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A GLBTQ EDUCATION INTERNET RESOURCES Religion & Spirituality

Index: Religion   &  Spirituality -  - GLBT  History -  - HIV-AIDS -  - Male  Youth Prostitution -  - Homosexuality:  Biological  or  Learned ? -  -  Public School Issues -  - Transgender / Tranvestite / Transsexual -  - Lesbian  &  Bisexual Women -  - Homo-Negativity / Phobia -  - Identity Formation  &  Coming Out -  - Counseling  &  Therapy -  - Professional Education  -  - Bisexuality -  - Gay & Bisexual Male Suicide Problems -  - Drug / Alcohol Use / Abuse / Addiction  -  - Community Attributes  &  Problems -  -  Couples / Families / Children / Adoption / Spousal Violence -  - The Elderly -  - Race/Ethnic Minority Issues: U.S., Canada, Europe,  New Zealand & Australia -  -  Latin America / Africa -  - Middle East / Asia

Religion & Spirituality

General Information

The Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement. -  Can I be Catholic/Mormon/Gay, etc., and be Saved? -  Gay/Lesbian Religion News. - A Report on Insights from the Religious Roots of Homophobia Conference, Sydney, 2001. - Other Sheep Newsletter: Queer Theology for 14 Sexual Minorities. - Gays and Religion Timeline. - Spirituality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex People. - UK Church Leaders Consider Homosexuality Compromise. - "Dieu aime-t-il les gays ? Les Eglises et l'homosexualité." - Dost Thou Mind the Pink Triangle? - Fellowship of Christian congregations with a special outreach to GLB communities. - For the love of God: Embracing Homosexuality in Today's World.- Homosexuality and the African American Church: The Paradox of the "Open Closet" Am. Behav. Scientist 42, 1117 (1999). - Good News: a new look at the Bible and homosexuality. - Report on Conversations about Homosexuality and the Church: Churchwide Report for 1999 - 2001. - Gay Harassment and the Struggle for Inclusion (2010). - Study: Gay Christians, Muslims most likely to be troubled (2010).

Can a homosexual become and remain a Christian?  - Gay and Christian - a contradiction?  - Homosexual Christians? The unthinkable has become thinkable. - How To Be A Gay Christian (Despite What You've Been Told Otherwise). - Steps to recovery from Bible abuse. (Related book) - Ecclesiastical Ineptitude: Why is the Church Failing to Minister to Youths and Adults Struggling with Homosexuality. - Christianity and homosexuality: are they compatible? Links to Essays. - Religion vs. Sexual Orientation: A Clash of Human Rights? - Gay and Christian?: A LesBiGay Bibliography. - Gay Marriage: Reimagining Church History. - Gary Lynn reports on his life as bisexual and related religion problems. - - "Coming Out" as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender within a Christian Community.

What the Bible says about Homosexuality. - Homosexuality and the Bible. - An Analysis of Six Critical Texts Used To Condemn Homosexuality. - Reading Strategies for Biblical Passages on Same-Sex Relations. - The Bible and Homosexuality. - What We Don't Hear About Religion and Homosexuality. - Things I believe about homosexuality, the Church, and the attitudes of some Christians. - Religion and gay rights:  "The British House of Lords and the House of Commons has released a bombshell human rights report which says religious institutions should not have the right even in their private schools to teach that homosexuality is sinful. This has lit a flame of controversy burning all the way into Jamaica...." 

The Bible in the Moral War over the Rejection of Homosexuality by the Military Services: A View from Inside the Pentagon. - Sex and the Bible a look at the cultic background to homosexuality, and the law. - Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29) on the Internet: The Implications of the Internet for the Study of the Bible. - Church Tradition Only Condemn Homosexuality Not The Bible. - The Bible and Homosexual Practice: An Overview of Some Issues. - Biblical Interpretation & Theological Resources. - When religion becomes a weapon of mass destruction: AIDS in Africa and sex education in America.

The Continued Cost of Homophobia: "This morning news broke of yet another conservative pastor resigning his position after admissions of sexual relationships with other men. Channel Four News out of Denver released the story of Paul Barnes, the latest "outed" pastor to leave church leadership in recent days.Barnes videotaped a message to his congregation in which he recalled his life-long struggle with his sexuality. "I have struggled with homosexuality since I was a 5-year-old boy," Barnes, 54, said in the videotaped message. "... I can't tell you the number of nights I have cried myself to sleep, begging God to take this away." For Barnes, these innate sexual desires for other men were contrary to his reading of the Bible which considers homosexuality an "abomination." Following close on the heels of Ted Haggard's sex and drug scandal, this public outing is just one more example of the cost of homophobia in our Churches and in our society. Both Haggard and Barnes struggled with their sexuality, not because it was wrong, sinful or "abominable," but rather because their communities of faith convinced them that who they were at their core was flawed and unacceptable to the Church and to God. What violence to the souls of our children are we inflicting through this type of purported moral and religious righteousness? ..." - Senator pleaded guilty, reportedly after bathroom stall incident. - Having Sex With Men Does NOT Make Larry Craig Gay.

The Church Should Play Its Role (PDF Download): "There has been a lot of noise in African church circles about gays and their place in the community of faith. Besides the recent noise, it is an established fact that there is a lot of silence around the question of homosexuality in the indigenous society of Africa. Equally established is the fact that, unlike in the western society, silence in Africa cannot be taken for consent. Because silence does not necessarily mean consent, many have taken it to mean hostility. Because of this silence, gays are accorded a very low status in society. This makes it still difficult to come out and declare oneself as gay in the indigenous society of Africa. Those who have braved the storm and come out have brought rejection and isolation upon themselves, to the extent of being the scorn as well as the scum of society. For this reason, African gays have been forced to live two lives that are completely separate. They are different people when they are together in private gay settings and have to be different people when they are among the non-gay public.  Church’s Role: If Christian discipleship is to be take seriously, life cannot be separated off in parts labelled private or public. For life to be whole - to become whole - our lives must be all of a piece. I am struck by the homophone between holiness and wholeness. It strikes me as ringing true that a life lived in wholeness can be equated to, or at least is close to becoming, a life lived in holiness. A life fragmented into aspects labelled as private and public is not whole and, therefore, can never be holy. The Latin roots of the word “religion” have to do with “binding.” A church, which wants to be true to its calling will never promote fragmentation..."

Who's Afraid of Gay Theology? "Despite the growing body of gay scholarship in religious studies, there is a dearth of responses by heterosexual scholars in the field of men's studies in religion. Gay theology can still count more predictably on the ire of a conservative public than on a nuanced, non-homophobic critique by their heterosexual colleagues. What contributes to disregarding gay scholarly voices? Paradoxically, their voices are marginalized to the point of invisibility and yet are also in the center of public discourse. This article sifts through some reasons of why heterosexual men shy away from a public debate of the merits of gay scholarship. Besides methodological reservations, heterosexual male anxieties cause such weariness. Autobiographical insertions by gay scholars combined with discipline-transgressions may lead to `homosexual panic' even among non-homophobic scholars. The article argues that heterosexual men's studies in religion need to overcome their silence and engage the scholarship of gay theology." - Spirituality and Sexuality: An Exploration of the Religious Beliefs of Non-Heterosexual Christians in Great Britain: "This article analyzes the religious beliefs of 565 gay, lesbian and bisexual Christians, focusing on God, Jesus Christ and the Bible. Most respondents saw no conflict between their sexualities and their Christian faith. The examination of these religious beliefs uncovers themes that appear to be influenced by their social circumstances, the core of which being their stigmatized sexualities..."

