Concerns raised regarding church site of Leicester’s HIV memorial

Concerns have been raised and highlighted by members of the community regarding the site of the newly opened HIV memorial garden in Leicester. Holy Trinity Church, behind which the HIV memorial garden can be found, has been called out as a homophobic organisation with several of its clergy having publicly spoken out against what they call the “LGBTQ agenda”.

HIV Memorial Garden

While HIV can impact anyone, historically, it did disproportionately impact the LGBTQ+ community particularly gay and bisexual men, and that stigma still very much prevails to this day.

Trade Sexual Health, a local LGBTQ+ health charity, explained: “we were not involved in commissioning the Leicester HIV/AIDS Memorial Garden,” which was funded by East Midlands Sexual Health, formerly known as Leicester AIDS Support Services (LASS). Adding that they were “not party to the exact arrangements that were made with Holy Trinity Leicester to facilitate this.”

They added, however, “We welcome the creation of a permanent and accessible memorial garden to remember the local people who died of HIV-related illnesses (and to serve as a focus for remembering all those lost to HIV related conditions globally).

“As the local LGBTQ+ health charity, we will be using this garden for memorial events and will do so in a way that acknowledges and honours local gay and bi+ men who died before effective treatment for HIV became available.”

For those locally who wish to engage in faith in a space that is affirming of LGBTQ+ people, it has been suggested by several community members that St Nicholas Church (a roughly twenty-minute walk away) is an available alternative to Holy Trinity.

St Nicholas Church

A spokesperson for the church said: "St Nicholas Church has been welcoming and affirming LGBTQIA+ people for over half a century. During the AIDS crisis the church offered a safe space and much needed pastoral care for those affected; recognising and supporting those who lost their partners, and walking alongside those who were HIV+ positive themselves. At St Nicholas Church we see absolutely no incompatibility between being LGBTQIA+ and the Christian faith, remembering always that Jesus commanded his followers to "love your neighbour as yourself", and that in order to do that we must first love ourselves, celebrating the wonderful diversity of God's creation in ourselves and in those around us."