from Anglican Futures
Being prudish about gay sex can have consequences. The Victorians were only interested in male homosexual ‘indecency’, so lesbianism was never illegal. More recently UK MPs could not bring themselves to define adultery in the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, which means consummation is not necessary and ‘it’- whatever ‘it’ is – is not grounds for divorce in a same-sex marriage.
Revd Canon Neil Patterson suggests that some in General Synod may have inadvertently made the mistake of taking the same approach. Read more – in his blog – “What is Anglican Sex Anyway?”.
In July 2025, Synod voted to remove the requirement for ordinands to order their lives according to the 1991 report, ‘Issues of Human Sexuality’. While this decision was celebrated by both conservatives and progressives alike, Patterson proposes that it may have had unintended consequences for some. He writes, “It is just possible that one or two of those who voted for it did not appreciate the full significance of the change.” That this concern was raised by Anglican Futures at the time, but dismissed by many involved, suggests he may be right.
So what is the problem?
Understanding the pickle that the Church of England has got itself into involves four key documents: