This badge is the perhaps the only badge from the St Mary’s Badge Stall to have featured in an article in the Times newspaper.

When the Scottish Episcopal Church debated opening marriage to same-sex couples in 2017, many members of the General Synod were wearing this badge during the debate. This was spotted by a reporter who based part of his report of the synod on it.

It was widely expected that the Archbishop of Canterbury would in some way condemn the decision of the Scottish General Synod when it was made. In the end, this didn’t happen though whether that was because of the reports of these badges in the national media is anyone’s guess. The previous Archbishop of Canterbury had had much to say about a similar decision in the US based Episcopal Church.

The badge is based on the 37th article of the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion which are recognised by the Church of England. (Scottish Episcopal Priests do not have to affirm the Thirty Nine Articles) which states The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England.

Occasionally, people erroneously believe the Scottish Episcopal Church to be in some way directed by the decisions of the Church of England. The debate on marriage was just one of many ways in which this was obviously not the case.

This badge is a reminder of how much those who identify as being LGBT have to be grateful for, from many in the feminist movement. We walk in the footsteps of great women.

Like most movements, feminism hasn’t always been 100% positive towards LGBT people. However without feminism it is impossible to imaging the modern LGBT movements.

Feminism means advocating for women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes. The language of equality and equal rights that feminists have pioneered has been taken up by those arguing for LGBT rights on the grounf of the fundamental equality of all people.

Christian feminists and Christian LGBT advocates would point to the biblical idea of all people being created in the image and likeness of God as being a key supporting doctrine for what they believe in.

Speaking to people using the language in which they would describe themselves is as much about politeness as politics. Badges such as this are worn by people wishing to indicate which pronouns are appropriate for them. No-one is born with pronouns. Each of us has an identity that is formed throughout life.

The colours of this badge are the colours of the Trans Flag, which was created by an American trans woman, Monica Helms in 1999. The colours blue and pink are colours that have been traditionally assigned in some parts of the world to things associated with boys and girls respectively. The white it he centre of the flag is to represent those who are transitioning, intersex or who consider themselves as having an identity which isn’t best understood as being either male or female.

This badge is gloriously out of date. It is that badge that the Provost of St Mary’s used to wear on his lapel, along with a rainbow ribbon whilst attending Pride events in Glasgow. As someone dressed in a black suit amongst a sea of rainbows, it was fairly obvious that he was the only ordained person attending such events wearing religious dress.

LGBT people who are Christian sometimes debate whether it is more difficult to come out as an LGBT person within the church or to come out as a Christian within the LGBT community. For many, it seems to be the latter.

These days the Provost is never the only person attending Pride in Glasgow wearing a clerical collar or religious dress. He now attends Pride along with colleagues from the Scottish Episcopal Church, ministers from other churches and members of religious orders.

This badge is often seen in St Mary’s. Members of the congregation wear them both in church and in their daily lives to indicate their support for those who are seeking refuge and asylum in this country. Some members of the congregation are involved in providing practical support for asylum seekers. Some are involved in campaigning for safe and secure housing for refugees and the clergy of the cathedral have repeatedly spoken out against the “hostile environment” policies of the government.

This badge is a reminder that some have to seek asylum because they come from countries where their LGBT identity puts their lives at risk. It is still illegal to be LGBT+ in about 70 countries in the world. In 12 countries the death penalty still exists for LGBT+ offences.

This badge was made by a former member of staff at St Mary’s. As a counsellor, she was looking for a way of indicating to people that she was a safe person for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Asexual people to discuss issues about their own lives safely without judgement or prejudice.

Therapy is one of the the areas of life which has changed in extraordinary ways in relation to issues of human sexuality within our own lifetimes. Therapy has sometimes been used to try to change someone’s sexual orientation or identity (often called conversion therapy). Such practices are now completely discredited and many LGBT people now have much to thank theapists for.

The slogan on this badge arrived in Glasgow with the Canon Missioner for the Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, the Rev Canon Audrey O’Brien Stewart. She had been a member of groups of Episcopalians using same slogan at Pride events in the USA.

The slogan is a Beattitude and takes its form from the beattitudes that Jesus used in the Sermon on the Mount which can be found in the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5.

Pride is a combination of protest and celebration. This badge is a reminder that LGBT people are uniquely blessed by God with gifts, skills and much that in turn blesses the world.