Waterloo: Behind The Scenes - Pride and Prejudice?

Welcome to our first 'Waterloo: Behind the Scenes' panel discussion centred around faith and sexuality during Pride Month at St. John's Church, Waterloo.

While faith and homosexuality have often been viewed as incompatible, this discussion seeks to challenge that perception and find ways to bridge the gap between them. And where better to host this talk than St John's Waterloo, an inclusive place of worship described as “one of the most inclusive churches in London, with a diverse and LGBTQ+ friendly congregation,” (The Gay Times).

Hosted by St. John's very own Canon Giles Goddard, former chair of Inclusive Church, he was also part of the Coordinating Group for Living in Love and Faith, a resource on sexuality, gender and identity published by the House of Bishops for the Church of England, our full panel comprises of:

• Ruby Almeida Catholic LGBT rights campaigner and lecturer. Almeida was in her thirties, heading her own production company, when she first recognised her own same-sex attraction. In the ensuing years, she continued to practice as a Catholic, seeing no conflict between her faith and sexuality. Indeed, she would later reflect that her ‘coming out’ experience, which was very organic and seamless, served to strengthen, not weaken, her faith.
• Asifa Lahore, Britain's first out drag queen pushing the boundaries of what it means to be LGBT, South Asian and Muslim.
• Nathan Jones, Senior Minister at Oasis Waterloo, a national church network, exploring what it means to build inclusive, progressive, Christ-centred communities in more localities. In 2013, their Founding Minister Steve Chalke wrote an article in Christianity magazine called A Matter of Integrity, where he made the Biblical argument for the full inclusion of LGBT+ Christians. The Waterloo-based church also featured in a BBC documentary called Queer Britain.
• Tom Ana , Assistant Manager at London LGBTQ+ Centre a now-permanent space founded in response to the severe isolation and loneliness the LGBTQ+ community has felt since lockdown began, aimed at providing comfort and solace for LGBTQ+ Londoners and their friends and allies.
• Hava Mirviss-Carvajal is a first-year student rabbi at Leo Baeck College and one of the roshim [heads] of the Queer Yeshiva, Europe's first Jewish learning organisation by and for Queer Jews.

Against the backdrop of Pride, it is important to remember that everyone should be able to live freely and authentically, regardless of their sexual orientation or faith - and whilst Waterloo is perhaps better know as being an ABBA lyric and famous station, it is also a safe place for the LGBTQ+ to express their faith freely . Join us as we delve deeper into this important intersection and explore the possibilities for change and greater understanding.

About 'Waterloo: Behind the Scenes'

Dreamers, innovators, disruptors and free thinkers have laid claim to Waterloo for centuries. Now home to Lower Marsh Market and The Vaults, it remains a distinctive, quirky neighbourhood in the literal (no, really) centre of London, known for its community spirit and defiance. Global corporations rub shoulders with pop-up studios and late-night bars, bringing diverse audiences to a destination that dares to be different. And WeAreWaterloo Business Improvement District (BID) is here to support and promote all of these businesses who give our neighbourhood its edge.

In 2019, WaW launched a panel series of hard-hitting discussions at which everyone is welcome and no topic is taboo. Creating a platform for challenging debate, with themes like sobriety and unconscious bias in the arts, we want to position Waterloo as a place unafraid to ask the difficult questions in order to build a better future for those who live, work and play in our area.

'Waterloo: Behind The Scenes' is produced by local resident and founder of WRB Studio Sarah Sepahi.

Event Venue

St John’s Church, Waterloo, 73 Waterloo Road, London, United Kingdom