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This page shows some of the optimistic and
positive aspects of being gay or lesbian.
Quotes
A Star fell from Heaven and showed me the way,
How to be contented and gay.
(From A star fell from heaven, Feiner and May)
Am I ashamed to follow nature's way
Shall I be blamed if God has made me gay
(From Girls were made to love and kiss, Lehár)
I am what I am
(Jerry Herman)
The path to God is not always straight.
(Author unknown)
If you're gay - hooray!
(Anonymous)
Bible views relating to being gay or lesbian
Article by Paul Halsall on Pro-Gay Texts in the
Bible
Some of the arguments seem to be stretched.
The Bible accepts same-sex attraction because it
accepts men being deeply in love with men,
without any expression of disapproval by God or
the biblical author. In the David story, Jonathan
was totally in love with David. Also, Jesus loved
(cared deeply for) another man – this validates
same-sex attraction.
Eunuchs and gay men
It’s possible that Jesus was referring to gay men
when he mentioned born eunuchs – without any
condemnation (Matthew 19:12). In Bible times,
such men were anatomically whole but were
unable or unwilling to have sex with women.
They were either not interested in sex or were
attracted to other men. Also, many or most of the
46 other Biblical references to born or natural
eunuchs (sometimes translated as officer or
chamberlain) probably include gay men.
The "Born Eunuchs" site, compiled by Faris
Malik, has a very detailed look at eunuchs in the
ancient world (quoting many sources) and claims
that born eunuchs were gay men.
Positive principles in St Paul’s letters which
could apply to being gay or lesbian:
1 Corinthians 7: 20 Each man must remain in
that condition in which he was called [by God].
(NASB)
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I
am what I am, ... (NIV)
1 Timothy 4:4-5 Everything God created is
good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is
to be sneered at and thrown out. God's Word and
our prayers make every item in creation holy.
(The Message)
Church views on being gay or lesbian
God made all of us, gay or straight, in his
own image to reflect his kind of love. Whenever
two people love each other enough to commit
their lives together “till death us do part” they are
expressing the deepest and most godlike instinct
in human nature. January 2006
If you are gay, then please understand that God
made you as you are, and loves you as you
are, and if you invite him into your relationship,
then of course he will bless you and sustain your
love just as much as he blesses and sustains any
other marriage. I know that’s true from my own
experience and that’s why I’m ‘out for marriage’,
because I’m sure God is too. July 2012
The Dean of St Albans, Dr Jeffrey John
I don't believe it is a sin to be homosexual. I
believe that God creates us with different gifts.
Some people come into this world with affections
ordered toward other people of the same gender
and some people come into this world with
affections directed at people of the other gender.
Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding
Bishop of US Episcopal Church June 2006
Loving homosexual expression between
responsible adults is not sinful as such. It is
simply the appropriate way for persons of same-
sex orientation to express their need for intimacy.
All of us should be judged by whether we
express our sexuality in ways that are
loving, respectful of our partners' wishes, and
contribute to our wholeness as people.
Jack Rogers, former Moderator of US
Presbyterian General Assembly October 2003
Thank God for making you the way you are.
Robert A Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral.
August 2006
Homosexual orientation has nothing to do with
morality as such, any more than left-handedness.
It is simply the way some people's sexuality is
configured. Morality enters at the point of how
that predisposition is enacted.
Morton Kelsey, author and Episcopal priest
Nils Riedl states that love has the same quality in
a person’s life, regardless of sexual orientation.
The ability to love someone means being serious
about the general ethical commitment expressed
by Løgstrup as “Holding each other’s lives in
our hands”.
When God sees the homosexual person his face
shines with joy and excitement and kindness.
Ragnhild Schanke, pastor of Oslo Baptist Church
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people
are part of so many families. They are part of the
human family. They are part of God's family.
…...... Sexual orientation, like skin color, is
another feature of our diversity as a human
family. Isn't it amazing that we are all made in
God's image, and yet there is so much diversity
among his people.
Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape
Town March, 2010
There’s no doubt in my mind that gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender people are part of God’
s obvious delight in diversity. ..... [Diverse] sexual
orientation is something God celebrates and I
believe that will become the mainstream Christian
understanding before not too very long.
Bishop Gene Robinson August, 2011
Spirituality
Jesus in Love promotes queer spirituality, books
and arts.
Famous gays and lesbians
Some people who are thought to be gay or
lesbian:
Musicians (present) – Elton John Melissa
Etheridge Johnny Mathis Adam Lambert
(past) – Cole Porter Tchaikovsky Liberace
Freddie Mercury
Leaders (present) – Prime Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister of Luxembourg Prime Ministers of
Ireland and Serbia Berlin Mayor
(past) – Alexander the Great Edward II Hadrian
Artists (present) – David Hockney Jeffrey
Smart
(past) – Michelangelo Leonardo Da Vinci Andy
Warhol
Actors (present) – Lily Tomlin Rupert Everett
Ian McKellen
(past) – Rock Hudson Montgomery Clift Dirk
Bogarde
Writers (present) – Edward Albee Gore Vidal
(past) – Walt Whitman Oscar Wilde Gertrude
Stein Jean Genet
Sport (present) – Martina Navratilova John
Amaechi
(past) – Bill Tilden Tom Waddell
Religious (present) – Rev Troy Perry Bishop
Gene Robinson
(past) – Jonathan
Scientist (past) - Alan Turing (father of the
computer)
Some short lists of famous gays and lesbians
About: Gay Life (profiles and illustrations)
Notable Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual People
Some long lists of famous gays and lesbians
The Great Queers of History (illustrated)
Rob's gay info (illustrated)
Wikipedia List of Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual People
(illustrated)
Academic and scholarly views on being gay
or lesbian
God so created humans that they develop with a
great variety of both gender identities and
sexual-object choices. …… Always and
everywhere a certain percentage of men and
women develop as homosexuals or lesbians.
