Gay and lesbian persons have generally eschewed spirituality because of the traditional holdings of most Houses of Faith have either discouraged homosexuality or criminalized the behavior outright as a sin against the Creator. However, attitudes are changing both from within and outside of the gay and lesbian community.
The first begging question for gay and lesbians ready to explore spirituality is the need to find a body of faith which represents a non-repressive belief system. Gay and lesbian spirituality hinges on the need for acceptance. And, the need for acceptance is one of the basic tenants of life satisfaction.
In his article, Andrew Yep (Attacking the attacker: gay Christians fight back, British Journal of Sociology, March 1997) suggests that equalization can come through a strategy of attacking the stigma, attacking the stigmatizer, use of positive personal experience and the use of ontogeneric argument and identification. In other words, a four pronged approach to preparing a path for spirituality to be accessed by the gay community.
Necessary Steps in Accessing Spirituality Strength
The stigma of homosexuality must be addressed first. The concept of homosexuality being a normal part of the human condition has just come into being in our Western culture within the past 50 years. But sufficient evidence has emerged and by borrowing from science and psychology, both of which of have taken away the stigma validity, we can approach others and ourselves with the knowledge that we are normal and not sinners.
Next, attacking those who proffer up a continuing stigma may best be accomplished best through education. Making statements of the America Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association acceptance of homosexuality as being a part of the normal part of humanity, gays and lesbians become empowered through knowledge and the strengths of those statements.
Positive personal experiences cannot be underrated either. The world’s largest church catering to gay and lesbian Christians, the Cathedral of Hope, offers up many examples of strong statements of personal experience of the love of God and the personal experience of spirituality on its website and publications.
Ontogeneric means the consideration of the beginning of the stigma. For example, the early church most likely stated homosexuality was wrong as they were needing to encourage people to be fruitful an multiply. As the need for more and more children decreased, the stigma remained as a remnant of the old needs of the church. Helping others understand where the stigma likely originated opens the door for independent thought and acceptance.
No matter the proclamation evangelical right wing persons may make against gay and lesbians, the drive for spirituality, the connection to a higher power is becoming more in fashion and more in line with reality. After all, whether gay or straight, people often need a spiritual path. Even if that means going on the offensive.
Reece Manley - Reece W. Manley, DD,M.Ed.MPM, works in a number of fields using his extensive experience and educational background in human development, ...
