Queer Cafe

100 Methodist Ministers Come Out as LGBTQ

GLAAD: Religion, Faith, and Values

"It took the Catholic Church 359 years to admit that they were wrong when they accused Galileo of heresy and condemned him to death, unless he recanted that the earth rotates around the sun. Since he wanted to live, he was forced to deny the truth and agree with the Church that the sun rotates around the earth, but he was still placed under house arrest until his death. The Church is powerful and has a history of pressuring society and individuals to say and believe what the Church thinks is right. They were wrong then and they are wrong now regarding homosexuality. Let's hope it doesn't take them that long this time to discover and admit their error."
-ChristianGay.Com

"The Scriptures have been misused to defend bloody crusades and inquisitions; to support slavery, apartheid, and segregation; to sanction the physical and emotional abuse of women and children; to persecute Jews and other non-Christian people of faith; to support the holocaust of Hitler's Third Reich; to oppose medical science; to condemn inter-racial marriage; to execute women as witches; to excuse the violent racism of the Ku Klux Klan; to mobilize militias, white supremacy and neo-nazi movements; and to condone intolerance and discrimination against sexual minorities. "
-Mel White, Letter to Jerry Falwell

"Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born. Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all his teachings about multiple things, Jesus never said that gay people should be condemned."
-President Jimmy Carter

"There is nothing in the Bible or in my own theology that would lead me to believe that God regards homosexuality as sin. God is interested in our relationships with ourselves, others, the things in our lives, and with God. There is nothing in the mind of God that could be against a loving, sexual relationship, freely entered into, without coercion, among sincere adults whether gay, bisexual or straight."
-Dr. Slayton, Baptist Minister

"Some argue that since homosexual behavior is unnatural, it is contrary to the order of creation. Behind this pronouncement are stereotypic definitions of masculinity and femininity that reflect the rigid gender categories of patriarchal society. There is nothing unnatural about any shared love, even between two of the same gender, if that experience calls both partners into a fuller state of being. Contemporary research is uncovering new facts that are producing a rising conviction that homosexuality, far from being a sickness, sin, perversion or unnatural act, is a healthy natural, and affirming of human sexuality for some people. Findings indicate that homosexuality is a given fact in the nature of a significant portion of people, and that it is unchangeable."
-Bishop John Shelby Spong, Episcopalian

"Our sexual orientation is a given, something we discover about ourselves. Some might say it is a gift from God. How one relates to others (caring or exploiting) is the source of sin."
-Bishop Wood, Episcopalian

"If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise."
-Johann von Goethe

Queer Christians Fighting for Equality

LGBTQ and the War on Christianity

LGBTQ America: Religious Issues
FAQ: God, Jesus, Bible, Gay People

Being Gay is a Gift From God

How Can You be Gay and Jewish?

Short Film: Why Does God Hate Me?

Believers: Dan Reynolds & LoveLoud Festival

Coming Out as a Christian

Religious Universities Living Up to LGBTQ Values of Inclusion
PBS Video: Religion and Sexuality

Street Preachers at Pride Events

What the Bible Says About Homosexuality

I Am a Muslim Who Happens to Be Gay

Pope Francis Praises Sister Jeannine Gramick’s 50 Years of LGBTQ Ministry
Vatican Says Catholic Church Won't Bless Same Sex Unions

Pope Supports LGBTQ Ministry

In another sign of support for LGBTQ Catholics and those who advocate on their behalf, Pope Francis sent a handwritten letter in December 2021 to Jeannine Gramick, the co-founder of the Catholic apostolate New Ways Ministry.

Sister Gramick is celebrating 50 years of working with and advocating for LGBTQ people. Noting her anniversary as the reason for his letter, the pope congratulated her in Spanish on “50 years of closeness, of compassion and of tenderness” in a ministry that he described as being in “‘the style’ of God.”

Pope Francis’ letter to Sister Gramick is the latest in a series of letters from the pope written to gay Catholics and others who are serving and advocating for LGBTQ people. In his letter, the pope praised Sister Gramick for her willingness to suffer for love’s sake. “You have not been afraid of ‘closeness,’” he wrote, “and in getting close you did it ‘feeling the pain’ and without condemning anyone, but with the ‘tenderness’ of a sister and a mother.”

[Source: Jim McDermott, America Magazine: The Jesuit Review, January 2022]

US Catholic Bishops: People of Goodwill Should Support LGBTQ Youth

Catholic Diocese Says LGBTQ People Are Not Allowed Sacraments
Pope Endorses LGBTQ Civil Unions and LGBTQ Families

Monks Cut Ties With Catholic School after Lesbian Lacrosse Coach's Hiring

Praying While Gay

Those struggling with one of life’s challenges often ask clergy and friends for prayers. A relative may be sick; confidence in a job interview is needed, or spiritual support for partners struggling with chemical addiction are among the requests I’ve received.

Prayer can come with a negative connotation because of the “pray away the gay” crusade. Prayer has taken another hit because of the systemic discrimination of LGBTQ folks by organized religion. Yet, prayer and religion remain, for most of the LGBTQ community, a great comfort.

In October 2020, the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law released a survey on the “religiosity” of LGBTQ persons. According to the survey, “Nearly half of LGBTQ adults in the US are religious.” This turns out to be about 5.3 million people in the country. Religious LGBTQ folks include Jews, Muslims, Mormons, and Christians of different denominations. Although not a religion, there are many LGBTQ Buddhists. Even though they weren’t a part of the survey, you can also include Wiccans, Pagans, and other religious and spiritual groups.

In one way, prayer doesn’t have anything to do with organized religion. The empowerment of prayer supersedes religion and can be a personal, transcendental experience. Before the establishment of Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity, among others, humankind had always sought to understand themselves and the world around them in context of the cosmos. Prayer, ritual, and ceremony emerged from ancient times and were codified and formalized by religion.

Religion, as it often does, both facilitated and obstructed one’s relationship with God, Goddess, Creator, Eternal Life, Divine Breath, Giver of Life, or however one attempts to “quantify” and “understand” Infinite Mystery.

