Sexuality and Religion Network in East Africa

东非的性与宗教网络(SERENE)基于两个基本见解。首先，任何致力于减少社会、经济和政治不平等的国际发展议程都必须找到适当的方法来处理和克服男女同性恋、双性恋和变性者所经历的污名和歧视。第二，在撒哈拉以南非洲，50%至70%的卫生、教育和其他服务是由以信仰为基础的组织提供的，必须将宗教纳入发展分析和干预措施，必须承认宗教领袖作为社区和社会的舆论领袖和有影响力的人物在促进社会、文化、政治和法律变革进程中的作用。这两种见解在最近的发展工作和思考中都得到了承认，包括联合国主要机构，但它们几乎没有交叉。宗教领袖在促进男女同性恋、双性恋和变性者平等方面的关键和重要作用仍在研究中。在这两个主要见解的交叉和扩展的基础上，宁静将东非宗教和性领域的学者和实践者聚集在一起，以便合作探索和加强宗教领袖在促进该区域LGBTIQ平等和包容方面的作用。随着同性恋在当代非洲被深度政治化，LGBTIQ人的地位、身份和权利在宗教界经常被视为有争议的，至关重要的是制定适当的战略，教育、培训宗教领袖并提高他们的认识，以便利用他们成为LGBTIQ平等和包容的变革推动者的潜力。该网络侧重于东非，特别是肯尼亚和乌干达，这两个国家近年来在LGBTIQ纳入方面表现出相当不同的趋势。然而，在这两个国家，都有一些组织致力于宗教和性的交叉，并在LGBTIQ平等和包容领域聘请了宗教领袖。SERENE的可比性允许交流不同的战略、资源和“最佳做法”，从而促进相互学习、探索共同挑战以及开发具有区域重点的新战略和资源。该项目的范围包括来自不同教派的基督教领袖，承认基督教是有关国家的主要宗教，但也包括与伙伴组织的工作相关的穆斯林领袖。网络活动将有三个方面：1.通过两个研究讲习班，我们将绘制和加强合作伙伴社区组织使用的现有战略和资源。在讲习班1上，将介绍测绘工作的结果，查明和审查关键资源和战略，并评价它们的优势、进一步发展的领域和今后工作的差距。双方将商定一项具体的发展计划。每个CBO将与一名学术伙伴合作，他们的工作成果将在研究研讨会2上展示。由此产生的案例研究将作为报告发表。通过伙伴CBO，将收集参与促进乌干达和肯尼亚LGBTIQ平等和包容的宗教领袖的第一人称叙述。这些故事将被分析并开发为今后培训其他宗教领袖的资源。一部关于肯尼亚LGBTIQ信仰者的纪录片目前正在由国际和平协会和一个伙伴CBO制作。该网络将作为一个关键空间来测试和评估这部电影作为一种社会变革的方法。合作伙伴社区组织将推动在当地向宗教领袖放映这部电影，然后通过小组讨论和采访进行影响评估。将举行闭幕研讨会，与更多的观众分享成果。

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.