I recently posted a video on my YouTube channel that explains why homophobia has a lot to do with Christians and why they are part of the problem. I got a lot of backlash on that video, as most of you might guess. You’re free to watch the video instead of reading this article because they’re technically the same thing, but I figured I might as well use this opportunity to say some things that I may have forgotten or that went unnoticed.
Homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia is a problem even outside of religion, but it’s more common within Christians than it is anywhere else. I’ve never come across a person whose excuses for being homophobic wasn’t because it was “against their religion”.
Obviously, people have different beliefs and they are entitled to those different beliefs. I have many Christian friends who believe differently than I do when it comes to homosexuality, and they acknowledge that they are part of the problem. If you believe that homosexuality is a sin, then cool. Personally, I don’t have a problem with that because getting in between you and your faith is just as cruel as doing anything else. But when your faith gets in the way of basic rights, then it becomes a problem.
My personal belief is that homosexuality is not a sin. I’m not a genius or some kind of an expert when it comes to the Bible but I have seventeen years of Apostolic Pentecostal preacher knowledge on my shoulders. This is what I know: the only unforgivable sin is denying God. (And I know that there are others who believe differently and might have a different entity they worship, or no entity at all, and this isn’t for you. I don’t know too much about your belief system to comfortably write about what you consider sins or not. Just know that I accept your belief the same way I would anyone else’s.)
According to the Christian belief, denying God is unforgivable. And we know that God is a loving and forgiving God. Even though some would say that homosexuality is a sin that is worse than many, James 2:10 says it is not. “For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” So if you were to commit adultery and not murder, well then you might as well have just committed murdered because both are equally as bad. What’s great about sin is that it can be forgiven. So, if we know that the only unforgivable one is denying God, then we can safely say that if homosexuality were a sin then it can be forgiven.
As I said, I don’t believe that being gay is a sin, but let’s pretend for a second that it was. Romans 3:10 says “There is none righteous, no, not one” and Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned.” Everyone has sinned. We’re all guilty. Not even the most religious person is safe from sin. How can a Christian condemn someone for being gay if they themselves have sinned?
“Love is love” is a popular slogan or trademark adopted by the LGBTQ+ community. This saying is meant to be a statement that love is not reserved for cisgender heterosexual relationships. Love can be experienced in many different ways. Between a child and their parents. Between a group of friends. Or even between pets. Who says love can’t be felt between two people of the same sex? Why is it socially acceptable for my cat, who I love, to curl up on my bed with me than it is for me to kiss a girl on the lips? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
First John 4:8 says “God is love” and since he is love, couldn’t the slogan also be saying “God is God” or “Love is God” or, coming back full circle, “God is love” and “Love is love”? First John 4:16 says “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in them.” This verse does not mention homosexuality, neither does it mention heterosexuality. It just says LOVE.
Some Christian will go as far as to say that homosexuality is something to be delivered from, that it’s a sickness or disease. And that’s fine, you believe that that’s okay but I obviously do not. The idea that homosexuality is something you need to “get rid of” promotes conversion therapy and the hatred of other people, whether this hate is directed towards someone else or themselves. People go through unwanted marriages because of this. They live with self-hatred, depression, and it can even boil down to suicide. It’s also come to my attention that people think homosexuality is “spreading”. I don’t really think I know what they mean by this, but people who come out inspire other people to come out. They don’t make them gay, they just give them confidence and inspiration.
Gay, bisexual, and transgender characters from books, movies, and shows also give kids confidence and inspiration. Christian conservative parents freak the fuck out when the LGBTQ+ community is represented in programs like Disney and Nickelodeon, thinking it pressures their kids into homosexuality. As if it’s something they should fear. But when it comes to heterosexuality, they have no problem pressuring young children who MIGHT fancy each other into a relationship. The number of times I’ve heard mothers talk about hooking up their little three-year-old boys and girls is disturbing and annoying. Like honestly, just shut up. Maybe don’t talk about your kid dating, or even getting married, while they’re still trying to figure out how to be a human.
Parents who trash Disney and Nickelodeon for showing positive representations of the LGBTQ+ community are the reasons why gay couples, transgender men and women, and non-binary people get little to no recognition in mainstream media. Christian Karens and Kevins throw a hissy fit when even the idea of it is mentioned. Remember the second to last episode of Good Luck Charlie? Remember when fans of Disney’s Frozen took over the internet, saying they wanted Elsa to get a girlfriend in the second movie and Christian mothers shot it down because they didn’t like the idea? See, even ideas get shot down. Remember that Campbell’s Soup commercial with the gay dads? Remember the uproar about the first-ever transgender female to make an appearance in Disney in their recent animated film Onward? And these weren’t even main characters. The gay couple in Good Luck Charlie got about ten minutes of the show while all the straight people got four seasons. This is why it was such a big deal when the movie Love, Simon came out. The LGBTQ+ community got the love and recognition they deserve. Finally, a positive representation of a gay teen, who is the main character, by the way, just figuring himself out.
After I post this, I just know that I am going to get comments saying that I am wrong and almost everyone that I know is going to send me Bible verses that support their homophobic agenda. The most popular verse from the Bible is Leviticus 18:22: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.” The Bible that I use is the New International Version (NIV), so its translation isn’t 100% trustworthy or accurate because the Bible was originally written in Greek and Hebrew. Knowing this, we can assume that Bible verses might have gotten lost in translation. Leviticus 18:22 is an example of just that. Charles D. Myers, Jr. and Jacob Milgrom studied this verse and questioned the use of the word “homosexuality” in the Bible, translated the meaning of each word in the verse, and explained that it’s not condemning gay relationships but incestual relationships. If you look it up, a whole bunch of websites and sources pop up that will show you just what I said.
Many Christian people will condemn them, demonize their lifestyle, and say God hates what they’re doing but will claim they love people. That doesn’t make any sense. Not only will they send mixed signals, but they’ll fight tooth and nail about the fact that they are homophobic. And, as we all know, if you have to constantly prove and convince people that you are not something, chances are you are that thing. This is pride. And, no, not “I love the same-sex” kind of pride. The other kind, the one that makes people think they are better than everyone else. These people are too prideful to admit that they inflicted any kind of pain on anyone. And this pride is something that God hates. According to Proverbs 6:16-19, God hates seven things. Throughout all these seven things, it does not mention homosexuality.
Because most Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin, there’s a common misconception that members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies cannot follow Jesus, let alone know who He is. This is untrue. I know many gay and bisexual people who are followers of Christ or even just intelligent when it comes to the scripture. The thing that I hate though, is that these gay and bisexual Christians get so much hate from straight Christians. Don’t harass a gay person for being a Christian. That’s cruel. Just like any other person’s faith, that relationship is between that person and their God. You probably won’t believe this, but I am a Christian. I’m a liberal, intersectional feminist. I support gay rights, women’s rights, I’m pro-choice, and I try to be as environment-friendly as possible. I don’t support Trump, I don’t protest outside of Planned Parenthood, and I don’t spit Bible verses out of hate. And, I don’t condone over half of the things that Christians do, that list being a part of that. I’m a Christian because I love God and people, and that is why I am a feminist.
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