2021 End of Year Program Report
Executive Summary: Thanks to the generous and faithful support of our donors, volunteers, staff and board, Parity has had the most successful year in memory. We look forward to an even greater impact in 2022.
Our full report is below, here are the highlights to note:
Parity is supporting a new congregation of 24 LGBT Christians in Kenya, including micro grants (12 so far) and business classes every Monday, all led by our Kenyan LGBT Christian friends.
Our Holy Dialogues project continues to grow and released an Advent devotional with very diverse reflections and authors, including the pastor of the Kenyan fellowship. Holy Dialogues was an invited presenter at the Parliament of World Religions this year!
Parity supported four retreats this year, for Conversion Therapy Survivors, LGBT Youth Pastors, LGBT Youth and an Eastern European retreat for persecuted LGBT Christians.
Parity is a lead in forming a Human Rights Working Group and LGBT subgroup with the International Religious Freedom Roundtables. This has been a year-long project to raise awareness for the circumstances of LGBT people worldwide, and we are thrilled that it is inching closer to launching.
Parity is partnering with a diverse coalition to pass federal nondiscrimination legislation. You will be hearing more about that as our efforts become public. It’s been a lot of behind-the-scenes work to date.
Our youth organization, the Intergalactic Pride Center, presented to the UN at a side event and also sent a representative to Copenhagen for World Pride. They now are working to publish their queer faith writing in partnership with Our Bible App.
We are affiliated with the United Nations! We are part of the 2022 planning team for the first international conference on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Parity has been invited to have a Blessed by Difference column and section of Family Christian to share supports and helps for LGBT Christians and families with LGBT members.
Parity 2021 Programs
Care and Support
Youth
Parity provides pastoral care and mentoring to LGBTQ+ youth and has four supportive groups available for youth:
General support
Poetry and writing focused support
Christianity
Faith and spirituality
New in 2022: Planning for a LGBT youth center in Kenya, led by our Kenyan fellowship of LGBT Christians.
Emerging and New LGBTQ+ Pastors and Youth Ministers
Parity provides retreats and educational events and opportunities for seminarians and new pastors, BIPOC pastors and seminarians and LGBTQ+ people in discernment as well as mentoring, opportunities for compensated preaching, teaching and networking.
Adults
Parity provides spiritual direction, spiritual companioning and pastoral care as well as matching adults with appropriate pastors (Parity’s Virtual Pastor Network) and opportunities for worship (Parity’s Online Faith Collective), teaching, preaching and leadership opportunities. Parity also has three supportive groups available for LGBTQ+ adults:
Conversion therapy survivors
Christianity
General faith and spirituality
Retreats
Online discussion forums
Converge international, lay led Bible studies
Elders
Parity has a specific pastoral care and end of life program for LGBTQ+ elders, as well as volunteer matching for hospice and volunteer chaplaincy.
Families
Parity provides peer-to-peer matching and pastoral care for LGBTQ+ families and families with LGBTQ+ children, spiritual companioning and supportive groups.
Church, School, Organization and Business
Parity provides strength-based educational programming and mentoring to churches, businesses, and kindergarten-graduate level schools with LGBTQ+ members and families on a wide variety of LGBTQ+ concerns.
Activism
Youth
Parity’s Intergalactic Pride youth group is an activist group led by queer youth for queer youth and is focused on activism education, leadership development, arts and personal expression, scholarship and direct action. The group has an international focus and in March 2021, presented at an invited United Nations side event on gender-based violence to LGBTQ+ youth.
New in Dec. 2021: Publishing written works by Parity-affiliated youth and our Intergalactic Pride Center, which is by and for young people.
LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness and Suicide
Parity educates and empowers faith communities, schools of all levels and individuals to learn more about LGBTQ+ youth homelessness and suicide and to advocate and address both in their communities and beyond through direct service, legislative change and advocacy. We work with churches and secular organizations all over the country to make and distribute care kits for LGBT youth experiencing homelessness.
International
New in 2021: Parity supports a fellowship of 24 (and growing) LGBT Christians in Kenya, including micro-grants for new businesses and weekly business classes led by members of the fellowship.
New in 2021: Parity is a lead organization in the creation of a Human Rights Roundtable with the International Religious Freedom Roundtables and is active on several committees, representing LGBT concerns worldwide.
Parity supports and coordinates with individuals and groups concerned with LGBTQ+ life and dignity worldwide through mini-grants and community organizing.