They should be considered a part of God’s
creative plan. Their sexual orientation has no
necessary connection with sin, sickness, or
failure; rather, it is a gift from God to be accepted
and lived out with gratitude.
John J. McNeill, "Homosexuality: Challenging the
Church to Grow," in Homosexuality in the
Church: Both Sides of the Debate, ed. Jeffrey S.
Siker: 1994, p. 50.
Five reasons why homosexuality is positively
good and morally beneficial:
First, homosexuality can be a source of pleasure,
and pleasure is a good thing.
Second, homosexuality can be an avenue of
interpersonal communication, and this too is good.
Third, homosexuality can be a source of
emotional growth.
Fourth, and related, homosexual relationships
[including sex] promote personal and social
stability. … Sex is a powerful way of building,
celebrating, and replenishing intimacy in a
relationship.
A fifth reason: insofar as homosexuality
challenges deep-seated and irrational prejudices,
embracing one’s homosexuality can be a powerful
act of moral courage. It forces one to think for
oneself and invites one to transcend rigid gender
expectations.
John Corvino The Virtue of Homosexuality
All pleasure, including beauty, sexuality, art, and
work, are God's gifts to us, and we look to
God's revelation [the Bible] for the pattern in best
ordering our desires so that in them we may find
fulfillment and not bondage.
Philip Yancey, Christian author
Many writers speak of the contributions gays and
lesbians have made to our world ….. While gays
and lesbians make up probably 4%-6% of the
population, a study of the biographies of 1004
eminent people found 11% of them to be
homosexual or bisexual, with certain categories
higher: 24% of poets, 21% of fiction writers, and
15% of artists and musicians.
David Myers, "Sexual Orientation and Science".
Views of individuals on being gay or lesbian
In 1997 Ian Roberts became the first rugby
league player to openly declare his
homosexuality. Roberts told New Idea magazine
being gay gave him a different perspective on the
world. "I honestly believe that being gay is a gift,"
he said. "It makes you look at the world through a
different light."
Sydney Morning Herald December 2001
Homosexual relationships and acts are
supplemental or alternatives to heterosexual
relationships and acts. A long-term relationship
between two men or two women involves much
more than sex. It usually includes mutual love,
caring and companionship. It is similar to a
relationship between a man and a woman.
Ray Collins, activist
Being gay is simply a natural characteristic like
having blue eyes or brown hair.
Paul Varnell, gay columnist and activist
Gays and lesbians have the advantage that, if
they wish, they can see things from the viewpoint
of an outsider. They can be like an immigrant or
tourist traveling to a new country. They have the
advantage of having experienced how people
interact in their original or natural culture
(homosexuality) and, at the same time, also being
able to experience social and other interactions in
a different culture (heterosexuality).
Lance Ritchie, activist
The fact that we are in a same-sex relationship
means that the predetermination of roles by
gender, sometimes so destructive a force in
heterosexual relationships, is not relevant to our
lives. Each member of a same-sex couple is free
to act from individual interests, predilections, and
skills, rather than having to choose between
conforming to or rebelling against the cultural
norm. We are able to see the mainstream culture
from a greater distance and a healthier
perspective.
Nancy Toder, author
There is power in the fertile, uncharted zone
between being Christian and being queer. I feel
the presence of the Jesus who crossed
boundaries: touching lepers, reaching out to
women, eating with prostitutes, talking to
foreigners, being accused of blasphemy.
Kittredge Cherry, lesbian Christian minister
The revolutionary importance of the
contemporary gay rights movement lies in its
revolutionary idea of gender [roles]; that male
sexual receptivity is part of the repertoire of a
normal, adult, fully masculine male.
Ron Long, teacher of religion
Don’t be afraid to be the person that you are.
Boy band One Direction
Perhaps you’re just different. It’s not a sin, you
know.
Tam to android Data in “Tin Man” episode of Star
Trek: The Next Generation.
Genetics, human physiology and psychiatry have
shown that same-sex orientation is natural,
healthy, not reversible, not contagious and poses
no threat to anyone.
From anthropology and sociology we know about
four per cent of the population are homosexual
and another small percentage bisexual. And has
been so forever.
Paediatrics and behavioural sciences have
shown same-sex parents are just as effective as
straight parents in child-rearing outcomes.
Zoology has confirmed that a small discrete
percentage of same-sex couplings occurs in all
gregarious bird and animal societies.
Alan Austin, journalist
It is totally okay to be different by being
romantically or sexually attracted to someone of
the same sex as yourself and to act on those
attractions in a non-harmful way.
Colin Smith
An old Chinese proverb, "When people come face
to face, their differences vanish".
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Johnson Oatman, Jr.
If you want more, check out A Gay Fairy Tale
and true gay stories.
Author: Colin Smith
