Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International (ABBI)

21/06/2026

This is not abstract theology. It is a lived reality. I have seen q***r and trans youth walk into congregations unsure if they will be welcomed or wounded. I have watched parents tremble with fear for their children’s safety. I have listened to elders who survived earlier waves of hatred and now watch history trying to repeat itself. And I have witnessed the courage of communities who refuse to let that happen

A new multi-faith declaration, Sacred Worth, Shared Freedom, urges religious leaders and communities to defend LGBTQ+ dignity, human rights, and democratic freedoms.

19/06/2026

You might not be Gina Rinehart, but let's face it, whether it's personal or for your business, none of us wants to pay more tax than we need to.

That's why, before 30 June, many Australians start looking for legitimate ways to reduce their tax bill.

Here's some good news.

A donation to ABBI before 30 June is tax deductible.

Even better, you'll know exactly where your money is going.

Your donation helps us support people navigating the intersection of faith, sexuality, and gender identity, educates communities, challenges misinformation, supports survivors of conversion "therapy", advocates for change, and builds bridges where they're needed most.

ABBI receives no government funding, so everything we do depends on the generosity of people who believe this work matters.

If ABBI has ever informed you, encouraged you, challenged your thinking, supported someone you care about, or simply reminded you that compassion is still a good idea, please consider making an EOFY donation.

It's a win-win.

You receive a tax deduction, and ABBI receives the support needed to continue creating understanding, hope, and positive change.

Thank you for standing with us.

Tax Relief Available! Donate to ABBI before 30 June and claim a tax deduction. Unlike that unused exercise equipment, you'll know your money is making a real difference.

19/06/2026

Hope this helps with some clarity.
DM me if you have any questions. Honestly, if you are a member it’s vital that you participate by voting. You can do that online or through a proxy (another member who votes on your behalf as directed by you).

Sydney Gay and Le***an Mardi Gras will hold an Extraordinary General Meeting soon. If you're a bit lost on what's happened, here's an explainer on why, and what members will be voting on. Read more: https://www.starobserver.com.au/news/explainer-heres-why-sydney-gay-le***an-mardi-gras-is-holding-an-extraordinary-general-meeting/242188

18/06/2026

Japan just became the first major economy to make LGBTQ education a nationwide program, rolling it out across schools, universities and workplaces in every corner of the country.

The plan, approved by the cabinet this month, gives schools new tools to teach students about LGBTQ people and widens access to counsellors and social workers. Universities training future teachers and healthcare workers will update their courses too.

The plan was signed off under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first female leader and a conservative who openly admires Margaret Thatcher. The program took three years to finalize because supporters and opponents kept clashing over it. Before this, fewer than 10% of Japanese institutions had any LGBTQ policy at all.

Japan is still the only G7 country without marriage equality. Same-sex couples can't legally wed, and marriages from abroad aren't recognized either.

But it's real movement in a country where coming out can still be hard.

18/06/2026

The Netherlands have passed new legislation criminalising conversion therapy. The Dutch Parliament passed the new law on Tuesday, 16 June, with 57 out of 75 votes in favour.

The Wet strafbaarstelling conversiehandelingen (Act on the Criminalisation of Conversion Acts) targets intrusive conversion therapy practices aimed at changing someone’s sexuality or gender identity.

People performing conversion therapy in the Netherlands will now face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to €27,500.

The Netherlands' vote follows on from eight European Union member states also putting national conversion therapy bans in place. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe also urged all member states in January to ban conversion therapy and implement criminal sanctions for those found guilty of performing it.

17/06/2026

You might not be Gina Rinehart, but let's face it—whether it's personal or for your business, none of us wants to pay more tax than we need to.

That's why, before 30 June, many Australians start looking for legitimate ways to reduce their tax bill.
Here's some good news.

Tax Relief Available! Donate to ABBI before 30 June and claim a tax deduction. Unlike that unused exercise equipment, you'll know your money is making a real difference.

16/06/2026

Christian nationalist pastor Joel Webbon claimed in a 9 June Right Response livestream that female school teachers “turn” boys gay.

