In 1982, Affirm was formed to support individual lesbian and gay members of The United Church of Canada and to advocate with the church for their full inclusion. Affirm worked with the support of allies within Friends of Affirm, a separate organization. Later these two groups joined to become Affirm United.
March 14th (Pi Day, and PIE Day) is celebrated as National Affirming Day! But, why PIE? The acronym PIE stands for Public, Intentional, and Explicit: the standard for an affirming welcome of LGBTQIA+ and Two Spirit people. PIE represents three ways for us to test just how real our Affirmation and celebration of gender or sexual diversity is. Each of the three concepts supports the others.
Public = Being out and proud!
Especially in religious contexts, it's not the norm for queer folks to truly know and feel that they will be embraced exactly as they are. Living out being Public means showing up in public places to support gender and sexual diversity, especially when local or global events lead to vulnerability, silencing, and violence. The broader community should know who you are; a witness to the wider community that God’s love extends to everyone equally and without reserve. This is still a radical message!
Intentional = Putting thought and resources into action!
Many people and groups, the church included, assume that gender and sexual diversity are now fully accepted, so “special” efforts are no longer needed. This sadly isn’t true. Society has come a long way, but there is a long way to go, and churches have inherited centuries of transphobic and homophobic oppression carried out in the name of God/the Gospel. Living into PIE means investing time into planning, programming, and utilizing resources and growth opportunities. Affirming people and churches are still a minority, and that minority needs to express radical love with intention.
Explicit = Not Having to Wonder!
Church should be a place of wonder, not a place where you have to wonder whether you will belong or not. This is why explicitly naming and Affirming queerness and queer folks is so important. There is a power in a name, especially when LGBTQIA+ names have for centuries been used as insults, and Two Spirit identities have been violently oppressed and suppressed by Christianity and colonization.
Source: pieday.ca