Human rights activist Peter Tatchell met the Church of England’s Archbishop Welby last week to discuss LGBT rights, discrimination… and gay marriage.
My meeting yesterday with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, leader of the world’s 78-million strong Anglican Communion, was ground breaking. It was the first ever meeting between the leader of a major international Christian denomination and a leading international gay rights campaigner. But beyond that: did it achieve anything? Well, yes and no. Archbishop Welby is clearly struggling to reconcile his support for loving, stable same-sex relationships with his opposition to same-sex marriage. I got the impression that he wants to support gay equality but feels bound by church tradition. He accepts that discrimination is not a Christian value, but can’t bring himself to state publicly that banning gay couples from getting married is discrimination and wrong.
The Archbishop told me “gay people are not intrinsically different from straight people” but there is an “intrinsic difference in the nature of same-sex relationships” and this is a sufficient reason to deny gay couples the right to marry, even in civil ceremonies in register offices. When pressed to say why this “intrinsic difference” justified banning same-sex marriage he merely replied: “They are just different.”
I’m an optimist. I want to believe the best in people. That’s why I am hopeful that in time the Archbishop will resolve his moral dilemmas and encourage the church to move closer to gay equality. He struck me as a genuine, sincere, open-minded person, willing to listen and rethink his position. I’m ready to give him a chance. Time will tell.
At the meeting, I urged the Archbishop to “embrace a new historic compromise and rapprochement” with the gay community: the church will continue to believe that homosexuality is wrong, but it will agree that homophobic discrimination is also wrong – and actively oppose it. In particular, while Anglicans have a right to refuse to conduct religious gay marriages, they should halt their campaign against gay marriages hosted by civil authorities. The church should have no jurisdiction or veto over marriages in register offices.
“I got the impression that he wants to support gay equality but feels bound by church tradition.”
Oddly, the Archbishop did not accept that the ban on same-sex civil marriage amounted to discrimination. He told me: “I don’t accept the word discrimination.” Welby said he was “apprehensive” and “cautious” about the “consequences of redefining marriage,” adding that he was unconvinced that it would be to “the advantage of society.” However, he added that in future “marriage may evolve.” The Archbishop said he mostly opposes the government’s current same-sex marriage bill because it is a “bad bill”.
While conceding that “parliament has a right to legislate same-sex marriage,” he said “the church has a right to oppose it… I am in favour of the state recognising same-sex relationships but not in favour of redefining marriage.”
I also urged Welby to apologise on behalf of the Church of England for the centuries of homophobic persecution it inflicted on gay people. If not an apology, then at least some expression of remorse and regret. The Archbishop replied: “I hear what you say. I will need to think about that.”
I also urged the Archbishop to meet other LGBT organisations and campaigners, from within the UK and in Africa. I don’t represent all LGBT people. It is important that Welby hears a wide range of LGBT voices; especially in countries like Nigeria and Uganda where the Anglican church is actively stirring anti-gay hatred and supporting repressive homophobic legislation.
I argued that homophobic discrimination is inconsistent with Christ’s gospel of love and compassion and the Archbishop should therefore oppose all discrimination against gay people, including the ban on same-sex civil marriage. While the church can maintain its refusal to conduct same-sex religious marriages, it should cease opposing the marriage of gay couples by civil authorities in register offices.
Anglican leaders are currently in the forefront of attempts to force the government to abandon its plans to legalise same-sex civil marriage, and they are actively supporting the current ban. This is homophobic discrimination, despite Welby’s protestations to the contrary. I asked Archbishop Welby to make a clear distinction between what he and the church believe is morally wrong and the law of the land.
This meeting was the first time any Archbishop has formally met me. Even a liberal like Rowan Williams never welcomed me to Lambeth Palace. Justin’s invitation is progress. In 1997, ten of us from the gay rights group OutRage! scaled the walls of Lambeth Palace, hid among the roses and jumped out to confront the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, as he entertained 16 Anglican primates in the garden.
We were protesting over his refusal to dialogue with the gay community and his opposition to an equal age of consent, fostering by gay couples and the legal recognition of same-sex relationships. This time I went to Lambeth Palace through the front door at the Archbishop’s invitation. It makes a pleasant change.
