To address potentially contentious LGBT issues at the workplace, Christians have to find arguments that appeal to non-Christians, according to those in senior management holders and ministry workers who spoke at a workshop organised by the Biblical Graduate School of Theology (BGST).

Among the participants who spoke at the event titled ENGAGE Executive Workshop: Engaging LGBT Friends and Issues at the Workplace, all of them said that an answer starting with “because the Bible says so” would not fly in the corporate world. Instead, Christians have to use “common sense arguments” that are “accessible to a wider group of people”, said one theologian.

Christians can approach the subject by citing reasons that draw on Singaporeans’ conservative attitudes or the financial effects a policy could have on the company, said another theologian.

Over the three-hour session, a senior executive from a multinational corporation recalled an occasion when his company wanted to work with other companies to host initiatives championing LGBT causes in the name of inclusivity. He stood up against the decision, insisting that Singapore’s culture differs from that of the West.

He defended his argument by saying that if the company truly stood for that kind of “inclusivity”, it would not operate in countries and regions that are deeply conservative, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia and the Middle East.

“You are operating there because of money, not for your values,” he added. “So if you are in Singapore, please respect our values.”

“Reverse discrimination”

Later, he told the senior management team that he was opposed to the idea of them participating in the annual Pink Dot rally while representing the company, and sent out an office-wide e-mail cautioning employees against wearing anything with a company logo if they were participating in the parade.

He received strong pushback after making his voice heard, to the point of getting threatened with a pay cut or dismissal.

But he stayed put in his job, and together with the company’s human resource head – also a Christian – were able to raise this as an instance of “reverse discrimination”.

Quoting Matthew 10:16, he said that Christians have to be “innocent as doves” but also “wise as serpents”. However, he acknowledged that it was his seniority which allowed him to act that way, whereas others who are in a more junior position could be fired if they acted in the same manner.

He suggested two points which can be brought up if a similar issue surfaced within a company:

1. Ask the office representative how many cases of discrimination based on sexual orientation have been reported. “If there is (any), I’ll fight tooth and nail… to protect this guy.”
2. If the firm upholds inclusivity, ask if you can invite individuals who formerly identified with the LGBT community to also be included in the conversation.

Catching up to “truth and love”

On the pastoral front, one church leader said that seeing people with same-sex attraction (SSA) as “gifts to the church” helps to establish the Church’s posture towards them.

“I think God sent them to the Church… to fix the Church,” the pastor said. “We have not been as much as we could be, to be an authentic, safe, vulnerable community.”

Their fervent pursuit of “truth and love” has encouraged the rest of the congregation like himself to catch up, he added.

Yet, doubts over how the Church could rightly support those struggling with SSA remained. During the question-and-answer segment, the perennial question on whether Christians should attend same-sex weddings was raised.

The pastor admitted that he had no prescriptions and would view each wedding “situation by situation”. As someone who has often spoken publicly about the Church’s stance towards the LGBT community, he said: “I think that if we have not tip-toed around the issue, if we have generally been thoughtful and people around us know what we think… I don’t think going to the wedding equals endorsing it.”

A woman who used to be in a same-sex marriage shared her opinion: “If you love them and you respect them, you can say, ‘I support you spiritually but it’s against my principles.’

“If they love you and they understand you, they will respect you… and your stance.”

Have we earned our right to speak to those who struggle?