African Methodist Episcopal Church is the world’s largest independent Black Protestant denomination. At their General Conference in Ohio this August, a debate raged over same-sex marriage. Rev. Jennifer S. Leath is at the center of the controversy. While gay marriage has been normalized in the broader culture, the denomination is debating if it will abandon its historical stance.
Leath describes herself as “quare.” This term is supposed to capture both her intellectual background as a “blackqueer womanist” thinker and her attraction to other women. She currently teaches teaching courses like “Queering Religion” at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, where she is an associate professor. The last time the AME debated the issue was in 2004, she was a 23-year-old seminary student. 20 years ago the church decided to make participation in same-sex marriages or unions punishable under church law.
She’s trying to force the conservative faction in her denomination towards acceptance of gay marriage. The traditionalist faction won out in August, scrapping plans to discuss the issue further. For the past three years, the Sexual Ethics Discernment Committee has been preparing recommendations about how the AME should treat the controversy going forward.
She was left “disappointed and frustrated.” However, she wants to keep fighting for her cause. Leath said, “LGBTQ+ people in the church suffer in relative silence while those who have left are forced to find or even create new spiritual communities.” Her faction is predominantly younger and focused on celebrating sexual diversity and other left-wing issues.
“I feel the undeniable urgency of the children who are feeling like the only way through this is death or out of the church,” Leath explained. “As a pastor who follows the way of Jesus, that weighs on me.” She went on to state “To me the AME church is a place where diverse perspectives on issues like these can co-exist while we faithfully pursue justice for all…This is only viable and sustainable as long as we are collectively and individually committed to recognizing the least among us, and recalibrating our faith and practices accordingly.”
Other churches, such as the mainline protestant denominations, have welcomed LGBTQAI+ activists, but this came at a cost. These organizations have been wracked with schism. In each case where ‘marriage equality‘ was forced through, large sections of the church left for other denominations. More conservative denominations, who hold that nontraditional sexual relationships are sinful have been formed in almost every branch of Christianity.
The current rules of the AME state that “unions of any kind between persons of the same sex or gender are contrary to the will of God.” Leath believes that “Our legislation and position papers on sexual orientation and gender identities are dated, inconsistent, incomplete, prejudiced, contradictory, and unholy.” She advocates for an updated policy.
According to her ‘queer‘ identities have “sacred” status, she wrote. “People who exist “outside of heterosexual, cisgender categorization … will neither hide and lie nor leave and disappear.” She said “Future generations will likely push for even stronger and unequivocal affirmation of our gender and sexual diversity.” Leath vows to continue her crusade even after this setback.