Same-Sex Marriage

Focus on the Family Position Statement on Same-Sex "Marriage" and Civil Unions.(Alternate Link) - Same-sex marriage: conservative Christian positions. - Homosexual Marriage? - Keep Marriage As It Should Be. - Can Same-Sex marriage be Stopped? - A Conservative Christian Case for Civil Same-Sex Marriage. - The Debate Over Same Sex Marriage: A Discussion of Martha Barnette's Letter. - Same-Sex "Marriage": Should America Allow "Gay Rights" Activists to Cross The Last Cultural Frontier? - Wedding Bell Blues: Understanding the Same-Sex Marriage Debate. (PDF Download) - Is Peggy Campolo Right? Is Homosexual ‘Love’ Like Marriage? - Same-sex marriage and homophobia. - Same-Sex Unions World-Wide: A History Ignored By Opponents Of Gay Marriage. Preliminary Survey (2004) by D. Michael Quinn.

Same-Sex Marriage: A History of the Law - Nolo. - Same-sex Marriage and the Law. - Text of an address on gay marriage, given by Iowa Rep. Ed Fallon before the Iowa House of Representatives, on 20 February 1996. - Same Sex Marriage - Should Homosexuals Marry? - Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - The Trend Toward Same-Sex Marriage. - Domestic Partners and Same Sex Marriage by Gayscape. - Same-Sex Marriage Resources at Erratic Impact. - Same-Sex Marriage by ReligiousTolerace.org. - American Anglican Council: Bibliography on Marriage & Sexuality. - Holy Union Resources (Presbyterian).

Same-Sex Marriage: A History of the Law - Nolo. - Same-sex Marriage and the Law. - Text of an address on gay marriage, given by Iowa Rep. Ed Fallon before the Iowa House of Representatives, on 20 February 1996. - Same Sex Marriage - Should Homosexuals Marry? - Should Gay Couples Be Allowed to Marry? - The Trend Toward Same-Sex Marriage. - Domestic Partners and Same Sex Marriage by Gayscape. - Same-Sex Marriage Resources at Erratic Impact. - Same-Sex Marriage by ReligiousTolerace.org. - American Anglican Council: Bibliography on Marriage & Sexuality. - Holy Union Resources (Presbyterian).   

Homosexualidad Pautas para una pastoral para Homosexuales (2010, Rev. Rubén Antonio Castillo Mendoza, Translation) 

The Religious Right

Fighting the Religious Right: Resources and Links. -  Religion and religious political activism Links: Pro/Anti-Gay. - Victim Wars. - Apocalyptus Interruptus: Christian Fundamentalists, Sodomy, and the End. (Alternate Link) Presented at Boston University's Center for Millennial Studies (Dec. 1998) by Dr. Thomas L. Long.

Attacks on gay and lesbian churches. - Heathens, Hypocrites and Homosexuality - Gays - No Easy Answers:  A Christian Response. -  Bridges across the divide. - Gay Spirituality: About Spirituality For Gays And Lesbians And Everyone Else Who Fall Between The Cracks.

Roman Catholicism

Roman Catholic Church and Homosexuality. - Catholic viewpoints on homosexuality. - Catholic Church and Homosexuality. - Homosexuality & Catholic Doctrine.  - Vatican condems human rights for lesbian and gay people. - Sexual Ethics & Homosexuality in Catholic Moral Theology N/A. - Boston's Episcopal Bishops Rip Catholic Church on Homosexuality. - Lesbian/Gay Ministry in the Catholic Church: A Vision for the Future (PDF Download). - The Challenge of Honesty: Gays, Lesbians and the Catholic Church.

Priest Denies Gays' Supporters Communion. - Ecclesiastical Plebiscite "We Are Church" - Catholic Catechism statements on the topic of homosexuality. - Catholic Catechism on Homosexuality. - A note concerning the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning homosexual people. - Catholic theologians challenge leaders to discuss gay issues N/A. - Gay Catholics denied Communion found guilty: church `homophobia' decried from the bench. - Gays Challenge Catholic Church Clergy Refused Communion in Prior Years.

Homosexuality Among Catholic Priests. - Homosexuality and Catholic Priests. - What RICO lawsuits could mean for the Catholic Church in the United States. - Study: Catholic priests notice gay cliques. - 'Gay' culture in Catholic Church grows: Priest says scandal really about homosexuality, not pedophilia. - Catholic church alarmed that priesthood is becoming a 'gay profession'. - Breaking-Ground for Gays in Catholic Church.

Vatican official opposes ordaining gays. - Scotland: Priest applicants to be screened. - Gay seminarians aren't welcome in Philly. - Openly Addressing the Reality: Homosexuality and the Catholic Seminary Policies. - Past Out: How gay was the medieval Christian clergy? - Homosexuality and admission to the priesthood. - When it is not proper to admit to the priesthood. - The Gay Priest Problem. - The Catholic Church and the Blame Game.

U.S. Catholic bishops clarify core doctrines: "One document deals with guidelines for ministering to "persons with a homosexual inclination." "Homosexual acts are never morally acceptable. Such acts never lead to happiness," he said, because they are "intrinsically disordered," meaning they are not directed to the bonds of marriage and the goal of procreation that are "part of God's design. But having an inclination that is disordered does not in any way diminish human worth." "All of us are damaged by original sin, and all of us have desires disordered in various ways," he said."

Vatican gay document prompts criticism: "A new Vatican document on homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood touched off a storm of criticism on Wednesday from those who say the Church is missing the point and using gays as scapegoats for its sex scandals." - Roman Catholic bishops approve new guidelines on gay ministry. - Survivor: Vatican: under Pope Benedict XVI, the Roman Catholic Church is jumping at the chance to drive gay priests from its ranks. The move continues to divide the church. 

GLBT protest targets Catholic hierarchy. - European ads attack Vatican condom ban. - Bishops say U.N. is pushing gay rights. - United Nations continues gay group ban. - Theses on Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism. - Homosexuality and the Hope Statement of the Catholic Medical Association (PDF Download).  - Hispanics support church teachings on abortion, homosexuality.

‘Coming Out’ as a Catholic School Teacher. - Catholic Schools and Homosexuality. - University Catholic Center opens discussion on homosexuality. - Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers. - Catholic student sues school district: Says officials violated rights by muzzling criticism of homosexuality. - Homosexuality and the Catholic high school. - Gay law reforms to hit Queensland Catholic schools. - German Catholic Church won't allow gay employees to marry.

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Catholic Handbook. (Alternate Link) - Catholicism, homosexuality, and Dignity. - Gay and Lesbian Catholicism. - Associació Cristiana de Gais i Lesbianes. - Dignity/USA. - Homosexuality and the Church: Gay and Lesbian Family Ministry. - Adelaide Cathedral administrator calls for Church blessing of homosexual unions.

Being Wrong and Telling the Truth: a gay perspective (Millennium Lecture by James Alison – St Joseph’s in the Village, Thursday 30 th May 2002: Word Download): "I have been invited to continue developing in your midst some of the ideas with which I grappled in my recent book Faith beyond Resentment: fragments catholic and gay. In particular, a member of the Parish asked whether I would address the issue of what it means to say that the Church is wrong on the gay issue."