Community, Church and Seminaries, College and Universities
Parity’s Glitter + Ash and Glitter Blessings projects are used throughout the Western world to showcase faith support for LGBTQ+ people and “coming out” for queer people of faith. Individuals directly impacted total over 50,000 each year. In addition, Parity’s Faith @ Pride helps churches and faith communities to publicize and engage with local Pride festivals as well as to connect LGBTQ+ people to faith activities in their community.
Conversion Therapy Survivors
Parity is the fiscal sponsor and mentor to the Conversion Therapy Survivors, an international advocacy and healing organization.
New in 2021: Parity provides a spiritual support group as well as financial and technical support for conversion therapy retreats.
Research
In partnership with Harvard Medical School and Brigham Young University, Parity is working on research advocating for healthy spiritual expression as a means of flourishing for LGBTQ+ people.
Bridging and Healing Divides
Holy Dialogues and Blessed by Difference are Parity’s flagship programs for healing and bridging divides including all perspectives on faith and LGBTQ+ concerns. Holy Dialogues is a video series of frank discussions with LGBTQ+ people of faith and conserving pastors and faith leaders; Blessed by Difference is an educational program that teaches beginner to advanced curious, compassionate and even collaborative dialogue and civic friendships. Featured on the inaugural issue of Deseret Magazine, Parliament of World Religions, Family Christian’s Walking through Samaria Program and Interfaith Alliance’s State of Belief and various elected official events including U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D, NY), Rep. Chris Stewart (R, UT).
New in 2021: Holy Dialogues Advent Devotional and Blessed by Difference Corner at Family Christian.
Individual, Family, Church, Education, Organization and Business
Educational events and trainings for people of all ages, belief or non-belief and SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression) status in a variety of public and private settings are trained to understand their own perspectives and beliefs and share them safely with others with the intended result of personal and community transformation.
Government and International
Parity works behind the scenes in local, state and federal government settings to bridge the divides around the Equality Act, Fairness for All, transgender and LGBTQ+ youth health and safety and equality concerns especially at the intersection of LGBT and religious freedom.
Mapping with Auburn Seminary
Parity recently completed a multi-month project of mapping the LGBTQ+ and faith landscape with Auburn Seminary.
Religious Freedom
Parity has been a presence at events including the National Prayer Breakfast, the International Religious Freedom Summit, and invited speaker at the BYU Law School, Notre Dame Law School, United Nations Civil Society, the Bipartisan Policy Center and more.
Volunteer Opportunities
Parity has a number of opportunities for individuals, groups, and faith communities:
LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness / Suicide
Resource Fairs: Parity will connect your faith community or organization with local service providers to hold an annual or biannual research faith that showcases and networks faith-based and secular supports for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Create or distribute care kits as a volunteer activity. Kits include needed personal items and a caring note.
Create or distribute Turtle Shelter Vests to help keep homeless teens and adults alive to -10 degrees.
Become an LGBTQ+ youth advocate - receive training and mentoring to best address youth homelessness and suicide in your community.
Holy Dialogues
Become a Holy Dialogue trainer / facilitator. Receive education, resources, mentoring and cohort support to lead groups and bridge / heal divides one on one in your community.
Be on a Holy Dialogues episode, sharing your perspective about LGBTQ+ and faith.
Write for our devotionals.
Operation Safety Net
Be trained and networked in our international database of over 1,000 individuals who help LGBTQ+ youth and families in need.
International Religious Freedom and Human Rights
Join our human rights working group and / or LGBT sub-working group.
Federal Nondiscrimination Legislation
Join the effort - email marian@parity.nyc to discuss various religions and national opportunities for engagement.
2019 Parity Program Report
Parity by the numbers 2019
In 2019 Parity was blessed by the generosity of our grantors and donors with the opportunity to continue to minister in the world.
As a result of these gifts, over 500,000 lives were impacted in the United States and beyond:
Direct Education and Outreach: 3,500
(An increase of 2,500 over 2018)Ministry in Partnership: 30,000
(An increase of 20,000 over 2018)Awareness and General Education: 500,000
(An increase of 300,000 over 2018)
2019 Parity Program Report: Advocacy and Activism
The annual Parity Awards recognizes the unique contributions of LGBTQ+ and allied people of faith and amplifies the messages of countless new and seasoned LGBTQ+ leaders through in-person and social media campaigns to provide role models and to share the message that LGBTQ+ people have invaluable spiritual gifts and talents. The 2019 Parity Awards were held November 21 at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, honoring Dr. Wilhelmina Perry, Logan Rozos and Dr. Luis Freddy Molano.