Unfortunately, prayer, a gift to connect with the Divine Order, became a type of self-flagellation. “Lord, have mercy, I’m an unworthy sinner. Forgive me.” If you pray negative thoughts, you get a negative result. Prayer became a means of control by re-enforcing how awful you are, and salvation could only be earned by putting your trust in a church or religious official. This is not prayer. This is control using faith and religion.

So, what is prayer? It doesn’t belong to any one religion. It predates them all. Prayer is not begging or repentance. You are both part of the Cosmos, Created by the Creator, and yet you go to the Universe as part of its Creation because it is greater than you. Yet, you have the answers and the power within.

Prayer is like exercise or healthy eating. You get out of it what you put into it. It requires focus, discipline, and constant attention. It’s not only an opportunity to pray for others, yourself, or a better world, but a time of self-discovery.

Prayer is a tool available to any spiritual being whether atheist, humanist, or persons believing in a higher power. Done in a certain way it helps to rid your mind of negativity. Prayer, however, requires clarity and faith. Be specific about what you want and believe. Ask for what is in harmony with the universe and the Holy Author’s will. Use it for good.

In driving away negativity using prayer whether, by your own making, the social climate, or those around you saying something can’t be done, prayer is empowerment. For millions of religious LGBTQ people, prayer reinforces in a positive way that they belong.

Prayer, among many things, is a means of gratitude and positive re-enforcement, which should be practiced every day. “Thank you, Divine Creator, you made me who I am. You have made me holy. I am blessed to be who I am. I am grateful to be a blessing to others.”

[Source: Paul P. Jesep, Priest, The Rainbow Times, September 2021]

John Pavlovitz: I'm Really Tired of Hatred
Being Gay is a Gift From God

PBS Interview: Religion and Sexuality

How Can You be Gay and Jewish?

John Pavlovitz: If God is Love, God is For Same-Sex Marriage

John Corvino: What is Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?

Christians Must Stop Disguising LGBTQ Exclusion as Religious Freedom

John Pavlovitz: Open Letter to a Transgender Young Person

Gen Z-ers Believe Religious Groups Don't Genuinely Support The LGBTQ Community

A recent report by Springtide Research Institute found that many Gen Z-ers still feel religious communities aren't genuinely interested in supporting the LGBTQ community. Specifically, In Springtide's study, The State of Religion & Young People 2021, 56% of Gen Z participants expressed that they didn't believe faith groups cared about LGBTQ rights.

In the grand scope of the fight for LGBTQ rights, religious groups don't necessarily have the best history with the community. However, there has been an overall surge in support for the LGBTQ community in recent years, including many religious individuals and organizations.

In Feb 2021, over 100 religious groups expressed their support for the Equality Act, which would provide the LGBTQ community with additional legal protections from discrimination. It's also fairly common to see churches openly market themselves as LGBTQ-affirming.

This development comes at a time when about 1 in 6 Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ, showing that the community is continuing to grow as young Americans become more in touch with their sexuality and gender identity.

"There is a refusal to engage fully. There is superficial acceptance of LGBTQ identities, but the language regarding LGBTQ acceptance in churches is often full of qualifiers — still regarding us as an 'other,'" Matthew Blasio, a 22-year-old who identifies as spiritual, said.

"Sometimes religious leaders act with forced love, pretending to lower themselves to our level just to seem like heroes," he continued. "It's more of a selfish love, riddled with misunderstandings."

As a result of many religious groups perceive a "superficial acceptance" and have been turned off from seeking community in these settings.

"I have no interest in uprooting my beliefs and values for the benefit of someone else feeling that they're saving me," Blasio added. "If someone is less than or has less rights, just because of how they were born, yet their god is supposed to love everyone equally, then their god must not be the one for me or my friends."

Faryn, a 16-year-old who actively identifies as Catholic, shared similar sentiments. "Many people believe that associating with a faith that is anti-LGBTQ makes them just as immoral as homophobic and transphobic religious leaders," they explained.

These findings suggest that religious groups are primarily losing touch with Gen Zers by not actively fighting against the discriminatory practices, beliefs, and micro-aggressions that target the LGBTQ community.

All hope may not be lost, though, as more and more people (including religious leaders) become more affirming of LGBTQ identities with time. Presently, many Gen Z-ERs feel alienated by the overall religious community's stance on the subject.

[Source: Nick Fenley, Blavity, Jan 2022]

TED Talk: The Bible as a Queer Positive Book

Franklin Graham: Gay Christians are the Enemy

John Corvino: What is Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?

Despite Mormon Upbringing: Gay Man Accepts Who He Is

John Pavlovitz: No, Being Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender is Not a Sin

Advocate: Photos From LoveLoud Festival in Mormon Capital

PBS Interview: Religion and Sexuality

The Biggest Bully of LGBTQ People: Organized Religion

Tennessee Gay Couple Rejected by Wedding Venue Due to Owner’s Religious Beliefs

Southern Baptist Convention Expels Two Churches Over LGBTQ Inclusion

The Southern Baptist Convention’s executive committee voted in Feb 2021 to oust two of its churches over policies deemed to be too inclusive of LGBTQ people. The churches expelled for LGBTQ inclusion were St. Matthews Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, and Towne View Baptist Church, in Kennesaw, Georgia.

The SBC decision to disaffiliate with the two churches was based on their "affirmation of homosexuality," said Albert Mohler, member of Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee. "Anyone who argues that the Bible is not clear about the sinfulness of homosexuality is either very confused or deliberately dishonest about the structure of biblical theology and the clear meaning of the texts."

The pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church stated, "Nothing in the Southern Baptist Convention's decision changes St. Matthews Baptist Church's deep commitment to carrying out what God calls us to do in our worship and spiritual growth, as well as in ministries to those in need and fellowship within our Church family."

