Religious

Nowadays organized religion harms gay people. Declaring that a sexual orientation is comparable to murder is doing more harm tha good. A compassionate person who happens to be religious will be a great help for LGTB person, so in the end is down to the people, to the community around us.
There is also many homophobia that doesn't come from religion. Homophobia in communist regimes usually doesn't have a religious connotation. My point is that us gays (religious or not) have the need to gain our rights and live a decent life. So let's unite, and show religious and no religious people alike that we are human like any other, and that our sexual orientation is not a sin. When society gets used to that, when even religous people around us start to see that, there will not be problems between believers and non-believers, at least about this issue.

Believers and non-believers, remember that both of us experience love and have the hope for a better world. It is impossible to erradicate religion, the same way religion cannot erradicate science and other ways of thinking. Let's work together, like the brothers we are. The objective is the same. To be recognized as equal and to be respected.

 

I see no value to blocking anyone on here. You're here to see what different people think, feel, and experience. This site has reinforced some opinions and viewpoints I had. This site has taught me some new things. Largely, it has taught me that, while people have things in common, everyone's road map is different and that the next generation views things very differently and that I don't always agree with it. There is a lot of work and shifting of attitudes that has been done as far as being more open to people, yet I continue to see some of the same ostracizing and pecking order related behavior among the next generation. Maybe it just goes to show that people are people, regardless of when and where they grew up - "the world is a village." Then, it gets complicated, because certain people from certain segments of life and certain segments of the world, defined either by age, religion, political outlook, education, gender, or location, seem to understand each other better. It's confusing. I'll always be mystified.

As far as churches go, let's own up to the notion that they are more welcoming to traditional families. That's mostly who goes to church - them and older people who are staring death in the face. You can have a church, or other place of worship, that is urban and supposedly progressive, and they either won't integrate a single person into their fold or don't really want to. I was once told by a guy that he was up for a slot as a deacon at the church where he worships and the grapevine sort of let him know he was passed over because he was single and the community suspected he may have been gay. This is also in a large enough city which sometimes gets tagged for being progressive and a diamond in the rough. Very sad. His faith must be stronger than mine. From what I can surmise, he continues to attend that church. If I get a bad read on the situation, I don't stick around.

There is no doubt that, for the most part, organized religion is not friendly to LGBT folks. If you find a branch of some faith and a congregation that welcomes you and that you like, then you should go there.

 

The first step is to get legal respect for us built into the law, the same way it was for women, then for non-white races. Once people have to respect your legal civil rights, they get used to having to treat you with respect, then gradually, children grow up seeing you being respected and consider it the natural order of things. The fight now is on the legal front and we are winning it slowly but surely. We just need to keep on keeping on, then wait 100 years for most of the worst assholes to die off. This is a generational fight, and will be a slow generational victory. Fight for the future generations of gay people, just as those who preceded us got us to where we are today, slowly but surely, and despite the hatred propagated and nurtured by some religions, not ALL of them.

 

Yes, blacks and woman have been fighting longer than us and the battle is nowhere near over for them.

I was with a mother of a 33 yesr old gay son last evening for dinner. He is not having an easy go of it. She asked if he may be witholding the difficulties of being gay to protect her. The world gave an answer as two gay jokes occurred in quick succesion. I asked her "Do you think that person would make a black joke? She replied "No, he would be ashamed to". I told her that it can be stressful, hard on self image when everyday who you are is the butt of a cruel, negative joke.

She understands better now.

 

I live in a town where the synagogue for Reform Judaism is completely pluralistic and inclusive. There are not only mixed marriages by religion and race; they're are also gay couples with kids (both male and female); it is one of the most liberal congregations around. Also in town the Universalist Church is run by a Lesbian minister who is married (to a women); that is a very active congregation and is involved in many local community service activities. On the other, my brother is a right wing Orthodox Jew, who is intolerant towards everyone not of his ilk.