Sandi Toksvig: I can't let the Church of England hurt LGBT people

Sandi Toksvig says she was reluctant to talk retired astir the Church of England's presumption connected same-sex matrimony - but felt LGBT radical were "suffering".

Speaking to BBC News, the TV big said: "I can't beryllium by and fto that happen."

Bishops are gathering aboriginal to ballot connected whether to follow blessing prayers for couples successful same-sex civilian marriages.

Toksvig has criticised the Church's presumption - and says a gathering with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, past period was "very disappointing".

The broadcaster deed the headlines for her absorption to the Church of England's stance connected same-sex matrimony precocious past summer.

She wrote an unfastened missive to the Archbishop aft he, and the Anglican Communion, reaffirmed a 1998 resolution, which said same-sex matrimony was wrong.

Following a five-year consultation process, bishops person besides present decided that determination volition beryllium nary alteration successful the doctrine surrounding "holy matrimony" being solely betwixt 1 antheral and 1 woman.

This week, astatine the gathering of the Church's nationalist assembly, the General Synod, members volition ballot connected a connection from the bishops that - if they privation to - clergy volition successful aboriginal beryllium capable to follow blessing prayers for couples successful same-sex civilian marriages.

The connection volition beryllium debated and voted connected astatine the Church's equivalent of a parliament - the General Synod - aboriginal connected Wednesday.

In an interrogation with BBC News, Toksvig said she had been reluctant to talk out. "I truly ne'er wanted this. There are tons of different things I'd alternatively beryllium talking about," she said.

She added: "Trust me, being cheery is conscionable a mean life. And we privation to beryllium allowed to get connected with it. But each clip idiosyncratic condemns you, idiosyncratic determination successful the LGBTQ+ assemblage gets hurt. And I cannot beryllium by and fto that happen."

The Church's connection for blessing prayers for same-sex couples has been unpalatable to immoderate conservatives successful the Church, but besides falls good abbreviated of what galore progressives had wanted.

For his part, the Archbishop of Canterbury has celebrated what helium sees arsenic a determination forward. He has besides talked astir the trouble of holding unneurotic a Church with radical with a wide scope of beliefs connected cheery marriage.

He has conscionable returned from South Sudan and said helium is not conscionable trying to support unneurotic the Church of England, but besides the planetary assemblage of those who travel the Anglican contented - to which millions belong.

"What we are doing is seeking to person a Church that accepts each idiosyncratic is equal, called by Christ to beryllium loved and accepted and valued," helium told the BBC.

"We are seeking not to lucifer 1 exclusion with another, successful not saying to the conservatives 'we don't similar you, truthful you've got to spell away.'"

Some blimpish bishops overseas person already pulled their churches retired of the Anglican Communion due to the fact that the Church of England allows cheery clergy and others endanger to permission if determination are moves towards matrimony equality.

However, Toksvig told the BBC: "Here's the happening astir 'equality', it is not a connection that you qualify, you either person it oregon you don't person it."

While she says she appreciates the information the statement successful the Church is highly polarised, she said it was not capable to effort to support the 2 sides together.

"The occupation is determination is lone 1 broadside that is impinging connected the lives of others. And I'm acrophobic the precise blimpish radical who construe the Bible with little emotion than I would anticipation are causing terrible intelligence wellness problems for the LGBTQ+ community."

She added: "My woman works successful intelligence wellness with the queer assemblage and the figures are shocking for a young LGBT idiosyncratic committing suicide, oregon attempting suicide, not due to the fact that they consciousness atrocious astir who they are, but due to the fact that of the mode nine stigmatises them. So it's not an adjacent conflict that we're having here."

"Is it good to clasp a Church unneurotic by sacrificing LGBTQ+ radical connected the altar of what they (conservative bishops abroad) believe? Is that okay?" she added.

Toksvig has started a run to region the 26 Church of England bishops who beryllium successful the House of Lords.

However, she has attracted disapproval successful drafting comparisons betwixt the UK parliament and that of the lone different state wherever spiritual leaders automatically get seats successful parliament, Iran.

Additional reporting by Harry Farley.