John J.  McNeill: "For more than twenty-five years, John J. McNeill, an ordained priest and psychotherapist, has been devoting his life to spreading the good news of God's love for lesbian and gay Christians. One year after the publication of The Church and the Homosexual (1976), McNeill received an order from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in the Vatican ordering him to silence in the public media. He observed the silence for nine years while continuing a private ministry to gays and lesbians which included psychotherapy, workshops, lectures and retreats. In 1988, he received a further order from Cardinal Ratzinger directing him to give up all ministry to gay persons which he refused to do in conscience. As a result, he was expelled by the Vatican from the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) for challenging the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on the issue of homosexuality, and for refusing to give up his ministry and psychotherapy practice to gay men and lesbians. McNeill had been a Jesuit for nearly 40 years..."

Catholic Educator's Resource Center: - Homosexuality Issues. (A weath of article, but not pro-gay) - HLI to the Supreme Court: Gay Scout Leaders are the First Step towards taking away our Moral Rights N/A! - Proof of the Boy Scouts Policy on Homosexuality. - The Roman Catholic Church & BSA Policy. - Apostolate to the homosexual. - Vatican Condemns Homosexuality as Intrinsically Evil - 22-Year U.S. Roman Catholic Ministry to Gays Ended - Priest and Nun Barred Forever from Ministering to Gays. - Catholic Church backs 'cure for gays' - theage.com.au.

The National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries (NACDLGM, Formed in1994): In the News. - 2003 National Conference. -  National Conferences 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008. - Resource Links. - Los Angeles Lay Catholic Mission: Articles. - The Whole Turth Please. - Rainbow Sash Movement (USA, with listing of related articles in the press): RSM Core Vision: "Bringing the Gifts, the Witness and the Challenge of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people into the Heart of the Church."

Homosexuality and Catholicism: A Partially Annotated Bibliography. - Catholicism and Homosexuality Bibliography: Basic Data. - Homosexuality and Catholicism Bibliography: Section XIII Lesbian and Gay Catholic Novels, Short Stories and Plays. - Catholic Bibliography on Homosexuality. - Catholic Books On Homosexuality. - New Oxford Review: Articles. - Catholic Gay Activist Needs 'Courage'.

Dignity/USA's Links to Other Organizations. - Dignity Links. - QRD Catholic Links. - Dignity Canada. 

Anglican

New Head Of Anglican Church Both A Blessing And A Curse. - Alliance of Lesbian and Gay Anglicans N/A. - Anglicans Divided on Homosexuality N/A: "Conservative Anglican bishops from around the world are proposing a crackdown on America's Episcopal Church because of its toleration of homosexuality." - Homosexuality debate could split Anglican Church. - Boston's Episcopal Bishops Rip Catholic Church on Homosexuality. - Group 'prepared to respond' if Episcopal Church affirms gay bishop.

New Gay Episcopal Bishop Furor. - Gay issues slowly erode Episcopal membership. - At Axis of Episcopal Split, an Anti-Gay Nigerian. - Connecticut Episcopal Bishop Authorizes Priests to Bless Gay Unions. - Episcopal leader holds firm on gay rights: Says N.H. bishop's election a blessing. - US Episcopal bishops say anti-gay sanctions harm the gospel. 

Issue of homosexuality looks certain to tear Anglican Church apart. - Homosexuality: A (Sydney) Anglican Approach. - Australian Anglicanism Into the present: Anglicanism and Homosexuality in the 1970s. - Anglican Church releases report on homosexuality (Australia).

Southern African archbishop addresses homosexuality. - SA Archbishop says homosexuality must be addressed. - Anglican Church to debate gay marriage. - Statement on Homosexuality by the Anglican Province of Rwanda. - Congolese Anglican Church condemns homosexuality.

The Worlwide Anglican Communion and Homosexuality. - The Anglican Church of Canada and Homosexuality.- Valid process crucial to debating homosexuality issue' (Canada) - Bishop Spong's Message to the Anglican Communion on Homosexuality. - Resources for Reconciliation. - The American Anglican Council : Homosexuality In The Light Of Reason (US: Home Page). - Anglican Pages of Louie Crew: Resources. - The American Anglican Council : Summing up the Lambeth Conference.

The Episcopal Church and Homosexuality. - Some Considerations of Homosexuality and the Episcopal Church. - Homosexuality: How the economics and politics of Singapore have shaped the Anglican Diocese and its role in the Province of South East Asia. (Alternate Link) - Top Anglican's gay stance alarms conservatives. 

United Church

The UCC Coalition for LGBT Concerns (Cleveland, Ohio):  "In 1985, the General Synold of the United Church of Christ accepted a resolution that called on congregations to declare themselves open to and affirming of gay, lesbian and bisexual people in the full life and ministry of the church. In response and to shepherd churches in this process, the organization that would later be named The UCC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns began offering guidance and resources, and establishing the means by which congregations might fulfill this resolution."

Presbyterian

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.

Baptist

Gay Baptist church, possibly the first, finds a home in Phila. - Gay Baptist Church Opens. - Gay & Baptist: Students divided on church's stance on gays and lesbians. Atlanta Association still reeling over debate on two gay-friendly churches. - Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist Church: In Their Own Words. - Gay activists plan civil disobedience for Baptist convention. - Gay rights activists arrested at meeting N/A. - Pro-Gay Baptist Church To Be Ousted.

Text of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship policy on homosexuality. - Cooperative Baptist Fellowship upholds policy against homosexuality. - Statements and Resolutions by Southern Baptist Leaders and the SBC about Homosexuality and Homosexuals. - Gay acceptance divides churches N/A: While a Granville church opens its doors, a Worthington church condemns the lifestyle.

Gays who Grew up Southern Baptist to Distribute Pro-Gay Bible Studies at 2005 Southern Baptist Convention.

The Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and homosexuality. - Stance on homosexual behavior slated for N.C. vote in Nov.: "The proposal was framed by a seven-member committee created to follow through on a motion adopted at the convention’s annual meeting last November instructing the board of directors “to develop and implement a policy" that would "deal clearly with homosexual behavior,” including a stipulation “that a church which knowingly affirms, approves, or endorses homosexual behavior is a church not in friendly cooperation with the Convention." Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte, chaired the committee." - Baptist group poised to bar gay-friendly churches. - Churches break with N.C. convention over homosexuality.

Rev. Lonnie Latham - Hypocrisy and Corruption in the Pulpit. - Rev. Lonnie Latham: Another Victim of the Southern Baptist Lie Regarding Homosexuality. - Related New Updates. - Baptist figure acquitted of gay sex charge: "Latham's attorney, Mack Martin, argued during the trial that it is not illegal for consenting adults to engage in private homosexual acts, so a request to participate in such an act is not illegal."

The CBF Circle of Friends: Religious Voices Advocate Homosexuality. - Integrating my faith and homosexuality. 

Mormon

The Assemblies of God and Homosexuality. - The LDS Restorationist movement: The LDS Church & homosexuality. - The Assemblies of God's position on homosexual relationships. - This statement on homosexuality and the Bible was approved as the official statement by the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God on August 6, 2001. - This statement is the report of the committee to study homosexuality. The report was adopted by the Assemblies of God General Presbytery, August 14, 1979. - Private Pain, Public Purges: A History of Homosexuality at Brigham Young University. (Alternate Link). - Homosexuality and The Church of Jesus Christ: Understanding Homosexuality According to the Doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

LDS playwright discusses church, homosexuality: Carol Lynn Pearson speaks of her latest play, her faith and caring for her gay husband after he contracted AIDS: "Pearson is still active in the LDS church but views herself as a "maverick" and a "pioneer" sent here to help people understand gay issues. "Since I published 'Goodbye, I Love You,' I have heard from many hundreds of gay people and their families and just those who wanted to thank me for helping them better to understand a difficult subject. I also have gay friends of my own from long ago. Certainly my experiences with all of these people have let me know that we are not yet where we need to be on gay issues. There is still too much misinformation, lack of compassion and fear," Pearson said. Pearson's inspiration for "Facing East" was "writing what you know." The play is about a Mormon couple trying to cope and understand their gay son's suicide. Stuck between their undying faith and their new reality, they meet their son's partner, Marcus. Pearson feels very strongly about the chasm between religion and homosexuality..."

