Sexual Minorities Uganda hosted the 2nd The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries-TFAM meeting. The ministry is aimed at reconciling LGBTIQ in Uganda with the church. Most of us grew up in a religious setting but had to break ties with the church because of Homophobia.

In his opening remarks Pastor Simon Mpinga said it is amazing when people from different settings gather in the name of God. He added that; “We welcome LGBTIQ from various religious backgrounds. Our job is to reconcile people with their faith. We do not have the authority to judge them, one can be LGBTIQ, gifted, powerful and religious. TFAM Church will celebrate our different diversities. We’ll also offer mental health care.”

Brother Kebron Morris led the participants of this meeting in a praise and worship session in preparation for the reading from the Bible. The day’s theme was “Was it right for Cain to murder Abel?” A reading from the book of Genesis, Chapter 4 Verse 1- 10.

After the reading Pastor Simon broke down the scripture for us. He said; the reading shows that the first family in the Bible was dysfunctional and as LGBTIQ Ugandans we should not despair if our own family members have issues with us because of our diverse sexuality. He noted that, Adam and Cain were diverse despite being of one womb. One was a tiller of the land and the other was a shepherd and that was okay because that’s how God created them. It is okay that some Ugandans are heterosexual and others LGBTIQ because that is how God designed us.

On whether Abel’s murder was right, Pastor Simon said, Cain should not have killed Abel because of their differences. He had no moral authority to judge his own brother. He urges LGBTIQ people in Uganda to raise their heads high and be proud of who they are. He emphasized that we shouldn’t let naysayers get to us because God created us in his image and that we are all worthy and amazing.

Individuals were asked to reflect on the day’s reading, one of the participants noted that; ” We tend to kill ourselves from within because of self stigma. Some of us feel like we do not have space within the community. We need to reassure ourselves that there’s space for us all.” Another participant said “We seem to be killing each other within the LGBTIQ community. Those who are more successful tend to be picked on and shunned. In conclusion Pastor Simon urged us to find ways to address the jealousy within the community because at the end of the day we need to work together & empower each other.

The meeting ended with prayer requests from each individual. We prayed for peace and success within the LGBTIQ community in Uganda.