Towne View’s pastor, Jim Conrad, announced that he would not appeal the ouster and plans to affiliate his church, at least temporarily, with The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, which lets churches set their own LGBTQ policies. Towne View began admitting LGBTQ worshippers as members in October 2019 after a same-sex couple with three adopted children asked Conrad if they could attend, a decision he defends as the right thing to do.

ABC News: Southern Baptists Oust Two Churches Over LGBTQ Inclusion

SBC Expels Louisville Church for Openness to LGBTQ Members

Southern Baptist Convention Ousts Kentucky Church Over LGBTQ Inclusion

Guilty as Charged: Southern Baptist Pastor Welcomes LGBTQ Members

LGBTQ Religious Leaders

Gene Robinson - Episcopal Bishop
Mel White - President, Founder of SoulForce

Goddess Kennedy - Activist Minister, Stonewall Vets Chaplain

Denise Eger - Reformed Jewish Rabbi

James Cleveland - Minister, Gospel Singer

Troy Perry - Founder of Metropolitan Community Church

Elizabeth Edman - Episcopal Priest

Horace Griffin - Episcopal Priest, Theologian

Deon Kevin Johnson - Episcopal Bishop

Father Mychal Judge - Catholic Priest

Peter J Gomes - Theologian

Dwayne Johnson - Metropolitan Community Church, Wash DC

Zachary Jones - Bishop
Carl Bean - Archbishop

LGBTQ-Affirming Religious Leaders

Desmond Tutu - Episcopal

John Shelby Spong - Episcopal

John Pavlovitz - Baptist

Jim Wallis - Baptist

Matthew Vines - Ecumenical

Rachel Held Evans - Evangelical

Desmond Tutu: My God is Not Homophobic

Archbishop Desmond Tutu, famous for his role in ending Apartheid in South Africa, has said that he would rather go to Hell if he discovered that God was homophobic. “I would refuse to go to a homophobic Heaven,” Archbishop Tutu said at the launch of a new LGBTQ global public education campaign by the United Nations Human Rights Office. “I would not worship a God who is homophobic and that is how deeply I feel about this."

Archbishop Tutu, a Nobel Prize winner further remarked, “I can't for the life of me imagine that God will say, I will punish you because you are black, you should have been white; I will punish you because you are a woman, you should have been a man; I will punish you because you are homosexual, you ought to have been heterosexual. I can't for the life of me believe that is how God sees things.”

Interview With Bible Scholar: Has "Homosexual" Always Been in the Bible?

Conservative Christians Issuing Apology for Their Homophobia

Desmond Tutu: I Would Would Rather Go to Hell

Pope Says of Gays: Who Am I To Judge?

C Michael Patton: How Jesus Would Act in a Gay Bar?

Resources: Talking About Homosexuality and the Bible

Grace for Gays: Charting a New Path for LGBTQ Christians

Pastor Tells Parents to Shun Their Gay Children

Support for LGBTQ Equality Act by Interfaith Group

Interview with Bishop Gene Robinson

Church Offers Free Mom Hugs at Pride Parade

Church Offers Free Mom Hugs at Pride Parade

A church in Texas gave away free “mom hugs” and “dad hugs” at a recent Pride parade. Jen Hatmaker, a conservative blogger who was unceremoniously kicked out of the Christian media world because she opposed Donald Trump’s election and supports LGBTQ equality, posted on Instagram about what her “beloved little church” was doing to spread the love at Austin Pride.

"My beloved little church went downtown to the Austin Pride Parade and gave out Free Mom Hugs, Free Dad Hugs, Free Grana Hugs, and Free Pastor Hugs like it was our paying jobs. And when I say hugs, I mean the kind a mama gives her beloved son. Our arms were never empty. We happy hugged a ton of folks, but dozens of times. I’d spot someone in the parade look our way, squint at our shirts and posters, and race into our arms. These were the dear hearts who said: I miss this... My mom doesn’t love me anymore... My Dad hasn’t spoken to me in three years... Please just one more hug. You can only imagine what Pastor Hugs did to folks. So we told them over and over that they were impossibly loved and needed and precious. And we hugged until our arms fell off."

And just like anyone who goes to an LGBTQ space and offers unconditional love, the members of the Austin New Church heard terrible stories. It’s too common for LGBTQ people to have not-so-great relationships with their parents, and too many churches spend time hating LGBTQ people instead of loving them. An open heart and some love can go a long way to healing old wounds.

[Source: Alex Bollinger, LGBTQ Nation, August 2018]

Religious Universities Living Up to LGBTQ Values of Inclusion

Loving All God's Children Equally

Queer Youth of Faith Day

HRC Notes: The Bible and Transgender Issues

Openly Gay Black Bishop Ordained by Episcopal Church

Gay Christian Bradley Birkholz: I Tried to Pray the Gay Away

Christians Must Stop Disguising LGBTQ Exclusion as Religious Freedom

Video Interview: Black, Christian, Lesbian

Interview With Bible Scholar: Has "Homosexual" Always Been in the Bible?

The Biggest Bully of LGBTQ People: Organized Religion

Catholics Should Accept and Love All LGBTQ People

Believers: Dan Reynolds & LoveLoud Festival

C Michael Patton: How Jesus Would Act in a Gay Bar?

How I Reconcile Being a Gay Catholic

Video: Gay Man Reconciles His Spirituality With His Sexuality

Gay Christians: Setting the Record Straight

John Corvino: What is Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?

John Pavlovitz: Open Letter to a Transgender Young Person

Affirming Quakers: Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Concerns

Why Miley Cyrus Quit Church: Non-Acceptance of Her LGBTQ Friends

Cardinal Burke: Don't Invite Gay Couples to Family Gatherings if Children are Present

PBS Video: Religion and Sexuality

HuffPost: Pope Supports Same Sex Civil Unions

Pope Endorses Same-Sex Civil Unions

Years after he famously responded to a reporter’s question about gay priests with the words, “Who am I to judge?” Pope Francis has made another effort to reach out to LGBTQ people. In Oct 2020, Francis became the first Roman Catholic pontiff to show support for same-sex civil unions, stating in a new documentary that gay and lesbian people are “children of God.” He said, “You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”

Pope Francis, head of the Catholic Church, has a reputation for being progressive, despite normally couching his language in vague or convoluted manners. But in a new documentary making waves in Italy, the Pope was much more direct: he supports some rights for LGBTQ people. Nations should recognize civil unions for same-sex couples, he said, because they “have a right to a family.”