Latter-day politics: Mormon Church supports California's anti-gay-marriage measure. - Mormon church issues statement against gay marriage just before vote on ban. - Local gay Mormon faces excommunication: Hearing triggered after man marries partner: "Homosexuality is not considered a sin within the LDS church, but homosexual behavior is, according to Olin Thomas, executive director of Affirmation, a gay Mormon group." - Mormon / LDS Chronology Of Involvement In Same-Sex Marriage Politics.  - Same Sex Temple Sealings: Did the Early LDS Church Embrace Homosexual Relationships? Nineteenth-Century LDS temple rituals included the practice of “sealing” men to men. While modern church authorities have nearly eradicated all evidence of this arcane practice, some historians cite it as evidence that the early church embraced homosexual relationships — but are they right? ..."

The SL Tribune Joins the Chorus: "I promise, one of these days, I really will write about something else. But I keep running into more discussions of this topic, which I feel compelled to share. Perhaps in reply to Thursday's NY Times article about gay men in straight marriages (which I discussed yesterday), Friday the Salt Lake Tribune published an article about "mixed orientation" marriages, with the optimistic headline, "Mixed-orientation LDS couples count on commitment, work and love to beat the odds." The article's basic message is this: gay men, just admit you're gay before you get married, convince yourself that sex doesn't matter all that much, and you too can have a conventional Mormon marriage! Women, just accept that your husband is gay and will never want you the way he wants men, convince yourself that sex doesn't matter all that much, and you too can have a conventional Mormon marriage!..."

Gay LDS men detail challenges: 3 who are married give some insights to therapist group: "A group of Latter-day Saint counselors and therapists got some up-close insight Thursday during a panel discussion at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building into the challenges faced by gay LDS men who marry. Speaking to a standing-room-only audience, three LDS couples described their experiences with their heterosexual marriages, despite the fact that each of the husbands experience what they call same-sex attraction, or SSA. They said while they are basically happy, navigating the emotional and physical aspects of their relationships requires constant hard work. All emphasized that marriage is not a "cure" for same-sex attraction..."

Mormon Family Values: "Publicly, the church loves the sinner but hates the sin. "People inquire about our position on those who consider themselves so-called gays and lesbians," remarked LDS president Gordon B. Hinckley. "My response is that we love them as sons and daughters of God." As former insiders, the Hardys contend that the church establishment is obsessed with good press and intent upon creating an image of a mainstream Christian religion--a goal it plans to pursue as the television networks cast their soft-focus lenses on Salt Lake City during the winter Olympics this February. The Hardys, meanwhile, are determined to let the world know what lies behind the church's rhetorical niceties. David Hardy scoffs at Hinckley's profession of tolerance. "We were forced to make a decision that no parent should be forced to make," he says, "to abandon one's child or one's faith."

Mormon uni eases anti-gay policy: "Mormon-owned Brigham Young University has eased its punitive policy on gay students, a small but significant change one student said would help to relax a "Gestapo atmosphere" on campus. Prompted by gay BYU students, the university last week changed its honor code to read, "Sexual orientation is not an Honor Code issue. However, the Honor Code requires all members of the university community to manifest a strict commitment to the law of chastity," the Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday. Previously, the code read, "Advocacy of a homosexual lifestyle (whether implied or explicit) or any behaviors that indicate homosexual conduct, including those not sexual in nature . . . violate the Honor Code.""

God's Love-Our Witness, a gay Adventist Christian resource: "Many of our Adventist members are single, and others are married. Some have never acted on their attraction to their own gender. Others have spent more than 30 years immersed in the gay culture of one of our big cities and then come back to the Adventist church they learned to love when they were young. What binds us together is our common goal to make Christ first in our lives as we look forward to His glorious Second Advent." - Seventh-day Adventist Homosexuality Resources.  - The Hypocrites of Homosexuality.

Mormons Mobilize Against Church Leaders: LDS Safe Space Coalition to Send Flowers as an Expression of Dissent: "Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were alarmed to hear political calls over church pulpits throughout the United States on May 28th urging members to contact their Senators in support of an anti-gay federal Marriage Amendment." - Mormon Senator Asks for Support in Defeating Anti-Gay Amendment. - The Logical Next Step: Affirming Same-Sex Relationships.

Suicide memorial. Why This memorial? Suicide Information. Articles.

Suicide Vigils. Memorial Links. Awareness Links. Bibliography.

Vigil-Related Research Result Summaries For Journalists and Others

Gay Mornon: A collection and directory of information regarding homosexuality and The Church of the Latter-Day Saints (Mormon).

Theology		Case Studies		Dealing With It		Resources
	Doctrine		Individuals		Coming Out		Books
	Policy		Organizations		Getting Out		Organizations
	Scripture		Violence		Staying In		Periodicals
					Understanding		Websites

Gay LDS Young Adults (GLYA). -

Mormon, gay, and sane: "While reading your story on how boyfriends Stephen Shroy and Aaron Cloward and others have survived the Mormon Church ["Mormons on a Mission," April 12], I am reminded of how resilient we gay people are. Plant us in the arid soil of Mormonism, Roman Catholicism, Protestant fundamentalism, Orthodox Judaism, even Islam, and many of us grow and prosper. We are file finest examples of how the human spirit can survive even the most inhospitable of environments."

Gay Mormons in love: "The filmmaker and cast behind "Latter Days" are on a mission: to get as many people as possible in to see their little film. It's a sometime drama, sometime romantic comedy about two young men who find each other, love each other, and deal with the consequences of love's often messy aftermath. And, oh yeah: one of the men is a Mormon." - Utah Premiere of Gay Mormon Film Cancelled. - Gay Escort: Hunky, Likes Vaudeville, Mormon Background: "Who would have thought that the Mormon Church could be a perfect training ground for a life of prostitution? In the autobiographical solo show "Confessions of a Mormon Boy," a hit at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival, Steven Fales, a sixth-generation Mormon, describes his losing battle against his homosexual impulses." - A Gay Mormon Survives His Faith, Drugs, And Escorting: An Interview with Steven Fales, Creator and Star of Confessions of a Mormon Boy. - Confessions of a Mormon Boy Web Site. 

Mennonite

MennoLink Books and Music: Homosexuality. - Fractured Dance: Gadamer and a Mennonite Conflict over Homosexuality - 2001 - by Michael A. King (Related Information) (Foreword to Book) (Review)

Lutheran

Lutheran Lesbian & Gay Ministries: Newsletter and Resources. - THIS obedience is the story of Pastor Anita C. Hill, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and an issue that is at the heart of LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) oppression in the United States.

Lutherans Concerned / North America: works for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Lutherans in all aspects of the life of their Church and congregations. We provide a place of comfort and safety. We reach out and teach that Christ's message, the Gospel, is for everyone equally. We call for the blessing of committed and covenanted same-gender relationships, and for the ordination of those called to minister.- A [Lutheran] Christian ministry affirming God's love for lesbian and gay People in Akron, Canton, and greater  Northeast Ohio since 1990 (Includes links to resources) N/A.

