Launched on World Mental Health Day (October 10), a new survey will collect data from LGBTQ+ Christians to examine how safe queer people feel in religious spaces. Instigated by Jayne Ozanne – director of the Ozanne Foundation – the launch coincided with the Church of England’s first “Safeguarding Sunday”, and the survey will last for two weeks before the findings are made public in November.
Ozanne explained that the survey strives to help implement safety measures for LGBTQ+ Christians, adding: “Many LGBTQ+ Christians feel increasingly vulnerable in their local churches given the increasingly toxic rhetoric around sexuality and gender identity.” Dr Sarah Carr, an LGBTQ+ mental health expert who is overseeing the survey, said it is vital “that LGBTQ+ people’s wellbeing is prioritised in spaces which we know have and still can cause significant harm and trauma.”
OneBodyOneFaith is partnering with the Ozanne Foundation on the project, with executive director Luke Dowding hoping it will illustrate how safe LGBTQ+ Christians feel when attending church. The survey is open to all LGBTQ+ Christians in the UK who are aged over 18. Those interested in completing the survey can do so online.
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