This isn’t the first time that the Pope has indicated his support for civil unions while still opposing full marriage equality, but it is the most direct. “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out, or be made miserable because of it,” Francis said in the film, speaking on his approach to pastoral care of congregants. “What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” he added. “I stood up for that.”

In a 2017 book, the Pope was quoted as saying, “Marriage between people of the same sex? Marriage is a historical word. Always in humanity, and not only within the Church, it’s between a man and a woman… we cannot change that. This is the nature of things. This is how they are. Let’s call them civil unions.”

In a 2014 interview published in Corriere della Sera, an Italian daily, the pontiff suggested the Catholic Church could tolerate some types of same-sex civil unions as a practical measure to guarantee property rights and health care. The pontiff said that “matrimony is between a man and a woman,” but moves to “regulate diverse situations of cohabitation (are) driven by the need to regulate economic aspects among persons, as for instance to assure medical care.”

Marcelo Marquez, a leading Argentine LGBTQ rights activist, said that during that nation’s 2010 debate over same-sex marriage, he received a phone call from the Pope (then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio), the Archbishop of Buenos Aires. According to Marquez, then Cardinal Bergoglio “told me that he was in favor of gay rights and in any case, also favored civil unions for homosexuals, but he believed that Argentina is not yet ready for a gay marriage law." Francis had led the Catholic Church’s public stance against legalizing same-sex marriage in Argentina while he was an archbishop. At the time, Francis called the proposed legislation “a destructive attack on God’s plan.”

“This is the first time as pope he’s making such a clear statement,” the Rev. James Martin, a prominent Jesuit said. “I think it’s a big step forward. In the past, even civil unions were frowned upon in many quarters of the church. He is putting his weight behind legal recognition of same-sex civil unions.”

[Source: Bil Browning, Advocate Mag and Carol Kuruvilla, HuffPost, October 2020]

LGBTQ Nation: Pope Endorses LGBTQ Civil Unions and LGBTQ Families

Advocate: Pope Francis Supports LGBTQ Catholics

Dissecting the Catholic Church's Disrespect of LGBTQ People

Bishop Gene Robinson

-Bishop Gene Robinson

Gene Robinson was the first openly gay bishop in the US Episcopal Church. His ordination as a bishop of the New Hampshire diocese in 2003 divided the global Anglican community. In the US, hundreds of parishes broke away from the Episcopal Church (the US branch of Anglicanism) in protest, forming a new Anglican Church in North America. Bishop Gene Robinson became a symbol of the LGBTQ rights movement and an advocate for equal marriage.

Gene Robinson was born in 1947 in Lexington, Kentucky. As a schoolboy, he began to realize that he might be different. He suspected he was gay but said it was not something to be open about. Bishop Robinson says he had relationships with women but admitted that he was also attracted to men.

He met Isabella Martin during an internship at the University of Vermont. He says a month into their relationship, he explained his concerns about his sexuality. But, never the less, they married in 1972 and he took a job as a curate in New Jersey before they moved to New Hampshire in 1975. The couple had two daughters, Jamee and Ella. In 1985, after seeking counseling, he and his wife decided they should separate. He went public with his sexuality and they divorced.

18 months later, Bishop Robinson began to date Mark Andrew, who subsequently moved to New Hampshire. They married in 2003. In 2014, after 25 years together, they divorced. Bishop Robinson retired in 2012.

Wikipedia: Gene Robinson

YouTube: First Openly Gay Bishop in Episcopal Church

BBC: Profile of Gene Robinson

I'm Sorry: Open Letter to a Transgender Young Person

John Pavlovitz is a writer, pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina. A 25-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry, John is committed to equality, diversity, and justice—inside and outside faith communities. He wrote this open letter in March 2021.

Dear Friend,

I don’t know your story. I cannot imagine how you feel. I can’t fathom how difficult this road has been for you: the swirling storm of the questions inside your head, the hidden fears you’ve had to constantly keep at bay, the incessant worries about the responses of those you love to your full truth—and to have to endure all of it while living inside a space that does not feel like home.

There’s no way to place myself inside your shoes or your skin and even begin to understand how much it hurts be the target of the scalding hatred of strangers simply for existing, the way that must wound your heart and alter your days and hinder your joy.
That is a reality I’ll never know and I so hate that it is your reality: not that you are who you are but that people are who they are in response, that your inherent beauty is met with such undeserved ugliness.

I just want you to know that I see you, that I am for you, that I am in your corner as you struggle to simply be and to breathe freely and to step fully into the dreams you have for the future. I want you to know that I am fighting for you today as I am able, and that I will keep fighting for you because you are so worth fighting for.

I want you to know that even though it may feel that way inside your head or in your home or at your school—you are not alone. I and millions of other people believe in you and want you to have every opportunity to live this life as the most authentic version of yourself; people who celebrate you fully and support you without reservation. I also want you to know that I am sorry. I’m sorry for the people who injure you with taunts and threats and sermons and laws and fists, because they are somehow threatened by your existence.

That is a reflection of their ignorance and fear, not of your worth. I’m sorry for those who terrorize you in the name of a God they also claim is love. They do not speak for God. They only speak for their bigotry-addled, polluted hearts and for the distorted religion they have inherited from people who failed them. They are strangers to love.

I’m sorry for the silence of people who should have spoken up when you were mocked and made fun of by strangers, when you were the object of jokes spoken in your presence, when your dignity and your rights were used as cheap culture war props of pastors and politicians, when those you counted on for refuge refused to provide it. I know there are difficult days ahead for you, and that these words won’t magically make your worries evaporate or silence the bullies or give wisdom to the hateful people in your path.

