EMM’s Rainbow Initiative is finishing its second fiery – you could say “flaming” – summer. With our partners including 29 Rainbow Initiative Congregations/Communities (RICs), we have:
- Elevated awareness about LGBTQ+ forced migrants through Pride and World Refugee Day events
- Produced educational resources for service providers, and
- Begun new direct aid and storytelling programs with support from United Thank Offering
EMM and partners also put the spotlight on LGBTQ+ newcomers at The Episcopal Church’s General Convention, which passed several important resolutions related to migration.
Pride and World Refugee Day
We again reached hundreds of thousands of people through public events where we carried banners proclaiming messages of welcome like “God Loves LGBTQ+ Immigrants.” One highlight: Apparently, our contingent from the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center of St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church was the first faith group ever to march in Rome, Italy’s Pride.
Check out this slide show with snapshots from Belmont, MI; El Paso, TX; Munich, Germany; New Orleans, LA; Portland, OR; and Rome, Italy.
Educational Resources for Service Providers
EMM’s Rainbow Initiative partnered with Switchboard to produce educational materials and events for service providers who work with LGBTQ+ newcomers, under a contract from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement. We were joined in this by colleagues from Clark University’s Integration and Belonging Hub, InReach, the LGBT Asylum Task Force of Hadwen Park Congregational Church, Oasis Legal Services, as well as independent scholar Craig Mortley, MSc.
The materials have included:
- Proud to Welcome All: Community Education About LGBTQ+ Newcomers at Pride and World Refugee Day Events (blog post and resources)
- Welcoming LGBTQ+ Newcomers: Practical Tools and Tips (blog post and resources)
- Creating Inclusive Spaces for the LGBTQ+ Community in Newcomer Services (recorded webinar)
- Understanding and Serving LGBTQ+ Newcomers (recorded webinar)
- A certificate course for service providers, which might be repeated in the coming year.
Visit Switchboard and search for “LGBTQ+” to find more resources that we are in the process of finalizing, including blogs about working with transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) newcomers, legal concerns, and establishing healthy partnerships, as well as an “evidence summary” review of academic research literature.
Rainbow Asylum Ministry
A grant from the United Thank Offering (UTO), made it possible for EMM to launch the Rainbow Asylum Ministry. In August, we announced the selection of four congregations that will receive help to develop new ministries to welcome LGBTQ+ forced migrants. See this press release for more information.
General Convention
EMM drew attention to LGBTQ+ and other forced migrants at General Convention in June, where its rainbow banner served as a popular backdrop for selfies. See this blog post for a summary of immigration-related resolutions that were approved.
