Celebrate the full inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in faith communities and beyond.
March 14 is PIE Day. In church circles it has nothing to do with math. PIE is short for “public, intentional, and explicit.” These are the standards we hold ourselves to when we seek to be affirming, welcoming, and inclusive.
PIE Day was co-founded by Affirm United/S’affirmer Ensemble and Affirming Connections. Every year, Affirm United invites us to celebrate the full inclusion of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in faith communities and beyond. The day challenges us to widen our welcome, to embody love, and to celebrate gender and sexual diversity.
It’s critical that we do. Gender identity and sexual orientation are used to justify human rights violations around the world. Same-sex sexual activity is a crime in 71 countries; in 11 of these the death penalty can be imposed.
Here in Canada, 1 million people identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. In 2019, police reported 263 hate crimes targeting people for their sexual orientation. This was a 41 percent increase over the previous year and the highest number since 2009.*
Your gifts through Mission and Service sustain life-transforming advocacy and education. They support refugees fleeing for their lives because they identify as 2SLGBTQIA+. They support safe shelters, community awareness education, human rights programs, and safe spaces.
Thank you for giving through Mission and Service. God’s compassionate love knows no boundaries. Your generosity shows ours doesn’t either.
*Statistics Canada, “Police-reported hate crime in Canada, 2019” (March 29, 2021).