I only hope these words can be a companion in the days when the fear feels like it will overwhelm you, when the sadness threatens to swallow you up, when the monsters are prevalent and close, when there seems to be no safe space to simply rest in your truth, when you begin to believe that no one around you sees or loves or believes in you. I see you. I love you. I believe in you. So many people do.

You may not feel that way when you are in your home or when you walk through your neighborhood or when you watch the news about your nation—but the world is so much larger than those things, and one day you will get to experience that wide-open, expansive space and you will do it surrounded by a fiercely loving community that sees and respects you as you fully are. In that day, you will no longer need to strive to feel known and welcomed, you will simply realize that you are.

And one day you will be able to step into the day as all of you, as fully you, without limitation or restraint, you will be home. Until then, please know that I and so many others are standing with you from here and cheering you on; that we will work to change legislation and to renovate hearts and to shout down the bullies because you are worth that.
Be greatly encouraged today.

John Pavlovitz: Open Letter to a Transgender Young Person

John Pavlovitz: If God is Love, God is For Same-Sex Marriage

John Corvino: What is Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?

Christians Must Stop Disguising LGBTQ Exclusion as Religious Freedom

Pope Francis Praises Sister Jeannine Gramick for 50 Years of LGBTQ Ministry

The Singing Nun

Sister Marie Jeanine Deckers (1933-1985) gained popularity in the 60s as "The Singing Nun." Her song, the 1963 smash 'Dominique', sold over 1.5 million copies, winning a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Song. Her song was in the Billboard Top 100. Deckers and her 3 fellow nuns appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. The song was such a cultural phenomenon that a (mostly fictional) feel-good movie was made about her life starring Debbie Reynolds

Deckers was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order as Sister Luc Gabriel. An unlikely pop star, she wrote 4 albums of songs. Because she was a nun, her songs were lyrically either ‘approved’ or ‘censored’ by her Mother Superior. She was not allowed to write any songs that were considered ‘sad’ and, of course, any topic that was controversial was forbidden. When she wrote a song in 1967 defending the use of contraception, and tour was cancelled. Though the royalty agreement between the Church and Deckers was never disclosed, apparently her diocese received her royalties without her knowledge. Later, when she left the order, she discovered $100,000. had been secretly paid to the Church. To make matters worse, her record company took such a huge slice of her earnings that Deckers was left financially crippled.

Though Deckers never ‘came out’ about her sexuality, she spent most of her life with her lover, Annie Pecher. Struggling with financial ruin, Church condemnation, a faith crisis, a faltering career, and repression from society in general, Deckers suffered a mental breakdown. In 1985, she and Pecher took their own lives, as part of a suicide pact, in their Belgian apartment.

Catholic Diocese Says LGBTQ People Are Not Allowed Sacraments
Tennessee Gay Couple Rejected by Wedding Venue Due to Owner’s Religious Beliefs

Pope Endorses LGBTQ Civil Unions and LGBTQ Families

Christian Mom and Her Queer Daughter Reflect On Coming Out Experience
First Congregation to Split From Methodist Church Over LGBTQ Rights

Methodist Church Splits Over LGBTQ Inclusion

Franklin Graham: Gay Christians are the Enemy

Why Miley Cyrus Quit Church: Non-Acceptance of Her LGBTQ Friends

Cardinal Burke: Don't Invite Gay Couples to Family Gatherings if Children are Present

John Pavlovitz: If God is Love, God is For Same-Sex Marriage

Pro-LGBTQ Congregation Breaks Away From Methodist Church

Hope, Wish, Prayer for 2020: Protection for LGBTQ Americans

Queer Theology: The Clobber Passages

Jesus at the Gay Bar

He's here in the midst of it all, right at the center of the dance floor,
his robe hiked up to his knees to make it easy to spin.

At some point in the evening a boy will touch the hem of his robe
and beg to be healed, beg to be anything other than this.

And he will reach his arms out, damp with sweat, and weary from dancing.
He'll cup this boy's face in his hand and say,

My beautiful child, there is nothing in this heart of yours that ever needs to be healed.

First Out Trans Bishop Installed by Lutheran Denomination
God Updates Mankind on Pronoun Usage

Supporters Push for Gay Priest Who Died on 9-11 to Be Made a Saint
Megan Rohrer Elected As 1st Openly Transgender Bishop In US Lutheran Church
Unity Village: Experience the Spiritual Side of LGBTQ Pride
Guilty as Charged: Southern Baptist Pastor Welcomes LGBTQ Members
Vatican Says Catholic Church Won't Bless Same Sex Unions

Evangelicals Made a Bad Bargain With Trump

CNN: Why Evangelicals Should Care About Trump's Lies (And Other Sins)

John Pavlovitz: Open Letter to a Transgender Young Person

Methodist Conservatives Detail Breakaway Plans Over LGBTQ Inclusion

US Catholic Bishops: People of Goodwill Should Support LGBTQ Youth

Rabbi Denise Eger

Denise Eger is an American Reform rabbi. In March 2015 she became president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in North America. She is the first openly gay person to hold that position.

While studying to become a rabbi during the 1980s in New York City, Denise Eger started a group for gay and lesbian students, holding meetings far from campus. At the time, there were few prospects for out lesbian rabbis, a lesson Eger would learn personally. No one would hire her. But she found her calling at a synagogue created as a religious refuge for gays, Beth Chayim Chadashim in Los Angeles, the world’s first gay and lesbian synagogue to be recognized by Reform Judaism. It was a road that led her to found Kol Ami, a welcoming and jubilant Jewish community that is open to all.

Since then, the Reform Jewish movement (Eger’s lifelong spiritual home) has undergone a radical transformation on LGBTQ issues and now fully embraces the community.