According to Webbon’s logic I should be bisexual. I had both male AND female teachers throughout my schooling. 🤦‍♂️

A Right Response livestream pushed the female teachers boys gay myth and linked homosexuality to abuse, alongside slurs and religious condemnation.

16/06/2026

Sometimes people tell me they don’t want to label themselves by their sexual orientation. Not me!!!

For over two decades I rejected my gay identity. In fact I did everything to try and annihilate it. The last thing I would ever do would be to say...... “I’m gay”. Taking ownership of that was a terrifying thought and I believed it had tragic longterm as well as eternal consequences.

The closest I ever got to acknowledging my true orientation was admitting I had “a homosexual problem”.

Accepting who I was, was a loooong journey. And once I’d accepted being gay, then learning to embrace and celebrate it.

We have multi identities. We can have different identities in different contexts. In some contexts some identities are paramount and others irrelevant. The highly self-aware person is conscious of the various identities but manages them wisely, recognizing each one is a part of the whole.

Personally, I’m proud to be a homosexual. No more shame, denial or secrecy. The shame has been washed away by self-acceptance and self-hatred replaced with self-love.

These days I’d be happy to shout it from the rooftops “I am gay. Always have been gay. Always will be. And I love it.” 🏳️‍🌈
🏳️‍🌈

15/06/2026

Looking for some good memes/quotes to share during Pride Month. Here's three for you to copy and share.

The fact that Pride still upsets some people is exactly why we still need it. “When you hear of Gay Pride, remember, it was not born out of a need to celebrate being gay. It evolved out of our struggle as human beings to break free of oppression and to exist without being criminalised, pathologise...

15/06/2026

I was shocked this morning to get this notification from ResearchGate. As far as I'm aware, it is the only document in the world like it. I think the low number is because of the abstract. I've now changed that.

"Since its founding in 1976, Exodus International became the world's most influential ex-gay organisation and the foremost advocate of the "change is possible" message, promoting sexual orientation change through a network that President Alan Chambers claimed encompassed more than 400 affiliated ministries worldwide.

This 13,000-word paper provides a comprehensive firsthand account of the final Exodus International conference, held at Concordia University, Irvine, California, from 19–22 June 2013, and the organisation's subsequent closure. Drawing on personal observations, interviews, lived experience, and three years of dialogue with Exodus president Alan Chambers, the author documents the events leading to the organisation's historic decision to cease operations and publicly apologise for the harm caused by sexual orientation change efforts.

As a conversion "therapy" survivor, LGBTQ advocate, leader in exposing the myths of the movement, and bridge-builder who developed a unique relationship with Exodus leadership, the author offers a rare insider-outsider perspective on a pivotal moment in the history of faith, sexuality, and LGBTQ inclusion. Having direct access to Alan Chambers and senior Exodus leaders during this critical period provided an unusual vantage point from which to observe, document, and interpret the organisation's final chapter.

The paper chronicles the final conference, explores the emotional, theological, and social implications of Exodus's closure, and situates these events within the broader history of the ex-gay/reparative/conversion "therapy" movement. Using Malcolm Gladwell's concept of a "tipping point" as an interpretive framework, the paper analyses the social, cultural, theological, and organisational factors that contributed to Exodus International's demise. These include changing public attitudes towards LGBTQ people, the influence of survivor narratives, the impact of the internet and social media, evolving theological perspectives, bridge-building initiatives between LGBTQ advocates and Christian leaders, and growing recognition of the limitations and harms associated with sexual orientation change efforts.

The paper argues that the closure of Exodus International represented more than the end of a single organisation. It marked a significant cultural and religious turning point in the relationship between Christianity and LGBTQ people and signalled the decline of one of the most influential movements promoting the belief that sexual orientation could be changed. As both a historical record and a reflective analysis, this paper preserves an important chapter in LGBTQ and religious history while examining the lessons that can be drawn from its rise and eventual collapse.
READ, DOWNLOAD AND SHARE HERE. https://tinyurl.com/24cqbf52