As Easter (10-13 April) beckons, Adrian Gillan asks the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement’s (LGCM) new chief executive, Rev Sharon Ferguson, how she aims to build on her predecessor’s work - and why it all matters in a seemingly increasingly secular age.

What did you do before taking over running the LGCM recently?

I have worked in a wide variety of organisations including schools, prisons, charities and the private business sector. I am a psychologist and have worked, within a forensic setting, with violent sex offenders. I have also spent many years working within the field of disability - both hands on and in managerial positions. 
What do you, realistically, hope to achieve with the LGCM in coming years?

In my application for the post I stated that I wanted to make myself redundant. Unfortunately I view this as a rather long term goal. In the meantime I would like to see the work of the LGCM make a difference in the lives of both individuals and Churches, through its continued fight - against homophobia and towards full inclusion.
How do you hope to achieve this?

For individuals – by providing more opportunities to link with other LGBT Christians for fellowship and growth; for Churches – by providing more resources to assist in conversations around sexuality and inclusive liturgies; and generally – by continuing to campaign and speak out against any discrimination or homophobia or curtailment of human rights for LGBT people, whether by the government, through legislation, or by faith-based organisations.
Do your aims or strategies differ from those of your predecessor, Richard Kirker?

The LGCM’s aims remain the same, as outlined above. Obviously, I have a very different personality to Richard, and therefore my approach to achieving those aims will be different. The important issue is to achieve our aims, not how we get there.
What are the main obstacles to eliminating religious homophobia in the UK today?

There is far too much press coverage of homophobic views - which merely serves to reinforce the hatred and discrimination. If more time was given to those who promote equality and acceptance of sexual diversity then this would become the norm, bigotry banished. 

Also: procrastination! If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem. Too many people, including many LGBT people, have become complacent. Yes, there is greater equality today than even a few years ago, but we shouldn't stop fighting the cause until we have full inclusion and equality in every sense, in every area of life. Have women stopped campaigning for equal rights? Have ethnic minorities stopped campaigning against discrimination? NO! And neither should we!
What would you say to anyone attempting to justify homophobic views via religion?

If Christian, read your Bible - especially the Gospels. Christ made it very clear in everything that he said and did that anyone who follows him should never discriminate against another person or judge another person or reject another person. Where in this message is there any room for homophobia?
Do you think such “religious homophobia” is genuinely theological - as oft seemingly claimed - or should it rather be explained primarily in terms of social constructs?

You can find a text in the Bible to support any idea that you want to. For every theological argument presented to justify homophobia I can present an alternative. As Christians, we are supposed to follow the way and teachings of Christ. He told his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit to be with them to continue the teaching as he couldn't show them everything in the three years he was with them. Christ shed new light on many of the laws and modelled a new way to be in a relationship with God. It has taken the Holy Spirit a long time to teach us that slavery and the oppression of black people and women is not in keeping with the will of God. I pray that it won't be much longer before the same is true for sexual orientation.
Are you disillusioned with continued homophobia within the Church of England (CoE)?

Exasperated would be more accurate. Statements are made that offer hope that hearts are being opened to truly listen to the experiences of LGBT people in the Church and then, when an ideal opportunity to put that into action is available, they close the door. At the Lambeth Conference last year, they were talking about sexuality and had the opportunity to listen and talk to a gay Bishop but instead they excluded him from the conference. Only when people lay down their fear will they be able to see the way forward.
Does homophobia inspired by Catholicism or Evangelicals, say - or other religions entirely - take a different form from the CoE’s; and require a different approach?

Not really, it is always based in fear of the unknown, fear of losing power, fear of the other. 
What would you say to any gay atheists who perhaps can’t understand the relevance of the LGCM’s work to themselves?

Firstly, government legislation has to be passed by the House of Lords which is largely made up of Anglican Bishops - thus homophobia in the Church will have a direct impact on their lives. Secondly, we can all stand back when we think an issue doesn't affect us directly but this is short-sighted, as any form of homophobia will eventually impact on us all.
Do you ever worry that some gay atheists are even outright religio-phobic?

I don't worry about it but I do find it sad. It's true that it's often easier to come out as gay than it is to come out as Christian these days. At the end of the day, we should all have the right and freedom to express ourselves in our fullness. For some of us, that includes expressing our spirituality through Christianity.
What would your Easter Message be to the UK’s largely secular gay community?

I read a story the other day about a father who wanted to read his magazine but his young daughter kept bothering him. In an attempt to keep her out of his hair, he tore out of his magazine a picture of the world and then tore it into a lot of little pieces. He handed her the pieces with a roll of tape and asked her to put the picture back together. He expected this task to take her quite a while and so allow him time to complete his magazine. In a few moments she was back with the picture completed - perfectly. He asked her how she'd managed to do it so quickly and she replied: “It was easy, Daddy. On the other side was a picture of Jesus and when Jesus was right, so was the world!”

The opposite of this statement is also true. When we exclude people from our world, when we discriminate against one another, then we take away from the body of Christ. Our world and Christ cannot be separated no matter how hard people try. Find Christ this Easter and your world will come together.
Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement: www.lgcm.org.uk

Adrian Gillan