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# Humanists UK launches new season of podcast with Sandi Toksvig calling for Church of England bishops to be removed from the House of Lords over continued opposition to same-sex marriage
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/humanists-uk-launches-new-season-of-podcast-with-sandi-toksvig-calling-for-church-of-england-bishops-to-be-removed-from-the-house-of-lords-over-continued-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage/
- Published: 2023-09-27T12:00:01.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-27T11:01:24.000Z
- Description: “I will not agree that in a democracy, you then get to vote my life out of the picture.”
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: Church of England, House of Lords, Humanists UK, LGBT, LGBT Humanists, LGBTQ, Sandi Toksvig

**Humanists UK** has announced the sixth season of its podcast, *What I Believe*, will launch **Thursday, September 28** with eight new thought provoking guests including **Sandi Toksvig**, who discusses her public call earlier this year for **Church of England** bishops to be removed from the **House of Lords** over its continued opposition to same-sex marriage.

*What I Believe* asks humanists in the public eye what they believe, shining a light on their diverse worldviews and the values, convictions, and opinions they live by. It is presented by Humanists UK Chief Executive, **Andrew Copson**, and has now been downloaded over a quarter of a million times in more than 100 countries.

**Sandi Toksvig**, a beloved figure known for her wit and wisdom, kicks off the season with a candid conversation about her ‘strange upbringing’ (including attending a convent in Copenhagen), co-founding the **Women’s Equality Party**, and her dedication to promoting human rights, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community.

### “I will not agree that in a democracy, you then get to vote my life out of the picture.”

Speaking on the *What I Believe* podcast, Sandi said: “I was very upset. The **Archbishop of Canterbury** returned from a **Synod** with all of the bishops and the main takeaway seemed to be to reaffirm the position of LGBTQ+ people as not fully equal members of the Church of England family. So here’s the thing: he’s entitled to believe that, he’s entitled to say it, he’s entitled to put forward that view.

“Where I feel enraged is that he’s also entitled, along with 25 other Church of England bishops, to sit in the House of Lords and pass laws. When same-sex marriage was voted upon, nine bishops turned up and they all voted against. That’s not okay. So, of course, I will defend to the death your right to say things that I don’t agree with. But I will not agree that in a democracy, you then get to vote my life out of the picture.”

Sandi also touches on an earlier experience in her life when she was dropped from hosting a **Save the Children** event in 1994 (for which the charity later apologised), the year she came out: “I remember in 1994, I was due to host a big event for the Save the Children Fund. I’d done lots of stuff for them before and been an ambassador for them before and I came out in 1994\. And they dropped me as an ambassador. There was a sort of sense of ‘let’s save the children, but not all of them.’ And it’s that notion in particular in evangelical religion: that it’s a pick and mix. We can have some people who will be okay and some people who will not.”

Listeners are encouraged to tune in and ‘follow’ the podcast. *What I Believe* is available on all major podcast platforms, and new episodes will be released every Thursday weekly.

**LGBT Humanists** Chair **Nick Baldwin** said: **“**Sandi has been such an inspiring campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights in recent years and has spoken about how her values of equality, dignity, and fairness come from her humanist approach to life. I can’t wait to hear her talk about those on the podcast.”