Unitarian Universalist

The Unitarian Universalist Association and Homosexuality. - Unitarians / Universalists  by glbtq.com  - Gay Relationships, Gay Rights: A UU Perspective. - Between a Stonewall and a Rainbow. - Unitarian Universalist Church Blasts Back at the Boy Scouts of America.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Academic Searches: Search IngentaConnect: The most comprehensive collection of academic and professional publications. - Search Project Muse: Scholarly Journals Online. - Search JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Search The National Library of Medicine.

United Methodist

United Methodist Bishop Says Council is 'Immobilized' in Homosexuality Debate (2007): "The United Methodist Council of Bishops is "somewhat immobilized these days" on such big issues as homosexuality, said one of its members recently. At a semi-annual meeting early this month, retired Bishop Jack Tuell of Des Moines, Wash., said the Council of Bishops should give leadership to the church on the debate over homosexuality, according to the United Methodist News Service." - Methodists and homosexuality: United Methodist bishops hold first dialogue on homosexuality, discuss racism.: "The denomination's 30-year-old ban on ordaining gay men and lesbians remains, but United Methodist leaders admit there is a large and vocal minority of faithful, biblically grounded Christians who disagree with the official stand. To that end, the United Methodist bishops meeting April 28-May 3 participated in the first of four churchwide conversations designed to "create open, grace-filled space" for people to discuss, disagree about and acknowledge the "deep wounds" experienced by the church around this issue. For nearly 20 years, church law as recorded in the Book of Discipline has included a ban on the ordination of "self-avowed practicing homosexuals" and has espoused "fidelity in marriage and celibacy in singleness." And while acknowledging the "sacred worth" of homosexuals, church law condemns homosexual practices as "incompatible with Christian teaching.""

African American Churches

The Black Church HIV/AIDS Network. - A Pastor's Guidebook for HIV/AIDS Ministry Through the Church. - Panel to examine gay acceptance in black churches: Some criticize clergy for chastising homosexuality (2005, PDF Download): "Senior and BLU Secretary Courtney Payton said a dialogue is needed to bridge homosexuality and religion in the black community. "I feel like a lot of ministers and pastors feel obligated to give a sermon on how homosexuality is a sin," she said. "That's disrespectful. Even if people aren't out, it's hurtful to hear it."" - Gays and the Black Church: " The Reverend Dennis Meredith’s mouth had to drop when his head deacon brusquely accused him of turning the church into a “sissy church” and left in a huff. Reverend Meredith had committed the unpardonable sin to the deacon and as it turned out hundreds of other black members at the predominantly black Tabernacle Baptist Church in Atlanta of embracing and welcoming gay members. The deacon and the other members that fled the church in protest over gays are not a hateful, intolerant aberration. There are reports from other black churches of members marching out in indignation when their minister preaches a message of tolerance toward gays."

The Black Church and It's Influence on African American Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Era of AIDS: "Most MSM in this research study (93%) describe their experiences regarding their sexual orientation in the Black church as oppressive, alienating, psychologically discomforting and humiliating. Many respondents (80%) reported that there were negative environmental issues in the Black church relating to MSM. All of the respondents reported perceived barriers in terms of leadership opportunities in the Black church. In addition, respondents identified situations and activities that promoted feelings of isolation and alienation in regard to theological teachings... Despite a historic resolve to offer support to diverse populations within and beyond their congregations, the literature reflects no sustained effort to support church going MSM. Although present and very active in the Black church, MSM compromise a marginalized population that receives infrequent public discussion or acknowledgment."

Has the Black Church Failed the Same Gender Loving Community? "So, HAS the Black Church failed the Black Same Gender Loving Community? In the ways that really matter…YES. The purpose of the church is to show the love of God to ALL people. The church's JOB is to behave like the Bible says Jesus did. He walked and taught unconditional love, and received whoever would follow Him. Instead, the church has become this elitist religious social club that it's become. Some have gone so far as to start HIV/AIDS ministries that offer testing and counseling. And that's a very good thing…FOR THEM! They stand to get hundreds of thousands of dollars to operate these "ministries". But what good does it do when they preach and teach that God hates the ones they are testing? What's the Same Gender Loving Christian to do? I suggest seeking more affirming spiritual homes of worship where the TRUE love of God is being taught and displayed. There are churches out there that are not prejudiced. Churches that provide a safe place of worship for EVERYONE. Seek them out. We need to start supporting those who support us. Lend our gifts and talents to those who will in return nurture and edify us spiritually. We must empower ourselves, and stop giving our all to organizations that in their ignorance have proven to have failed us." - Black United Methodist Church in Boston Breaks New Ground (2000): "...by voting to become the nation's first black Methodist church to officially welcome and include gay and lesbian worshipers. - Some black ministers openly welcome gays, lesbians into their  flocks (2003).

Gays in the Village: "I've often said that homophobia would end in the black church if every black lesbian and gay person simply came out. The first thing we would realize is that many of the people running the churches are themselves gay. And I'm not just talking about the choir members, the organists and the music directors. I'm talking about the ushers, the deacons and the pastors themselves. Thus, it was noticeable last weekend when a prominent African American pastor in Colorado came out of the closet. The Rev. Benjamin Reynolds preached his last sermon at Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church on Sunday. Reynolds, the senior pastor of the Colorado church, stepped down after telling the congregation that he is gay. Although his decision to come out may have caught some off guard, his support for the gay and lesbian community is not new. He has been a longtime advocate for gay and lesbian rights.  But then he did the unthinkable. He revealed his sexual orientation... The black church is a paradox. On the one hand, it is the most homophobic institution in the black community. On the other hand, it is the most homo-tolerant institution in the black community. The homophobia typically comes in the form of the pastor's "hell and damnation" sermon on homosexuality from time to time. The fire and brimstone are quickly amened from the pews. But when you look past the pastor, the homo-tolerance is clear once you realize that gays and lesbians are everywhere in the church. Many of our black churches would stop running if the gay, lesbian and bisexual members dropped out..."

Homosexuality and the Black Church (2005): "As I mentioned earlier, most black churches have a very strange way of addressing this issue. On one hand, the preacher will preach hard against homosexuality while we “Amen” him out of the building. One the other hand, in many cases the choir right behind him is full of the very people he is preaching against–we just dismiss them as just being a little effeminate (because the “effeminate” in the church are usually the ones that are the most creative and/or the most expressive, you will see them most of the time either involved in the music or children’s ministry). How can a person preach against homosexuality while at the same time benefit from their service to the ministry?" - Black church must forsake gay bashing (2005): "IT'S TIME for the black church in America to come to terms with homosexuality. Pastors, come down from the pulpit and get to know your choir directors. No, I'm not saying that all or even most of the choir directors in all or even most of the black churches in the country are gay. I'm just reporting that in my observation, at least, music has long been one of the accepted roles for "confirmed bachelors" in African-American congregations. I'm noting that it's fairly common for a preacher to deliver a thundering "Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve" sermon and then turn to a gay man to lead the church in a rendition of "One Day at a Time.""- Gays and Gospel Music: A Divine Refuge? - OUT at CHM: Gays and Gospel.