Eger has been honored for her HIV/AIDS work and is a highly regarded expert on Judaism and LGBTQ civil rights. She is a noted author contributing to anthologies such as “Torah Queeries,” “Lesbian Rabbis,” “Twice Blessed,” and “Conflicting Visions: Contemporary Debates in Reform Judaism.” She wrote the piece “Creating Opportunities for the ‘Other’: The Ordination of Women as a Turning Point for LGBTQ Jews”, which appears in the book “The Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate,” published in 2016.

Wikipedia: Denise Eger

Queery: Lesbian Rabbi Denise Eger

NY Times: Lesbian Rabbi Becomes President of Reform Group

Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation
How Can You be Gay and Jewish?

Rabbi's View: Gay Marriage Does Not Violate Religious Rules

Queer Midrash: Reimagining Hanukkah

What Does Judaism Say About LGBTQ People?

List of LGBTQ Jewish Organizations

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Gamal Palmer: Black, Gay, Jewish

List of LGBTQ Jewish People

Keshet

LGBTQ Christian Musicians

Just as there are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and non-binary people who are Christians, there are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and non-binary artists in the Christian music industry as well. Among these are Ray Boltz, Jennifer Knapp, Trey Pearson, Vicky Beeching, Marsha Stevens, Jason & deMarco, Dan Haseltine (lead singer of Jars of Clay), and Semler.

Coming out of the closet in the Christian music world is no easy task. Being gay is considered a sin to many religious people, so the backlash could be harsh whether coming out to family or the entire Christian music world. And that’s what closeted Christian music artists had to face after deciding to be open with their sexuality. But despite the fear they may face, some of these artists had the courage to speak up in support of the LGBTQ community, whether by coming out or becoming an open advocate.

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Trey Pearson: Christian Rock Star Comes Out
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Christianity Today: Jennifer Knapp Comes Out

Jennifer Knapp on Larry King Show

Vicky Beeching: I Lost My Music Career After Coming Out

Data From GLAAD

--Catholics support marriage equality at 54%, which is higher than the national average.

--Individual Evangelical Christians are consulted in the media at a higher rate than their presence in the population would warrant (34% of media coverage versus 26% of the U.S. population).

--Over half of Roman Catholics consulted in the media presented negative messages about LGBTQ issues, despite the fact that 71% of American Catholics support civil marriage equality and 73% of lay Catholics support anti-discrimination laws that would protect LGBTQ people in the workplace and in public accommodations.

--The mainstream media used far fewer religious voices from Mainline Protestant, Jewish, or other religious sources whose messages were predominantly positive.

--Many faith groups are developing rites and rituals for transgender individuals.

--African-American church leaders increasingly support LGBTQ equality. According to the latest research, fully one-third of African-American Protestants support marriage equality.

--Faith groups have taken the lead in addressing LGBTQ youth homelessness.

--The Orthodox Jewish world is slowly backing away from its fierce opposition to LGBTQ people.

Troy Perry

Rev. Troy Perry is the founder of Metropolitan Community Church, a Christian denomination with a special affirming ministry with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities, in Los Angeles in 1968.

Perry felt called to offer a place for gay people to worship God freely. Perry put an advertisement in The Advocate magazine announcing a worship service designed for gays in Los Angeles. Twelve people turned up on October 6, 1968 for the first service, and "Nine were my friends who came to console me and to laugh, and three came as a result of the ad." After six weeks of services in his living room, the congregation shifted to a women's club, an auditorium, a church, and finally to a theater that could hold 600 within several months. In 1971, their own building was dedicated with over a thousand members in attendance.

Being outspoken has caused several MCC buildings to be targeted for arson, including the original location in Los Angeles. Perry's theology has been described as conservative, but social action was a high priority from the beginning of the establishment of the denomination. Perry performed the first public same sex unions in the United States as early as 1968 and ordained women as pastors as early as 1972. MCC has more than 200 congregations in 33 countries.

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HRC: Buddhism and LGBTQ Issues

Buddhism and LGBTQ Issues

The relationship between Buddhism and sexual orientation varies by tradition and teacher. According to some scholars, early Buddhism appears to have placed no special stigma on homosexual relations, since the subject was not mentioned.

One of the differences between Buddhism and other religions is how little emphasis it places on sexuality as a moral issue. While other religions place rules about sexual behavior, marriage, and sexual orientation at the center of their ethical universe, Buddhism pretty much limits its comment to the admonition not to harm others through sexuality. (That’s for lay practitioners, of course. Obviously, there are strict rules for celibate monastics.) The result is that Buddhist attitudes toward LGBTQ people are more a reflection of cultural attitudes than Buddhist philosophy per se.

While traditional Buddhist societies are more conservative, the Buddhist community in the West is generally socially liberal and very welcoming to LGBTQ members. There are prominent gay and lesbian teachers, and most major communities host events, meditations, and retreats specifically for LGBTQ practitioners.

Based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, Buddhism is considered a way of life for more than 500 million individuals across the globe. The fourth largest religion in the world, Buddhism is largely built on concepts that foster individual enlightenment and encourage personal responsibility. It is sometimes described more as a philosophy or psychology than a religion.

Sexual orientation, specifically, was not elaborated upon by Siddhartha Gautama, nor is there any reference or guidance for lay people regarding sexual orientation or same-sex behavior within the Pali Canon, the scriptural texts that hold the Buddha’s original teachings. The Vinyana, a Buddhist text for monks, forbids Buddhist monks and nuns from having sexual relationships with men, women and those of other genders, such as pandanka (interpreted as those with indeterminate sexual characteristics or people who do not conform to sexual norms, such as prostitutes). These textual references do not target LGBTQ people specifically, as everyone within the monastic order is expected to refrain from all forms of sexual relations. This practice is especially common within Theravada Buddhism, which focuses heavily on the monastic tradition.

Zen Buddhism does not make a distinction between same-sex and opposite-sex relationships. Instead, the expectation is not to harm, exploit or manipulate others, which would directly violate the third precept. For instance, Zen Buddhists often refer to hedonism, ascetic masochism and prostitutions as practices that violate the “Middle Way.”

