In the 1970’s, the “New Ways Ministry” was formed within the church to prevent discrimination of LGBTQ+ members. Francis Mugavero, who was a well-known bishop at the time, issued a pastoral letter titled “Sexuality: God’s Gift” in an attempt to defend the rights of homosexuality. In this letter, he stated that they had “been subject to misunderstanding and at times unjust discrimination. This letter is important in the context of the photograph because, despite the church (whose views were used against LGBTQ+ members), defending the community, society ignored it and still heavily relied on Christian morals as a way to discriminate against them. This photograph can be used to emphasize how religion plays such a large part in sexuality and how even in the presence of support from the church, religious views are used to go against them.

When looking at all three of these events, it is important to acknowledge how religion, unfortunately, played a part in the liberation of LGBTQ+ lives. First, when Diana Davies became acquainted with Sis Cunningham, Gordon Friesen, and Kay Tobin Lahusen, she gained a better understanding of how the community was affected as a whole. Without laws that were heavily embedded as a result of religion in history, the activists would not have been able to achieve such success when fighting for LGBTQ+ rights. The “Christopher Street Liberation Day” was also significant when analyzing Davies’, “The Homosexual” because although the event was successful and for the most part, peaceful, there still existed the religious protestors who were actively using their religion as backlash for the movement. Connections can be drawn from “The Homosexual” and “Christopher Street Liberation Day” by acknowledging the cross within the photo which can represent the relationship between religion and homosexuality. Finally, the New Ways Ministry allowed the possibility for a positive relationship between the church and sexuality, despite such an abundance of religious opposition in regards to the community. Since there was a very clear stigma against homosexuals from the church for such an extended period in history, the new ways ministry was a big deal for the liberation movement. It not only defended the idea that homosexuals were accepted in the church but also paved the possibility for religion to cease being an excuse for homophobia. All of the events tied together were important in terms of Diana Davies’, “The Homosexual” because they all showcased the relationship between religion and homosexuality during a time when hostility from the church existed against the LGBTQ+ community.