Faith, Sex and Sexuality: A Conversation
Creating space in our communities of
faith to honestly talk about our narratives of sex and sexuality is
critical to the life of the believer, the life of the church, and to the
healing of our world. Hope to Thrive has been able to host online and
in-person discussions around faith, sex, and sexuality. In June 2018, we
launched three online discussions with over thirty active participants
(two public and one private) and one private phone conversation (two
participants). In February 2019, we hosted an in-person meeting with
twelve participants of LGBTQIA and cisgender identities. In April
2019, we held two online forums through Facebook with over 200 views
collectively. Hope to Thrive will be hosting its first Faith, Sex, and
Sexuality Conference, on November 2020 in eastern North Carolina, that will further
the efforts of these discussions for impactful, practical community
and individual healing.
Overview of proposed project:
Sex and sexuality have come to the forefront of media coverage and social interest, from topics related to transgender identities, the #MeToo Movement, divorce, and HIV. However, as faith leaders across denominations, the faith community has not been effective in engaging its members in a way that brings healing and transformation by the means of truth and honesty. Conversations within faith communities have been condemning, silencing, and intolerant of speaking truth. This series encourages open and honest conversations specifically related to faith, sex, and sexuality. With social media, support around storytelling, and the recent social movements to share personal narratives, communities have a unique opportunity; this platform can be used to share personal narratives around topics that have brought trauma, oppression, and isolation, through disregarding sex and sexuality. From a grassroots perspective, this series is an opportunity for more understanding to be gained around the intersection of faith, sex, and sexuality. Faith communities can resurrect transformational community healing by leading in a simple way, by creating space for voices to be heard.
Expected Results:
The community gatherings around faith,
sex, and sexuality will improve and support community partnerships by
bringing people of different backgrounds together to talk openly and
honestly about difficult topics. These conversations are hard because
people may feel like they know enough about the topic, or they feel that
their experiences are so negatively unique, that there is shame and
guilt, and feel isolated. These topics were invited by these communities
and allows for the leaders to cultivate deeper relationships among
themselves to be more effective. Likewise, it allows for more face to
face interaction between Hope to Thrive and these community partners
statewide, in order to continue building trust and care within our faith
networks to be more effective in transforming communities.
After this series, we hope that
participants will gain the following insights relevant to their own
personal transformation and healing related to:
- Becoming comfortable sharing personal stories
- Increasing knowledge of relatable systemic issues within faith, healthcare, and food networks
- Learning some ways to purposefully incorporate next steps into their transformation and healing journeys
Key Measures/Evaluation method:
Participants will take an introductory survey
related to their areas of knowledge and exposure (if any) to the topics
covered in the series and any previous discomfort/pressure around being
silenced when it comes to speaking truth about their health. A
post-survey will be administered at the end of the series to evaluate
participants inclinations around sharing their stories and if there is
increased knowledge and understanding of these topics. It will also measure their relation
to systemic issues within faith, healthcare and food systems that
have/will impact their past, present, and future.