Minister’s fiery anti-gay sermon riles activists (2005): “It’s very difficult to go forth in the community to even try to have a meeting with Rev. Wilson because, with views expressed like that, particularly in the pulpit of the church, it makes it very difficult for the GLBT community to think that any conversation or dialogue regarding inclusion … would be constructive and fruitful,” he said. “I’m quite distressed.” - It’s high time for black gays to ‘walk the daylight (2002)’ "In the African American gay community, we may want to ask ourselves a similar question. But for us, "walking the daylight" may mean refusing to cower to the homophobia that has been an inherent part of the African American community at large, and in many African American churches. For example, the minister of the largest African American church in Washington recently made derogatory remarks about "dykes" and equated homosexuals with prostitutes and drug addicts...  A black gay man who attends a homophobic church for ‘the fellowship’ is like a black man joining a Ku Klux Klan gathering because they serve good hush puppies."

Same Gender-Loving Family, And Brother Outsider: The Life Of Bayard Rustin (Documentary): "The March on Washington celebration took place in D.C. Aug. 23, 2003. Rustin was an openly Same Gender-Loving African-American, Quaker background, and was the architect of the 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his famous “I Have A Dream” speech (this was not the original title of King’s speech; that title was given to King’s speech by the media). Rustin, a master strategist and tireless activist, is best remembered for the organizing of the 1963 March on Washington along with A. Philip Randolph. It was one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. Rustin brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American civil-rights movement, and helped mold Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence. Despite Rustin’s achievements, he was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned, and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay man in a homophobic era. era."  - Bayard Rustin: Civil Rights Leader.

The Color of Being Gay: Part 1 - The Black Church and the effect that it has on the African American gay community: "The Black Church throughout socio-political history has always been a “home-base” not only for spiritual salvation but has also served as a medium to plan rebellions against a racist majority and most importantly to offer empowerment. Ironically, while the Black Church started in an effort to solidify Black people as an identifiable group against hate and oppression, today the Black Church has morphed, in some respects, into the complete opposite. Today, it is an institution that often preaches hate against its own people; no longer providing empowerment and solidarity, but instead separatist elitism and disempowerment. Moreover, it has grown into an institution that is conspicuously stagnant and not responding to the issues that affect its people; not only economically, but socially and sexually as well... The Black Church is an institution with enumerable paradoxes. It provides salvation, hope, and faith for many of its followers while it preaches the complete opposite to others... If we as Blacks cannot accept our own, how do we expect the rest of the world to?  Being Gay and the efforts for GLBT rights will always stay White and be lead by Whites if Black gays remain afraid to take the bull by the horns because of their rejection in their own communites."- The Color of Being Gay: Part II - Sexual and Racial Politics.

Black Church History Comes Out The Closet: "Now, let's fast forward to today from a Black Gay/Lesbian perspective. Identical splinter spiritual movements have also occurred breaking away from the mainstream established Black Church. In 1985, Archbishop Carl Bean founded Unity Fellow Church in California. Today this spiritual movement has grown and now includes 15 congregations in cities across America, ministering directly to the needs, life-experiences, and culture of the Black Gay/Lesbian community. In addition, another movement, Fellowship 2000, which was founded five years ago by Bishop Yvette Flunder, and is taking a slightly different but still powerful approach to ministering to our needs. The movement is actually a multi-denominational fellowship of mostly African American churches ranging from ultra conservative to liberal with the goal to embrace and implement "radical inclusivity" within their congregations... Again, identical to our ancestors, we got tired of being sick and tired and being meted out the same harsh segregation, intense resistance, and blatant disregard to our emotions, life-experiences, and culture. Ironically, the mainstream Black Church of today became the oppressors in our lives. The roles were reversed. Our Black pastors/bishops became our captors and we are as Gays/Lesbians for many years were their willing and helpless victims. Too many of us took the abuse and shrugged it off when the gay bashing sermons came our way. We quietly thought to ourselves, "I deserve it" and then moved on. Sadly, many of us still have that particular slave mentality. Although we may not take physical abuse, but the emotional, verbal, and spiritual abuse we do take is far worse, more painful, and significantly more devastating as it drives and eventually destroys our lives. As a result, many Black gay men marry women because their pastor/bishop told them to. Many Black Lesbian women marry men because pastor/bishop said they would go to hell if they didn't. Many marriages have been based upon lies, STD's have crept into bedrooms, and innocent children have been caught in the middle, all because pastor/bishop threatened, screamed, challenged, and abused his/her spiritual authority over their flock. Unless we stand up and speak out to the Black Church and demand a re-look, reconsideration, and a refreshed analysis of Scripture, Spirituality and our lives as Godly men and women who also happen to be Gay/Lesbian, we will forever be doomed to the abusive and bloodied hands of condemnation of the Black Church..."

Quakers: The Religious Society of Friends

Metropolitan Community Church

Eastern & Orthodox Christianity

Baha'i

Islam

The Queer Jihad. (Essays & Articles) -  Gay Muslim Poets N/A. - Gay Muslims Meet in London: Retreat Hailed a Success. - Homosexual Erotica in Muslim Countries. - If Being Muslim is Wrong, I Don’t Want to Be Right. - Can you be gay and a Muslim? (2000, Alternate Link) Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, thinks not, and he has thrown his weight behind Baroness Young's campaign to retain Section 28. But he cannot speak for all Muslims any more than the noble lady can speak for every Christian. Increasingly, lesbian and gay Muslims are coming out about their pride in both their sexuality and their religion. Raza Griffiths reports..."  - La difficulté d'être homosexuel et musulman.

Homosexual Muslims of France. - Homosxuels Musulmans de France (Translation). - CALEM - la Conférence des Associations LGBTQIA, Européennes, Musulmanes (Translation).

Muslim and gay: 22-year-old starts Islamic gay association (1999) (Alternate Link): ""The Muslim community, as a whole, is in complete and utter denial about homosexuality," says Faisal Alam, 22-year-old founder of Al-Fatiha - the first organization ever for gay Muslims. "The conversation hasn't even begun. We're 200-300 years behind Catholicism." ... To start the conversation, Faisal gathered other gay, lesbian, bi, and trans Muslims via an Internet listserv that quickly spawned a retreat in Boston in October 1998. From this retreat, Al-Fatiha was born. The organization now boasts over 250 members in 20 countries... At 18, while in college, Faisal began living a dual life: 'Model Muslim Boy' during the day and 'Curious Gay Boy' at night. During his exploration of the existing gay communities, Faisal begain to realize how few role models there were for gay people as a whole, let alone gay Muslims. During this time, Faisal was outed to 2 of the 5 Muslim organizations he participated in. He left the others by choice and decided it was time to take action. Now, when he's not running Al-Fatiha and watching new gay Muslims come out each day, he works at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in D.C. to combat homophobia. Being spokesperson for a new movement has been exhausting, but Faisal has managed to keep a personal life - and a very happy one at that..." - Gay Muslims organizing online and off (1999): Cyberspace provided a much-needed connection, but many desire to meet face-to-face... This year, a North American conference is slated to take place in May in New York City; next year another international conference is being planned for South Africa. At the Boston conference a new organization for gay Muslims called Al-Fatiha (meaning "the opening") was formed. The membership of Al-Fatiha, organizers say, reflects the diversity of the Muslim population in the U.S. One member, a 50 year-old man from Switzerland who converted to Islam last year, points out that "the Muslim faith is not as monolithic as it is often presented." Of the 200 members of Al-Fatiha, 30 are African American. This reflects the fact that between 40 and 50 percent of Muslims in the U.S. are African-Americans. - Gay Muslims ‘taking part in history’ (1999): The spiritual becomes political: Gay Muslims convene to share thoughts, experiences: "When Sol Akbani was coming out, the concept of being Gay and Muslim was unimaginable.... Akbani, an oncologist in private practice in Dallas, said he is learning to reconcile his sexuality and spirituality. Akbani was one of about 60 people who last month attended what organizers said was the country's first conference for Gay Muslims. For some attendees, the four-day conference here was the first time that they had been able to talk openly about their sexuality in the presence of other Muslims... Al-Fatiha now has chapters in New York and several others cities. The group sponsored last month�s conference at the New York City Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center... Many participants noted that the kind of conversations taking place over the weekend echoed similar discussions that have been taking place in Judaism and Christianity for a quarter of a century... For Alam, the weekend meant that "we have finally taken the first steps to come together as a Gay Lesbian, bisexual and transgender Muslim community." - Press Reelase for 1999 Conference (PDF Download). - Conference Report.

