• Is there a formal (or informal)l mentor/sponsor program in your local
religious community that is inclusive of intersectionality? If so,
please share with the group how it was started. If not, how would you
go about starting one?
• Greater Access to LGBT Mental Health Resources
• Do your community lay and religious/spiritual leaders have a list of
qualified therapists that support intersectionality and can address
LGBTQIA PoC mental issues? If not, what would it take for you to
build one?
• Greater Economic Opportunities
• Are LGBTQIA PoC gainfully employed in your community? Are they
included in your religious community’s social justice programs?
summary •

•
Completed Force Field
Analysis
Next Step Summaries
• Key Findings
Force Field Analysis – LGBT POC in WIF
Spaces
Driving Forces –
Major Challenges Driving Forces Resisting Forces
Major Challenges Addressing Challenges
1 Identity Crisis – Double/Triple 1 Safe-spaces Free From
Minority Homophobia, Transphobia,
Sexism, And Racism
2 Lack of Safe Environment(s) to
Come Out 2 Creating Safe Environment(s)
3 Judgment by non-LGBT PoC to Come Out in PoC Communities

4 Assumptions by white LGBT 3 Sharing LGBT POC coming out

5 Lack of Role Models/Allies
6 Lack of Access to Mental Heath
Providers
7 Significant Economic and Poverty
Issues
stories with non-LGBT PoC
4 Sharing LGBT PoC coming out
stories with white LGBT
5 Executive, Leadership and
Religious Mentors/Sponsors

6 Greater Access to LGBT Mental

Health Resources

Resisting Forces – 7 Greater Economic

Addressing Challenges Opportunities
What are some As a Religious Leader (lay or As a Faith member Ally
next steps we can ordained)
§ Reach out to a LGBTQIA PoC and

take individually § Create a safe-space free from

transphobia, homophobia, sexism,
have a conversation with them
about:

and together to and racism in your faith community.

§ Reach out to a LGBTQIA PoC and
• Unique challenges they face
• How to have a better interactions

address the have a conversation with them and conversations between

about: yourself and LGBTQIA PoC
• How you support creating a safe
challenges ? • Unique challenges they face -
seek out the coming out stories
environment for LGBTQIA PoC in
the Church and especially in your
of LGBTQIA PoC
faith community
• How to have a better interactions
• Adopt intersectionality as an
and conversations between
approach to all aspects of everyday
Religious yourself and LGBT Mormon PoC
Leader life and start taking it seriously.
(lay or
ordained)
§ Create safe environment(s) for
LGBTQIA POC members to come
out in your faith community
Non
LGBTQIA
LGBTQIA
Faith
member § Become a mentor/sponsor to a
PoC PoC ally
(White) LGBTQIA PoC and discuss your
recognition of their identity as a
double/triple minority
White
• Research and maintain access to
LGBTQIA diversity focused mental health
resources that can help LGBTQIA
PoC during a mental health crisis
• Adopt intersectionality as an
approach to all aspects of everyday
life and start taking it seriously.
 As an LGBTQIA PoC
What are some § *"Find your voice and inspire others to
next steps we can find theirs." Share your coming out
story with others – when you are
take individually ready and you feel you have support.
It can make a difference in your
and together to mental health and inspire others.
address the As a white LGBTQIA person
As a non LGBTQIA PoC
§ Reach out to a LGBTQIA PoC and
have a conversation with them
about:
• Unique challenges they face -
they are influenced by different
cultural ideas both in and
outside of the LGBT environment
• How to have a better interactions
and conversations between

challenges ? § Reach out to a LGBTQIA PoC and

yourself and LGBTQIA PoC
• How you support creating a safe
have a conversation with them environment for LGBTQIA PoC in
about: the Church and especially in your
Religious
Leader
• Unique challenges they face - ward/branch/stake
(lay or
ordained)
they are influenced by different • Discuss and adopt intersectionality
cultural ideas both in and as an approach to all aspects of
outside of the LGBT environment everyday life and start taking it
Faith • How to have a better interactions seriously.
Non
LGBTQIA
LGBTQIA member
PoC PoC ally
(White) and conversations between
yourself and LGBTQIA PoC
• How you support creating a safe
environment for LGBTQIA PoC in
White
LGBTQIA
the Church and especially in your
ward/branch/stake
• Adopt intersectionality as an
approach to all aspects of everyday
life and start taking it seriously.

* The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to

Greatness, Stephen R. Covey
Key Findings from One Colorado’s Report - Facing
Barriers: Experiences of LGBT People of Color in
Colorado.
Among the report’s key findings:
• LGBT people of color experience higher rates of both employment and housing
discrimination than white LGBT people.
• While similar levels of LGBT people of color and white LGBT people experience fear
of differential treatment from their medical provider, a significantly greater
percentage of LGBT people of color report having actually been refused treatment
by a medical provider because they are LGBT.
• LGBT people of color and white LGBT people report similar levels of anti-LGBT
bullying while in middle and high school. However, LGBT people of color reported
greater levels of anti-LGBT physical violence than did white LGBT people.
• LGBT people of color report experiencing daily or more frequent experiences of
homophobia, transphobia, and anti-LGBT harassment in the last year in
workplaces, schools, public establishments, and on the street.

See internet article at: [http://www.one-colorado.org/issues/lgbt-people-of-color/] for

more information.
May we look for every opportunity, therefore, to
decrease isolation, increase inclusion of all, and
enrich our lives with this diversity of human
sociality within the bonds of unifying doctrinal
beliefs. Like the international art exhibit of the
Church museum, let us find linkage through love
and through Christ and His gospel. May the happy
result be the emergence of unity in diversity. May
we enjoy the happy circumstance of the Book of
Mormon era when there were not to be found
“any manner of -ites.”
4 Ne. 1:17; Elder John K. Carmack Of the
Seventy, Unity in Diversity, Ensign, March
1991
Bethesda’s ​An Intersectional LDS
History Project

Wings ​The organization has primary interest in

Inform, inspire, and empower people by
exploring an intersectional view of LDS
history
preserving the stories of LGBTQIA/SSA
members, cisgender women, and people
of color in order to present these groups
stories alongside the cisgender white
male historical narrative currently
prominent in the Mormon community.
These stories can be "like a healing pool
of water" to these communities and help
them move forward in their lives.
thank you ​contact information
​For more info, please
contact us at

​Fred.bowers@onbethesdas
wings.org
​703-795-8678