The Symposium on Faith and Sexuality, held on June 19, has been hailed as a bold step forward in facilitating constructive dialogue about the intersectionality of sexuality and spirituality. Organized by the Caribbean Vulnerable Communities (CVC) with key partners, the gathering posed a timely and challenging question: How might faith and sexuality walk together? It is a question many LGBTQ+ Jamaicans ask in silence. This symposium sought to break that silence.
Held at the UWI Regional Headquarters in Jamaica, the event brought together faith leaders, theologians, LGBTQ+ advocates, and community members to unpack biblical texts, share stories, and explore pathways for inclusion. Presentations were made by renowned clerics and scholars including Rev Dr. Marjorie Lewis from Acadia University, Professor Adrian Thatcher of the University of Exeter; Bishop of Kingston the Right Reverend Garth Minott, among others . At the heart of these discussions was a yearning for hope , belonging, and love.
What set the symposium apart from other similar conversations was its warmth. Roman Catholic theologian Anna Perkins noted that even difficult conversations were handled with respect. “I was happy that we could have had the opportunity to hear from so many different voices and to recognize that we are united by our common humanity, because that’s what we experience. Just the love and the engagement among us as human beings, and that our gender differences or gender identity, sexual identity differences really made no difference. It was learning and loving, and listening,” Perkins said.
For some, like LGBT activist Nickoy Wilson, it was a chance to reflect on personal agency: “The symposium was very insightful. I think this discussion is important for the LGBT community because many of us aren’t aware that there are mistranslations in the Bible, mistranslations that have been used to essentially discredit our existence. And so, I think if more LGBT people know about this and are equipped with this sort of information and are able to go to their own churches to essentially challenge what is being taught, then I think that it would be beneficial for the community.”
More than a theological conference, the symposium felt like a reunion for souls who had long been denied sanctuary. Participants from across denominations, academic backgrounds, and queer experiences engaged in passionate discussions around scripture, ethics, and lived realities.
Panels delved into harmful religious narratives, pastoral care, and personal testimonies from LGBTQ+ people.
For Reverend Marvia Lawes, senior pastor of the Sligoville Circuit of Baptist Churches, the conversation was long overdue despite objections from within the church and from other critics. “The reality is that those critics are coming against not just the gay community, but those critics are following the example of those who believe that reading of scripture is designated to one set of people and it’s usually in favour of those who are already in power and hold the positions that are normalized in the status quo. Similarly, those criticisms were levelled when we wanted to challenge slavery. Those criticisms were levelled when we wanted to challenge women being excluded from ministry. So, for us to talk about sexuality, disabilities, any other things that exclude the marginalized or takes them away from being included in the presence of God, something is wrong with that reading. Because the point about the Bible, the book that we’re reading, it’s a book that speaks of a God for all peoples. Inclusive and welcoming of all people. So why can’t the Bible be read so that all peoples can see themselves in a new light?”
As the symposium ended, one lingering challenge was voiced with passion, how to take these discussions beyond the event.
Participants acknowledged that real change will come when these conversations ripple into churches, families, and hearts.
The Faith and Sexuality Symposium was not the final word, it was the opening chapter in a new gospel of inclusion. With momentum growing, the message is clear: no one should have to choose between their faith and their identity.