Glitter Ash Wednesday reached hundreds of churches and faith communities and public actions with an impact in the hundreds of thousands throughout North America and the United Kingdom, this year particularly in Methodist churches and in red states.
Parity’s Blessed by Difference program provides story-based negotiating towards legislative and denominational changes publicly and behind the scenes, resulting in new laws and policies that promote equality and health for LGBTQ people as well as outreach by traditionally rejecting faith leaders have a reach in the thousands throughout the United States and internationally. Events include: United Nations Civil Society Conference; with U.S. Rep. Curtis and Sutherland Institute; with U.S. Representative Stewart, Utah Gov. Herbert introducing the FFA.
Parity is engaged in promoting LGBTQ inclusive religious liberty and had its first national inclusive religious liberty summit on May 14, 2019 at the Utah State Capitol with a keynote by Tim Schultz of the 1st Amendment
Partnership and an afternoon workshop that provided training and a framework for collaborative Blessed by Difference partnerships for change.
Parity Trans Youth Squad does LGBTQ-affirming faith research, messaging and outreach to trans and gender exceptional youth through social media and in person outlets, impacting youth with learning and networking opportunities as well as critical support in times of need for hundreds of youth worldwide.
Parity partners with The Turtle Shelter Project to provide volunteer and educational opportunities for churches and faith communities to promote wellness for LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness.
New in 2019: Interfaith street outreach to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness connects faith communities with LGBTQ youth to provide needed hygiene kits and supplies.
New in 2019: Glitter Blessings provides opportunity for people of faith to show support and love for LGBTQ+
people at Pride events and other ministry settings, worldwide, distributing 25,000 blessings.
New in 2020: LGBTQ+ Theology Project
New in 2020: Inclusive Religious Liberty Project
2019 Parity Program Report: Nurture and Education
Parity’s retreats for emerging LGBTQ pastors attract seminarians from all over the United States. Cohorts receive mentoring and help seeking a call or other ministerial employment. Hundreds of new pastors have benefitted from Parity’s retreat programs.
Parity staff and volunteers hold in-person and online sensitivity trainings for denominational leaders, clergy, seminarians, colleges and universities and the general public as well as topical programs including conversion therapy, religious freedom and LGBTQ rights, family acceptance and supports, faith community engagement, faith-based social justice, LGBTQ youth homelessness, and faith-based LGBTQ youth and adult suicide prevention with partners such as San Francisco Theological Seminary, Eden Seminary, the Family Acceptance Project, Sutherland Institute, Auburn Seminary, the Applied Wisdom Institute, Living Room Conversations, BYU Center for Conflict Resolution, and more, reaching thousands worldwide.
Parity’s Safety Net database of over 1,000 LGBTQ and allied community volunteers provides as-needed peer support, youth homelessness and suicide prevention, family strengthening, community education and social supports in communities throughout North America, benefitting thousands of youth, adults and families.
Parity trains and mentors faith leaders to integrate LGBTQ affirming programs within their churches and faith communities to benefit their cities and neighborhoods, including programs for transgender people, families, plural communities, refugee and asylum seekers, LGBTQ youth including those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, suicide prevention, and pastoral care for LGBTQ elders and those at the end of life.
New in 2019: Parity worked with Holmes Camp and the Family Equality Council to create and co-lead Camp Q, a faith and LGBTQ affirming camp for high school youth, held July 7-13, 2019.
New in 2019: Parity is partnered with Dr. Michael Ferguson of Harvard Medical School to create a three part workshop series on the neuroscience of spirituality, beginning with a Soul and Brain Workshop, held at Harvard Medical School on Aug. 3, 2019.
New in October, 2019: Partnership with The Family Acceptance Project and The Applied Wisdom Institute to distribute and promote new LGBTQ family acceptance educational materials for churches and faith communities.
New in 2019: Partnership with Cherish Families to create and provide LGBTQ-affirming education and trainings to faith leaders and families within plural (polygamous) families and communities.
New in 2019: sponsorship of a retreat for LGBTQ Evangelical Leaders w/ Amber Cantorna.
New in Fall, 2019, an invitation to affiliate with the United Nations as a faith NGO to provide LGBTQ faith programming to international constituents.
New in 2020, with the Applied Wisdom Institute, a certificate program in LGBTQ Leadership.
New in 2020, workshops at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, NYC:
March 17: Faith-based Techniques for Preventing and Addressing LGBTQ+ Youth Homelessness
March 18: Bridging the LGBTQ+ and Faith Divide