The CLGS Latinx Roundtable is proud to present this discussion with Rev. Elaine Saralegui Caraballo and Pastor Yivi Cruz Suárez, two ministers working for LGBTQ equality as clergy members in the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) in Cuba. These religious leaders will draw upon their pastoral experience and expertise as they share stories about how they joined the MCC and how their ministries impact their communities.
Join us as we discuss with them the joys and challenges of organizing LGBTQ Christian communities in Cuba. CLGS Latinx Roundtable member Lenia Salas will moderate this conversation.
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Elaine Saralegui Caraballo is Pastor of the Metropolitan Community Church in Cuba, the first Cuban religious organization with a radically inclusive LGBTQ+ ministry. Member and defender of the LGBTIQ+ community, she studied at the Evangelical Theology Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba, her hometown. Rev. Saralegui Caraballo is also the Coordinator of the Abriendo Brechas de Colores project, a non-profit organization focused on the rights and well-being of LGBTIQ+ people; the project is affiliated with the All Rights for All Families campaign.
Yivy Cruz Suárez is Associate Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Cuba. Born in the Province of Matanzas, Cuba, she studied at the Evangelical Theology Seminary of Matanzas. Pastor Yivy fully lives her sexuality as a lesbian woman and says, “As a Christian, I feel loved by God and have never felt God’s rejection because in my mother’s womb, I was welcomed with her blessing. Let us remember that where love exists, there is no fear. God loves us all – without exception!”