Regarding Tibetan Buddhism, the Dalai Lama’s perspectives are complex and evolving. On the positive side, he has publicly condemned violence against LGBTQ people and has been reported to have said, “If the two people have taken no vows [of chastity] and neither is harmed why should it not be acceptable." Yet in a 1997 press conference he commented that “from a Buddhist point of view [lesbian and gay sex] is generally considered sexual misconduct.” Messages from the Dalai Lama have been mixed and somewhat influx. During a meeting with representatives of the LGBTQ community, the Dalai Lama reportedly showed interest in how modern scientific research might create new understanding of the Buddhist texts, acknowledging a “willingness to consider the possibility that some of the teachings may be specific to a particular cultural and historic context."

Overall, it is difficult to qualify Buddhism’s perspective on same-sex marriage, since perspectives vary greatly within the religion. Because of Buddhism’s core theme to attain enlightenment, the path one chooses to take within the religion is largely personal, as is one’s beliefs. Hence, most Buddhist literature indicates that opposition to or support for marriage rights for same-sex couples is a personal, rather than religious, statement.

LGBTQ Buddhists: Teachings, Profiles, Conversations

Buddhism and Sexual Orientation

Buddha Weekly: Views on LGBTQ

Gay Marriage: What Would Buddha Do?

Bhante Dhammika: Buddhism and LGBTQ Issues

Religious Facts: Buddhism on Homosexuality

Ethnic and Religious Perspectives

African American/Black
Hispanic/Latino

Arab/Muslim/Middle East

Asian/Pacific

Indian/Hindu/Sikh

Jewish/Israeli

Native/Two Spirit
Diversity/Intercultural

Responses From Clergy

Question: In your opinion, does God regard homosexuality as a sin?

Baptist|Dr. Stayton - Absolutely not! There is nothing in the Bible or in my own theology that would lead me to believe that God regards homosexuality as sin. God is interested in our relationships with ourselves, others, the things in our lives, and with God. There is nothing in the mind of God that could be against a loving, sexual relationship, freely entered into, without coercion, among sincere adults whether gay, bisexual or straight.

Episcopalian|Bishop John Shelby Spong - Some argue that since homosexual behavior is "unnatural," it is contrary to the order of creation. Behind this pronouncement are stereotypic definitions of masculinity and femininity that reflect the rigid gender categories of patriarchal society. There is nothing unnatural about any shared love, even between two of the same gender, if that experience calls both partners into a fuller state of being. Contemporary research is uncovering new facts that are producing a rising conviction that homosexuality, far from being a sickness, sin, perversion or unnatural act, is a healthy natural, and affirming of human sexuality for some people. Findings indicate that homosexuality is a given fact in the nature of a significant portion of people, and that it is unchangeable. Our prejudice rejects people or things outside our understanding. But the God of creation speaks and declares, "I have looked out on everything I have made and behold it is very good." (Gen 1:31) The work of God in Christ says that we are loved, valued, redeemed, and counted as precious no matter how we might be valued by a prejudiced world.

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Episcopalian|Bishop Wood - No. Our sexual orientation is a given, something we discover about ourselves. Some might say "a gift from God." How one relates to others (caring or exploiting) is the source of sin.

Judaism|Rabbi Lazar - First of all, I do not know what God thinks. In my opinion, homosexuality is not a sin, but an alternate lifestyle. In my opinion, homosexuality by itself is not immoral. When sex is used to corrupt, for prurient and/or exploitative purposes or selfish reasons or to hurt someone else, this is immoral.

Judaism|Rabbi Marder - The God I worship endorses loving, committed, monogamous relationships, regardless of the gender of those involved.

Judaism|Rabbi Wilson - No, not so long as the behavior is not obsessive, responsible and safe, non-abusive, and the manifestation of a loving, respectful relationship.

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To Be Gay and Muslim
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It is a lack of love or respect for other persons. Whether gay or straight, therefore, one may sin against God or others. But God forgives us when we sin and strengthens us in resisting sin. We are led by God's forgiving love to become more respectful and loving toward God and others, even those we don't "like."

Presbyterian|Rev. Holfelder - No, I do not think that God regards homosexuality as a sin. I believe that one's sexual preference is first and foremost a matter of biology (creation) and only secondarily a matter of choice (responsibility). Since I also believe that all God creates is good, I conclude that human sexuality (not a matter of choice for anyone) is good, whether that sexual expression be heterosexual or homosexual.

Roman Catholic|Sister Ford - Two truths are especially relevant in thinking this through. First we have a theological point. God, the one who has made all of creation, loves and cherishes all creatures without exception. Second, modern psychology shows us that homosexual orientation is set by age five or six. Most psychologists agree that it is not a matter of choice; whether orientation is inborn as some think, or acquired very early, as others say. How then could an all-loving God possibly violate Divine nature and regard homosexuals as "sinners?"

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LGBTQ Muslims

Unitarian Universalist|Dr. Schulz - I do not believe that God regards homosexuality as a sin. In the first place, of course, I do not believe in an anthropomorphic god who defines or delineates sinful behavior. But even if I did, I cannot believe that such a God would reject any of His/Her children on the basis of their affectional orientations. If He/She did, such a God would not be one to whom I would want to pay homage.

United Church of Christ|Dr. Lebacqz - What god DOES regard as a sin is oppression, injustice, disrespect for persons. This sin, then, is homophobia, gay-bashing, discriminatory legislation toward lesbians and gays, refusal to include lesbian/gay/bisexual people into our churches and communities. To force ANY people, whether for reasons of race, age, or sexual orientation, into a "ghetto." This is a sin.

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United Church of Christ|Dr. Nelson - I am convinced that our sexuality and our sexual orientations, whatever they may be, are a gift from God. Sexual sin does not reside in our orientations, but rather in expressing our sexuality in ways that harm, oppress, or use others for our own selfish gratification. When we express ourselves sexually in ways that are loving and just, faithful and responsible, then I am convinced that God celebrates our sexuality, whatever our orientation may be.

