Ousted pastor’s gay resource
When Reverend Matt Glover of Victoria’s Lilydale Baptist Church came out in support of same-sex marriage late last year, he unwittingly found himself thrust into the role of gay rights activist.
Glover, a married man with two children, has worked with the gay community for 15 years on issues of faith. His support for marriage equality meant he had to resign from his senior pastor position at the church.
He’s now finishing a Masters in Counselling with the aim of starting a private practice to serve the LGBT community.
“I’ve discovered that amongst the straight helping professions, there is not a lot of understanding when it comes to LGBT issues,” Glover said.
“I get asked to speak on it quite often, and I’m hardly an expert, so I’ve started a project to gather the voices of the LGBT community to help the straight community better understand what it’s like to be gay.”
Glover’s online resource, What I Would Like You To Know, gives LGBT people the chance to share the things they want heterosexual counsellors, teachers, pastors and other helpers to know about their experiences.
