The following are some general guidelines to assist you when posting messages in the Encourage Online Chat Group. We want to foster a safe environment of openness, trust, and support, and the words we use in our messages can help to create such a space. Therefore, we present to you the following guidelines.

• Do feel free to share openly and from the heart. Whatever struggles you may be going through regarding a loved one with same-sex attractions and/or gender identity discordance, it’s okay to share the particulars of those struggles with the group.
• We ask members to please not refer to their loved ones as “gay” or “lesbian”, even if those are the terms your loved ones use to self-identify. Often times, these terms have political and moral implications which are not compatible with Catholic teaching.  Even if our loved ones are not living in accord with Catholic teaching, we still prefer to refer to them as persons who experience same-sex attraction.   For more on this, please go to the Frequently Asked Questions “FAQ” section of our website.
• Our chat groups are not the place to engage in heated debates over where same-sex attractions come from.  While most Encourage members have established their belief that same-sex attractions come about through a variety of psychological and environmental influences, new members might still be learning about these issues – they should be referred to sites and articles which specialize in that topic.  Any discussion on this topic must take place rationally and objectively. 
• The main purpose of the EnCourage chat group is for EnCourage members to help each other to live in accordance with the five goals of EnCourage. Please keep this in mind as you participate in the various discussion groups.

Thank you for joining us!

Please keep the Courage-EnCourage apostolate and all its members and friends in your prayers.