Sexuality and Religion Network in East Africa

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The Sexuality and Religion Network (SERENE) in East Africa is based on two fundamental insights. First, any international development agenda committed to reducing social, economic and political inequality has to find ways to adequately address and overcome the stigma and discrimination experienced by LGBTIQ people. Second, in Sub-Saharan Africa where 50 up to 70 per cent of health, education and other services are provided by faith-based organisations, religion must be incorporated into development analyses and interventions, and the role of religious leaders, as opinion leaders and influential figures in communities and societies, in contributing to processes of effecting social, cultural, political and legal change has to be recognised. Both insights have been acknowledged in recent development work and thinking, including by major UN bodies, but they have hardly been intersected. The critical and important role of religious leaders in promoting LGBTIQ equality remains under-researched.Intersecting and expanding on these two major insights, SERENE brings together academics and practitioners working in the field of religion and sexuality in East Africa, in order to collaboratively explore and enhance the role of religious leaders in promoting LGBTIQ equality and inclusion in the region. With homosexuality being deeply politicised in contemporary Africa, and with the status of LGBTIQ people, identities and rights often being seen as controversial in religious circles, it is crucial to develop adequate strategies to educate, train and sensitise religious leaders in order to capitalise on their potential to become agents of change towards LGBTIQ equality and inclusion. The network focuses on East Africa, specifically Kenya and Uganda, two countries that in recent years have demonstrated considerably diverging trends when it comes to LGBTIQ inclusion. Yet in both countries, there are organisations that are working at the intersections of religion and sexuality, and that have engaged religious leaders in the area of LGBTIQ equality and inclusion. The comparative nature of SERENE allows for an exchange of different strategies, resources and "best practices", and thus facilitates mutual learning, the exploration of common challenges, and the development of new strategies and resources with a regional focus. The scope of the project includes Christian leaders from diverse denominations, acknowledging that Christianity is the majority religion in the countries concerned, but also includes Muslim leaders where that is relevant to the work of partner organisations. The network activities will be threefold:1. Through two research workshops, we will map and enhance existing strategies and resources used by partner CBOs. At workshop 1, the results of a mapping exercise will be presented, identifying and examining the key resources and strategies, and evaluating their strengths, the areas for further development, and the gaps for future work. A specific plan for development will be agreed. Each CBO will work with an academic partner, and the outcomes of their work will be presented at research workshop 2. The resulting case studies will be published as a report.2. Through the partner CBOs, first-person narratives of religious leaders involved in promoting LGBTIQ equality and inclusion in Uganda and Kenya will be collected. These stories will be analysed and developed into a resource for future work training other religious leaders.3. A documentary film about LGBTIQ people of faith in Kenya is currently being produced by the PI and one of the partner CBOs. The network will be used as a critical space to test and evaluate the film as a method for social change. Local screenings of the film to religious leaders will be facilitated by partner CBOs, followed by impact assessments through group discussions and interviews. A closing symposium will be held to share the results with a wider audience.