Essay Sample on Gender Identity Conflicts: LGBTQA+ Society vs. Religious Realm

Introduction

Gender identity is of great concern to people in the contemporary world as more people explore and identify their sexual orientations. The LGBTQA+ community, for many, is seen as a community that practices unconventional sexual and cultural practices. The conflict gets strongly felt in the religious realm where there are arguments concerning the morality of the LGBTQA+ society, and the arguments are, more often than not, supported by sacred scriptures that condemn the people in the community. The article by the New York Times presents a room for debate concerning the atmosphere which Christians have created for the gays in the society. In the introduction, the page attributes religion to the contempt that the LGBTQA+ community faces, for example, the massacre of people in a gay club in Orlando. The purpose of the essay is to discuss if Christians are creating a harmful atmosphere for gays and what can get done regarding the situation.

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As a response to the article, Have Christians Created a Harmful Atmosphere for Gays? Some debaters gave their opinions on the matter. Dreher (2016) mentioned that the expression of solidarity after the post-Orlando issue was worthless if the conservative Christians did not change their views regarding the LGBTQA+ community. He stated that many Christian had oppressed gays in the past. Others continued to do so, and these actions of contempt went against what the Christians believed.

According to him, the reason for the activism and vote against the LGBTQA+ community is that the society stands to lose its vision of sex and marriage and loss of religious liberty. Some Christians may be accepting of the LGBTQA+ community but are skeptical about the implications that their acceptance has on their faith and moral standards (McNeil, 29). The skeptic nature leads to the unfair treatment of the people in the LGBTQA+ community since the Christians feel like accepting them is an intrusion to their beliefs.

Religion is a place that people go to for solace. For others, they get a sense of belonging by participating in religious activities and going to religious sites. For the people in the gay community, religion tends to be a place they get dreaded due to their sexual orientation. If gay people do not conform to the traditional loop of marriage and sex, they get treated as outsiders.

According to Rodgers (2016), they are not only condemned for their sexual orientation, but their existence also got threatened. For this reason, many get forced to remain 'in the closet' because speaking out what they feel can result in exclusion, discrimination, and even death. Others go as far as getting married to spouses; they are not attracted to or remaining celibate so that they can fit in society. For many people in the gay community, religion is not a safe place for them (McNeil, 39).

In the continued discussion on how Christianity affects the gay community, it is essential to note that there are instances that religion provides a forum for people to understand themselves and embrace the sexual orientation that suits them best. McNeil (2015) points out homosexuality can be situational. An individual may go through a specific experience that will make them feel inclined towards sexually relating with people of the same-sex. For instance, in correctional facilities, men and women are put together in one place. Their contact is also limited. As a result of the confinement and lack of companionship, some may resolve to seek the sexual satisfaction they lack from their fellow inmates.

Conditional homosexuality may also occur when people experience traumatizing events that temporarily alter their sexual tendencies. Individuals who had adopted gay behavior in the time of their imprisonment or due to a traumatic experience get rid of the behavior once they are out of the situation, they then revert to being heterosexuals (McNeill, 39-40). Religion helps such people successfully transit back to their regular sexual orientation through therapy, spiritual guidance, and promoting interaction.

While many religious leaders strongly condemn the gay community, others have grown to embrace them and willingly assist them in their journey. In a research carried out by Sumerau et al. (2014), a new pastor worked with a group of gays and lesbians to assess how the LGBTQA+ Christians participated in promoting gender inequality in their local church. From approximately 450 hours of fieldwork, the findings showed that the efforts of the pastor and his gay and lesbian Christians resulted in a patriarchal community where men got elevated, and women got subordinated.

The conclusion of the study showed that the removal of egalitarian practices results in gender inequality in society (Sumerau et al., 21). From the study, the contribution of the people in the LGBTQA+ community compares to what the heterosexual individuals can give. The pastor gave them a chance, and they were able to carry out successful research.

The law often contributes to the feud between religion and homosexuality. In some places, same-sex marriages are legal despite the outcry by the religious institutions in the same places (Koppelman, 1128). It gets noted that the legalization of marriages could have existed with disregard for opinions of religious orders.

In other places, it is possible to find that the government has strict laws against homosexuality. Still, there are some religious individuals or institutions that work to support the rights of the people in the LGBTQA+ community. Gushee (2016) lobbies for the full acceptance of the gays and not the half-accepting or merely tolerance of the LGBTQA+ community. By accepting the gay community fully, the individuals in that community will not get exposed to disdainful treatment, and they will not result in violence as a means of expressing themselves.

Being different at times can be a source of pride and joy for an individual. However, people may consider one too different and out-rightly condemn the person because of the difference in identity. People in the LGBTQA+ community face the challenges of being different whenever they come out to speak about their sexuality.

When religion comes to play, the rejection becomes even more evident with the support of the scriptures and moral standards in society. Many religious communities have failed to provide room for the LGBTQA+ individuals who have eventually depressed and withdrawn because of the intense discrimination they face. Others have got killed because of their sexual orientation. Christianity is not prescribed for those who consider themselves holy and blameless. It should embrace all the people irrespective of their sexual orientation and give them a chance to worship as they wish.

Conclusion

In summary, the discrimination of the gay community extends beyond Christianity forums and fits into schools and hospitals. The results of the continued unacceptance of the gay community reflect on the rigidity of the contemporary world and the inability of people to accept change. People must move away from the traditional beliefs and practices that bind them to particular thoughts and welcome a new order that has emerged. The gay community is an equal member of the society whose contribution is significant.

Works Cited

Dreher, R. Waving a Blood-Soaked Rainbow Flag to Scapegoat Christians. The New York Times. 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/06/16/have-christians-created-a-harmful-atmosphere-for-gays/waving-a-blood-soaked-rainbow-flag-to-scapegoat-christians

Gushee, D. Without Full Acceptance by Christians, Gays Are Demeaned and Hurt. The New York Times. 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/06/16/have-christians-created-a-harmful-atmosphere-for-gays/without-full-acceptance-by-christians-gays-are-demeaned-and-hurt

Koppelman, Andrew. "A Free Speech response to the Gay R/religious Liberty Conflict." Nw. U.L. Rev. 110 (2015): 1125. https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1251&context=nulr

McNeill, John J. The Church, and the Homosexual. Beacon Press, 2015. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=4EzDCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=Have+Christians+Created+a+Harmful+Atmosphere+for+Gays%3F&ots=NOPXEE6fG_&sig=qW3iKHwTETWFkDDjq3TvtH0PMeQ

Rodgers, J. Christians Must Repent for Devaluing L.G.B.T. People. The New York Times. 2016. https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/06/16/have-christians-created-a-harmful-atmosphere-for-gays/christians-must-repent-for-devaluaing-lgbt-people

Sumerau, J. Edward, Irene Padavic, and Douglas P. Schrock. "Little Girls Unwilling to Do What's Best for Them" Resurrecting Patriarchy in an L.G.B.T. Christian Church." Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 44.3 (2015): 306-334. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.976.1690&rep=rep1&type=pdf