Working with Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender People

About The Program

Aimed at increasing acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in their respective religious communities, Believe Out Loud is Intersections International’s initiative focused towards the LGBT community.  Believe Out Loud combines traditional community organizing strategies with new technologies and advanced social marketing principles as a means of accelerating the existing Christian movement toward LGBT inclusion.

If you really believe in something, believe out loud.

That’s the maxim behind Intersections’ new Believe Out Loud campaign, aimed at increasing acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in their respective religious communities. It’s not enough to believe that these individuals should be welcomed in their church communities. We must sing their welcoming as loudly as we sing the hymns--because welcoming the LGBT community is itself a form of hymn, an expression of the ideals upon which our religious faith rests.

Believe Out Loud targets Mainline Christians (e.g. Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians) – a collective body of some 40 million Americans who hold critical power in shifting perception and policy from a discriminatory status quo to full inclusion and acceptance.  Centered around a sophisticated web hub, our strategies include advertising (on and offline), community organizing and comprehensive tools and resources for a broad array of stakeholders: clergy, lay leaders, youth, advocates, seekers and the general public. 

The study found that 41 percent of clergy fall in the “moveable middle” category.  This means that though personally the clergy support and believe that LGBT persons have a right to full inclusion, they have not taken a stance to reflect that belief.  Believe Out Loud aims to provide these clergy with the tools and resources they need to truly be out and act on their beliefs. 

A soft public launch took place on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2010. Go to www.believeoutloud.com to see how you can be involved and join us on facebook and Twitter! If you would like more information, please contact us at BelieveOutLoud@intersectionsinternational.org.

Break the Silence

Join the Movement

Believe Out Loud