Al-Fatiha Foundation: dedicated to Muslims who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, questioning, those exploring their sexual orientation or gender identity, and their allies, families and friends. Al-Fatiha promotes the progressive Islamic notions of peace, equality and justice. We envision a world that is free from prejudice, injustice and discrimination, where all people are fully embraced and accepted into their faith, their families and their communities. Founded in 1998, Al-Fatiha Foundation is a registered US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization. - What We Do: Al Fatiha comprises of seven chapters in the United States, which act as primary places of social support for LGBTIQ Muslims... Al-Fatiha's major events which occur once every year in cities across the United States, serve as a vital place for LGBTIQ Muslims to gather and learn from each other, gain institutional resources from different organizations (including HIV/AIDS and asylum/immigration groups), and to meet other LGBTIQ Muslims from around the world. Al Fatiha retreats and conferences also serve as the venue for meetings between the board of directors and the chapter coordinators. Al Fatiha retreats and conferences also serve as the venue for publicizing the organization and its work to the larger mainstream LGBT movement... Al Fatiha regularly receives requests for information on seeking asylum based on sexual orientation from individuals who are living in the United States as well as LGBTIQ Muslims living in Muslim countries... Al Fatiha has adopted a clear social justice vision and perspective into its work. It was the first queer religious organization to include transgender and bisexual people at its inception. The organization also incorporates racial justice, economic justice, and gender equity into its work... Muslim countries continue to be some of the oppressive towards sexual minorities and other marginalized communities. Unfortunately under the guise of religion, authoritarian regimes across the Muslim world use colonial sodomy laws to crackdown on sexual and gender minorities... Scripture and Theology is perhaps the biggest barrier to dealing with the mainstream and orthodox community. To counter the spiritual violence that so many LGBTIQ Muslims face, which is perpetuated by anti-gay scripture and theology, Al Fatiha has brought together LGBTIQ and queer friendly Muslim theologians and religious academics to its major events (including retreats and conferences). These individuals offer alternative interpretations of the Quran, while also serving as spiritual resources to the LGBTIQ Muslim community. Al Fatiha has also created a "scholarship committee" comprising of twelve individuals who will put together a booklet and resource manual for the LGBTIQ Muslim community. This booklet serves to counter the anti-gay rhetoric faced by many, while also challenging traditional interpretations within the mainstream and orthodox Muslim community..."

Al-Fatiha Foundation: Conferences & Retreats Since 1998 & Related Information Links/Download. - Publications & Articles. - Other Resources. - Old Al-Fatiha Foundation Website. - Gay Muslims Rejected But United: He was only 19, active in his mosque, a leader of Islamic youth groups. He fasted during Ramadan and tried to pray five times a day. But none of that could assuage his deep pain. And so on a cold day in November 1997, Faisal Alam tried something he hoped would help. He sat down at the computer and typed a shocking e-mail to Muslim student associations across the country: "Is anyone out there a gay Muslim?" The response was immediate. Hundreds debated the issue, with many condemning the very idea of homosexuals practicing Islam. Most interpretations of the Koran find that it forbids homosexual actions. In a few majority-Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, it is punishable by death. "Being gay and Muslim is impossible," one message said. But ultimately, Alam found he wasn't alone. "I didn't know there was anyone out there like me," one of the messages read. With that e-mail, Alam started what has become the first and largest group for gay Muslims in the United States. The group, Al-Fatiha, which means "the opening" in Arabic and is the title of the first chapter of the Koran, now has more than 300 members and seven branches, including those in Washington, Atlanta, New York and San Francisco...

Homosexual and 'passionate about Islam': Britain's gay Muslims struggle with sexuality, religion, and discrimination (2006): "Imaan, which means faith in Arabic, has around 300 members, most of whom have not told their families that they are gay. While members vary in how rigidly they keep to Islamic practices like praying five times a day and eating halal food, Ubaid said Imaan is for people who believe that they can be gay and Muslim. If they were raised in a Muslim family but have renounced the religion, Imaan probably would not appeal to them. The group was started in 1998 as a branch of the U.S. gay Muslim group, Al-Fatiha, after its American members visited London. It serves as a support network, and is a meeting place for people to pray together and celebrate Islamic holidays. Imaan hosts conferences that deal with such topics as culture, Islamaphobia, non-Muslim partners, HIV and Islam, relatives of gay Muslims, and trans-sexual Muslims. And some members take part in gay pride events. On July 1, around 25 Imaan members rode atop a float in the EuroPride 06 parade in London. With banners reading "Gay Muslims unveiled" and flags of the United Kingdom and from across the Islamic world, they waved cheerfully at the crowd..."  - Allah's Hidden Children (2000): First London GLBT Muslim Retreat (PDF Download). - Gay, Muslim and proud? FV reviews Gay Muslims, a Channel 4 documentary: "This insightful document began with the producers telling us that, of the 200 gay Muslims they approached to participate, only five were willing to go before the camera. The experiences of those brave individuals make it clear why the others stayed away. .. The only participant in the programme who showed his face is a Pakistani man called Adnan Ali. After suffering years of homophobic abuse he fled to London and founded the LGBT Muslim group Al-Fatiha. Adnan has come to reconcile his faith and his sexuality through the belief that Islam is a religion of diversity and tolerance. For him it is cultural distortions of the religion that have resulted in Muslim homophobia." - Festival of Muslim Cultures says gay Muslims “give offence” and bans gay Muslim exibits or participation in festival (2006).

Gays and lesbians in the Muslim community are quietly shattering one of the final taboos of Islam (Globe & Mail, 2003): "[He] attempted suicide twice before he turned 18. Growing up in Lahore, Pakistan, the eldest son of devout Muslim parents, he could never come to terms with, let alone explore, his attraction to other men. His best attempts to fake interest in girls failed to impress his peers, who began to bully the self-described "effeminate" man. "It was easy for other kids to practise kick-boxing on me," recalls Mr. Malik, now 25. In 1992, he tried to hang himself from the ceiling fan in his room. If it was a cry for help, it fell on hostile ears since suicide is a haram - religious wrong - in Islamic law. "My dad's reaction was really bad - he beat me. I was frustrated with my own life. I had no one to talk to, not even my own parents." In 1997, after a disastrous infatuation with a high-school friend - who later committed suicide after being forced into an arranged marriage - Mr. Malik tried to take his life one more time. Again, he faced the wrath of his parents, who didn't understand the reason for his depression. Today in Halifax, where he is studying tourism and hotel management at Mount Saint Vincent University..."

