Archdiocese of Indianapolis postpones event after backlash. Here's what you need to know
An event that was advertised by an Indianapolis Catholic church and high school has been postponed after backlash from the community that said the event was promoting harmful rhetoric toward LGBTQ youth.
Here's what you need to know:
What is the event?
The event, which would have been hosted by St. Luke Catholic Church and was scheduled for Oct. 13, was for author and speaker Kim Zember, who founded Overcome Ministries and mostly speaks on her experiences with same-sex attraction. The event was advertised by the church and Bishop Chatard Catholic High school last week.
In the flyer for the event, it said Zember “shares her experience of finding true joy in sharing the love, freedom and restoration found through her personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
The flyer also noted that Overcome Ministries does not “change nor intend to change anyone or shame anyone, rather to simply point people to Jesus, the One who loves each person with a radical love that no one else can offer.”
Who is Kim Zember?
On her website, Zember lists multiple Youtube videos and podcasts where she has discussed her experiences of having previous relationships with women and how through her faith she found “freedom” from homosexuality.
IndyStar reached out to Zember for comment on Tuesday.
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What was the Bishop Chatard community reaction?
After the event was advertised on the church’s and high school’s websites last week, many alumni from the school were quick to push back saying that speakers like Zember are harmful to LGBTQ youth and some likened it to promoting conversion therapy.
Sara Hutson, a 2012 graduate of Bishop Chatard, is a psychotherapist and a licensed clinical social worker in Indianapolis that works with LGBTQ people and transgender youth.
Hutson told IndyStar that she is worried about what kind of harm this event could possibly do to LGBTQ youth at Bishop Chatard.
“We see kids with suicidal ideation when they are not affirmed when they don't have safe places to explore and be themselves and be celebrated for that,” Hutson said. “So it's devastating when I see that a high school is encouraging parents and family members and queer youth to take them to an event like this because I think, yeah, that's a huge suicide risk.”
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One group on Facebook is planning to protest the event on Oct. 13 and has over 500 people interested in it and another group has started an email campaign asking Bishop Chatard president Bill Sahm to respond to the event.
Why was the event postponed?
The Archdiocese of Indianapolis told IndyStar in a statement on Monday that the event would be postponed after concerns over the speaker were raised.
“The non-obligatory event was intended to focus on the Christian virtue of chastity,” Greg Otolski, executive director of communications for the archdiocese of Indianapolis said. “The Catholic Church respects the God-given dignity of all people and teaches that we are all called to live a chaste life. The event has been postponed to allow for discernment regarding how best to proceed with an event that takes the various concerns into consideration.”
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What is the response from the Bishop Chatard High School?
The postings for the event are no longer on the school’s or church’s website and Bishop Chatard later posted a statement on social media saying that the event was promoted only as a courtesy to St. Luke.
“As the North Deanery high school of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, we help our 10 deanery parishes promote their events when requested,” the post read. “We have recently posted an unvetted promotional request on our website. We have since learned that this event was not submitted for approval to the parish or the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.”
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: St. Luke, Bishop Chatard event postponed after community backlash
