The NYC Unity Project

Bridging Divides: Listening Across Faith and Identity

Introduction

For many LGBTQIA+ young people, faith can be a source of strength, identity, and community—but it can also be a space of exclusion and harm. The NYC Unity Project, an initiative of the Mayor’s Office of Equity, in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), set out to understand and address this tension. How could faith-based communities become safer and more supportive spaces for LGBTQIA+ youth?

To answer this question, the Unity Project partnered with Cortico to launch a two-phase, conversation project designed to bring together underheard voices—while creating a safe and trusted environment for personal storytelling. Through recorded small-group conversations and “listening at a distance,” this project connected LGBTQIA+ youth and faith leaders, creating new spaces where every voice is heard and valued.

The Challenge

LGBTQIA+ youth often face barriers in faith-based spaces, including discrimination, rejection, and a lack of supportive community. At the same time, faith leaders—some of whom identify as LGBTQIA+ themselves—grapple with how to navigate tradition, inclusion, and personal experience in ways that foster connection rather than division.

The Unity Project wanted to gather and uplift these perspectives, but a direct conversation between these two groups could risk power imbalances, retraumatization, or self-censorship. A new approach was needed—one that allowed both groups to speak freely, listen deeply, and engage in meaningful reflection.

The Solution

Rather than hosting conversations directly between the two groups, the project took on two phases, using Cortico’s conversation approach and sensemaking process:

1. Phase 1 (Spring 2023): Small-group conversations with LGBTQIA+ youth, capturing their experiences, challenges, and hopes for faith-based communities.
2. Phase 2 (Spring 2024): Conversations with faith leaders, where they listened to audio highlights from Phase 1 to help prompt reflection on what they heard—engaging in a form of “listening at a distance.”

By sharing LGBTQIA+ youth voices from the first-phase conversations with faith leaders from the second-phase conversations—what we call cross-pollination—Cortico’s approach bridged divides without forcing direct confrontation. This method ensured that each group could share openly in safe spaces while still engaging with the perspectives of the other.

The Process

Phase 1: LGBTQIA+ Youth Speak

In partnership with community-based organizations across NYC, the Unity Project and DOHMH facilitated six recorded small-group conversations with 25 LGBTQIA+ youth. These conversations provided a space for participants to share personal experiences, reflect on faith and identity, and express their hopes for inclusion.

Some key discussion prompts included:

• Tell us about a time when you felt safe (or unsafe) sharing your identity in a faith-based space.
• What are your hopes and concerns for improving support for LGBTQIA+ youth in faith communities?
• What LGBTQIA+ inclusive religious practices or groups would you recommend to youth looking for spiritual connection?

Each conversation was recorded and analyzed on Cortico’s platform, where key themes emerged, including visibility, trauma-informed support, and reimagining faith spaces. These insights directly shaped Phase 2.

Phase 2: Faith Leaders Listen and Respond

In Spring 2024, three additional small-group conversations were held with 19 faith leaders from diverse religious backgrounds. These conversations included audio highlights from Phase 1—real voices from LGBTQIA+ youth sharing their experiences.

Faith leaders were invited to listen and reflect:

• What do these stories reveal about the role of faith communities?
• How can religious leaders foster healing and inclusion?
• What does it mean to hold both faith and identity in these spaces?

This process of “listening at a distance,” allowed faith leaders to engage openly and deeply with what they heard. Many participants had themselves navigated the complexities of being both LGBTQIA+ and faith leaders.

As Sarah Searfoss from NYC DOHMH reflected:

“Many of the faith leaders were themselves part of the LGBTQIA+ community, yet now navigate these spaces from a different perspective. It was really amazing to hear their voices speak on these issues, reflecting both personal experiences and their role in shaping faith communities.”

The Results

Through Cortico’s sensemaking process, the project surfaced eight core themes that captured the complexity of LGBTQIA+ experiences in faith spaces, including:

• Empowerment through visibility
• Education as a bridge
• The role of love and acceptance
• Interpreting religious texts through an inclusive lens
• Personal experiences of harm and healing
• Living authentically within faith traditions
• The challenge of partial acceptance
• Imagining the future of LGBTQIA+ inclusion in faith spaces

To bring these themes to life, eight voice medleys were created—each a one-to-three-minute compilation of powerful conversation excerpts. These medleys were shared with participants from both phases and will serve as an ongoing resource for community dialogue.

Looking ahead, the NYC Department of Health is exploring how to further share and implement these insights—ensuring that both LGBTQIA+ youth and faith leaders continue to shape a future where faith spaces can be sites of healing, not exclusion.

This project shows that bridging divides starts with listening. Through conversations designed to travel, LGBTQIA+ youth and faith leaders found ways to reflect, engage, and create new paths toward understanding and inclusion.