United Methodist|Bishop Wheatley - Of course not! The preponderance of evidence now available identifies homosexuality to be as natural a sexual orientation for the majority of persons. Homosexuality is an authentic condition of being with which some persons are endowed (a gift of God, if you please), not an optional sexual lifestyle which they have willfully, whimsically or sinfully chosen. Certainly one's sexuality (heterosexual or homosexual) may be acted out in behaviors that are sinful: brutal, exploitative, selfish, superficial. But just as surely, one's homosexual orientation as well as another's heterosexual orientation may be acted out in ways that are beautiful: tender, considerate, mutual, responsible, loyal, profound.

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PBS Interview: Religion and Sexuality

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LGBTQ Affirming Organizations and Congregations

--Al-Fatiha (Muslim)

--Dignity USA (Roman Catholic)

--Evangelical Network (Evangelical)

--Gay Christian Network

--Integrity USA (Episcopal)

--Jewish Queer Youth

--Keshet Ga’avah: World Congress of LGBTQ Jews (Jewish)

--Lutherans Concerned North America (Lutherans)

--More Light Presbyterians (Presbyterian)

--Muslims for Progressive Values

--Many Voices: Black Church Movement for Gay & Transgender Justice

--Nehirim (Jewish)

--New Ways Ministry (Catholic)

--Room for All (Reformed Church in America)

--Rainbow Baptists (Baptist)

--Evangelicals Concerned (Evangelical)
--Metropolitan Community Church (Independent)

--Affirmation: United Methodists for LGBTQ Concerns (Methodists)

--Reconciling Pentecostals (Pentecostal)

--Unitarian Universalism
--UCC Coalition for LGBTQ Concerns (United Church of Christ)

--Association of Unity Churches (Unity)

--Friends for LGBTQ Concerns (Quaker Religious Society of Friends)
--Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship (Seventh-Day Adventist)
--Soulforce

BBC Article: Bishop Gene Robinson

TED Talk: The Bible as a Queer Positive Book

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Video: Growing Up Transgender and Mormon

John Corvino: What is Morally Wrong With Homosexuality?

Rev. Horace Griffin: Racism, Homophobia and the Black Church

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Easter Message Compares Treatment of Gay People with Crucifixion of Christ

Video Interview: Black, Christian, Lesbian

Leonard Pitts: Don't Blame the Bible

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Easter for LGBTQ Christians

Easter Message Resonates with LGBTQ Community

Churches across Christendom celebrate the core tenets of Christianity during the Easter season. But the Easter message is especially poignant for the LGBTQ community. Inclusive faith-based communities serve their congregations well by connecting the story of Jesus’ passion and resurrection to the shared life-journey of their gay church members. The heart of the Easter message is one of hope and “new life” in the face of betrayal, rejection and death. Inclusive congregations embrace their gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as both gift and task and this is the first step in realizing the “new life” reflected from that first Easter.

The events leading up to Jesus’ death resonate personally for the gay community on many levels. Gay and lesbian church members identify closely with the betrayal experienced by Jesus. Religious authorities rejected his teaching of inclusivity: dining with sinners, engaging Samaritan outcasts and challenging the self-importance of the Pharisee insiders of the religious establishment of his day. The religious peers of Jesus did not want to accept the spiritual thread he taught, establishing a common bond of brother/sisterhood that requires the response to treat others as one wished to be treated. Finally, expanding the universal invitation of God’s salvation beyond the religious elites was just too much to bear.

And so, among many unwelcoming faith communities, it is an absurdity, if not an abomination, to welcome lesbian and gay people fully as equal recipients of God’s grace and salvation. Failing to recognize that they are made in the image of God is a rejection at the very spiritual core. Identifying with the rejection inflicted on Jesus, the gay community experiences rejection of their loving relationships through the establishment of the Defense of Marriage Act; they are confronted with injustice in the workplace that could be safeguarded through the enactment of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act; as Jesus was brutalized during his scourging and crucifixion, gays and lesbians are taunted, bullied, bashed and murdered for who they are. For some gay teens, this rejection is beyond reconciliation and leads to suicide.

But the final vindication is in the Easter message. Jesus’ resurrection is more than just rising from the dead. It is a radical “new life” that is offered to all: straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. The Easter mystery is the vindication of the life and teaching of Jesus; that God’s invitation is freely bestowed on all. The gift for inclusive churches is their ability to embrace this “new life” through the acceptance of their gay children. The task remains incomplete until all Christian churches are truly welcoming and inclusive.

[Source: John Lazar, Washington Blade, April 2011]

Easter Service for LGBTQ Christians

Initiated during the coronavirus pandemic, at a time when social distancing was being observed, three LGBTQ-inclusive ministers participated in the Believe Out Loud Easter Service... Rev. Ann Kansfield, Rev. Ron Buford, and Rev. Malte Stets. They found a way for LGBTQ Christians to attend a welcoming service tailored for them.

Believe Out Loud, a community for LGBTQ people of faith, organized its first online service for Easter, featuring readings from a diverse group of LGBTQ clergy and a performance by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC. “Easter is all about love and hope,” says Anna Dreves, chief ethics officer and justice, advocacy, and civic engagement manager at Intersections International, the nonprofit organization that runs Believe Out Loud. “We wanted something that would translate that message of love and hope to the LGBTQ community.”

“While there are many beautiful, affirming denominations that provide Easter services, this service really centers on LGBTQ people of faith,” Dreves says, and that will be reflected in the music, the Scripture readings, and more. “We thought we needed to create something especially for this community and stresses that message of love and hope that we all need at this time,” she adds.

Believe Out Loud offers a variety of resources and events for LGBTQ Christians, Jews, and other people of faith, but this is its first time organizing an entire religious service, Dreves says. It won’t, however, be the last.

She looks for future services to take place. For instance, the group is thinking of holding pop-up worship services at Pride celebrations in New York City and Puerto Rico. “Our goal is for this to be only the beginning,” she says.

[Source: Trudy Ring, Advocate, April 2020]

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