Jayne Ozanne

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Jayne Ozanne
Born
Guernsey
NationalityBritish
Known forLGBT activism

Jayne Margaret Ozanne is a prominent British evangelical Anglican. Having come out as gay in 2015, she campaigns for gay equality within the Church of England and the wider evangelical community.[1] From January 1999 to December 2004, she was a member of the Archbishops' Council, the central executive body of the Church of England.[2][3]

Early life and education[]

Ozanne grew up in Guernsey, in a conservative and religious environment.[4] She was educated at The Ladies' College, an all-girls independent school in Guernsey.[5] She studied mathematics at St John's College, Cambridge, where she was one of the first female undergraduates at the former all-male college.[4]

Church activism and career[]

In 2014, Ozanne decided to become more publicly engaged with the sexuality debate within the Church. In 2015, she was elected back onto the Church of England's General Synod. She has since been heavily involved in campaigning for equal rights for the LGBTI community.[6] She has been described as "one of the Church of England's most influential evangelical campaigners".[7]

Ozanne has called for the anti-homosexual verses in The Bible to be looked at again. She believes that they have been misinterpreted, stating "Until William Wilberforce came along, many evangelicals fundamentally believed it was right to treat black people as slaves."[4]

She resigned as a member of the government's LGBT+ advisory panel in March 2021, accusing equalities ministers Liz Truss and Kemi Badenoch of "creating a 'hostile environment' for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people" and "claiming she had sat in meetings with the pair and 'been astonished about how ignorant they are'".[8]

Personal life[]

Having previously believed that being Christian and being gay were not compatible, Ozanne sought a deliverance ministry and underwent an exorcism.[4] She also lived a celibate lifestyle,[4] refraining from any sexual relationship.[7] At the age of 28, having struggled with depression, she had a nervous breakdown which resulted in her being admitted to hospital.[4]

In 2009, after years of personal struggle as an evangelical Christian trying to reconcile her faith with her sexuality, Ozanne came out as gay to her friends and family.[7] She then entered into a long-term relationship with another woman, although they separated after five years together.[4] She publicly came out in 2015.[1]

Selected work[]

  • Ozanne, Jayne, ed. (2016). Journeys in Grace and Truth: Revisiting Scripture and Sexuality. London: Ekklesia. ISBN 978-0993294242.
  • Ozanne, Jayne (2018). Just Love: A journey of self-acceptance. London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. ISBN 978-0232533750.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Gledhill, Ruth (2 February 2015). "Influential Church of England evangelical comes out as gay". Christian Today. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Biography". Jayne Ozanne's Personal Website. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  3. ^ "Appointment of members to the Archbishops' Council" (pdf). Church of England. General Synod of the Church of England. 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g Glancy, Josh (8 February 2015). "I couldn't cast out my lesbian urges, so I'll cast out the church's bigotry". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Ms Jayne Margaret OZANNE MA (Cantab)". The Church of England Year Book. Church House Publishing. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Jayne Ozanne". Ozanne Foundation. 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Jayne Ozanne: Evangelical campaigner comes out". The Independent. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  8. ^ Allegretti, Aubrey (10 March 2021). "Government adviser quits over 'hostile environment' for LGBT people". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2021.


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