To Be Gay and Muslim [and South Asian] (2002): "Gay Muslims look for alternative interpretations to Islam's view on homosexuality. One gay Muslim is training to be an imam, or religious scholar, in Washington D.C. He prefers to go by Abdala because other Muslim scholars don't know he's gay. Abdala hopes to use his education to help fellow gay Muslims come to terms with their sexuality. "I'm training to be an imam so I can provide a better service of how to live in this society," Abdala said. Abdala does not believe that the Quoran condemns homosexuality. He explains that in the religious text, men are punished 'for raping and abusing other men' not for engaging in consensual sex. "I've always challenged scholars because they're heterosexual and that's why they interpreted it that way," Abdala said. "I think I'm breaking new ground." Still, Abdala acknowledges that he hasn't been open about his homosexuality in training. His instructors have said that being gay is going against good ethics and morals. He worries that coming out would impede the training process and hurt his chances of graduation. If Abdala doesn't graduate, he won't be able to offer religious services to other gay Muslims. Abdala has good reason to worry..."

'Islamic Anti-Gay Prejudices are Culture-Based, Not Quran-Caused' - Muslim Homosexuals Host 1st International Retreat in Boston. - What's wrong with being gay and Muslim? The Qur'anic verses usually cited as condemning homosexuality are by no means as clear or unequivocal as people imagine (2006): "Dr Badawi, who died earlier this year, told the magazine: "Homosexuality has always existed and continues to exist in all Islamic countries ... Many high-ranking leaders in the Islamic world are gay." ... "Just like the Bible, the Qur'an has a number of verses that are popularly regarded as condemning homosexuality. As in the Bible, they are comparatively few and open to a variety of interpretations. What the Qur'an actually says about this is discussed more fully in my book 'Unspeakable Love' (published next week), but the key point is that the verses usually cited are by no means as clear or unequivocal as people imagine..." - Muslim Moral Instruction on Homosexuality (PDF Download): "Most Muslims (and non-Muslims) believe that Islam prohibits any same-sex sexual activity and that homosexuality is irreconcilable with being Muslim. As a result, Muslim lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young people often struggle to reconcile their sexual orientation with their cultural or religious identities and the consequences of their “coming out” (or being “found out”) can be extremely harsh. In addition, stereotypical ideas of LGB people and Muslims reinforce prejudices and misconceptions in both LGB and Muslim communities. This, in turn, contributes to the stigmatisation and discrimination faced by Muslims, LGB people, and Muslim LGB people alike. Education and dialogue on religion and homosexuality is important in order to encourage a better understanding and mutual respect amongst individuals and communities as well as to empower Muslim LGB young people to deal with the questions and issues they face... A few progressive Muslim scholars have argued that it may be possible for Muslims to view same-sex relationships positively. They refer, for example, to gender-neutral verses in the Quran affirming the importance of companionship and love between people, not just between a man and a woman. They argue that an affirmation of these relationships through a form of a Muslim “marriage” or “union” could be possible within a progressive Muslim framework..."

Hate Crimes: "I think we have to look at all the potential consequences to the coalition that the U.S. is trying to build, and the way it's building it," warns Surina Khan, executive director of the International Lesbian and Gay Human Rights Commission (ILGHRC). Born in Pakistan and raised in an Islamic family, Khan is more than familiar with the policies of some of the hard-line Islamic countries the U.S. has bolstered and whose abuses the U.S. has excused. While much of the Muslim world has condemned the terror attacks, views Islamic terrorists and regimes like the Taliban as having twisted the tenets of Islam, and may be more moderate toward women, on the issue of homosexuality Islam is fairly uniform across the board, as is much of Christianity. "Homophobia runs through mainstream, conservative, and fundamentalist elements of Islam," says Khan. "It's a common thread that runs through every Muslim nation."

Unspeakable Love: Gay and Lesbian Life in the Middle East - 2006 - by Brian Whitaker (Amazon): "In this absorbing account, Guardian journalist Brian Whitaker paints a disturbing picture of people who live secretive, often fearful lives; of daughters and sons beaten and ostracised by their families or sent to be ‘cured’ by psychiatrists; of men imprisoned and flogged for ‘behaving like women’; of others who have been jailed simply for trying to find love on the Internet. Amid all the talk of reform in the Middle East, homosexuality is one issue that almost everyone in the region would prefer to ignore, and yet there are pockets of change and tolerance..." - Book Review/Summary:  Whitaker is a journalist and it shows in this survey of homosexuality in the middle east. When he has people's stories to tell, and interviews to play with, whether his own or second-hand reporting from OutUK on the underground gay scene in Saudi Arabia, the prose shines and the story flies. But the last two hundred pages, where he gets down to cultural, legal and religious arguments, slow down considerably... Endemic hypocrisy, the importance of "honour", and the strength of family ties all play a big part in the opening chapters' descriptions. Young Arabs (and almost all Whitaker's interview subjects are young) are shipped off to psychiatrists who treat them with electric shocks, or beaten by their brothers, or kicked out of the house (or threatened with the same). And many play along with the game - one Palestinian-American Whitaker interviews declares his intention to get married when he turns 30 - to a lesbian woman from a good Muslim family... For his final chapter, en route to a conclusion, Whitaker is sidetracked into a massive nerd-fight with Columbia University professor (and former Daniel Pipes target) Joseph Massad, who is apparently an asshole. Massad claims that "homosexuality" and "heterosexuality" are Western inventions, and that by agitating for gay rights, the "Gay International" is somehow limiting the possibilities for sexual expression in the Arab world. As Whitaker points out, rather more respectfully than Massad deserves, the typical newspaper word for "homosexual" is shaadh or "pervert/deviant" - and if Arab sexuality is so category-free, what precisely is the shaadh deviating from? - Intolerant cruelty: "Five years after the tide turned against homosexuals in Egypt with the infamous Queen Boat trial, a book delving into the underground and taboo world occupied by gays and lesbians in the Middle East has just been published..."

Book Review: Unspeakable Love: "Unspeakable Love has repeatedly been called "groundbreaking", and in many ways it is. Never before has such a comprehensive study of gay civil rights been published, or so widely available to the public... First, I'm not sure if I agree with lumping modern Arab societies into one whole. The modern states are so different, and there has been an orientalist history of blurring the Arab people into one united, faceless mass... For the interviews that Whitaker cites as research, his selection of people seems like a skimming of fat from a bucket of milk. They are almost all male, almost all in their twenties, and seem to be from higher classes of society. When I went to the book opening at the Zico House in Beirut in March, it was clear that Whitaker did not speak very good Arabic. He seems to have done all the interviews himself, which explains this problem: young, gay, wealthy men are the easiest segment of gay society for someone like Whitaker to find. They are more likely to speak English, have more social freedom, and go to places where a Westerner can find them. Unfortunately, they are hardly representative, and thus give a skewed view of gay life in the Middle East, as does the fact that they are from the Levant and Egypt, which are very different from the Gulf. The Levant and Egypt, sadly, dominate the book, leaving everyday gay life in the Gulf shadowed in uncertainty..." - People think it's a mental illness:"In the Middle East, coming out as a homosexual is often unthinkable. Brian Whitaker talks to young gay and lesbian Arabs about their secret private lives."  - Unspeakable Love: New Book on Gay Arabs gives voice to gay Arabs: "To his credit, Whitaker does not shy away from but rather dives into the murky questions surrounding homosexuality in the Middle East. Is homosexuality a Western import and a sign of modernity's moral decay? How does that square with the Orientalist fantasy of the Middle East as a lush gay paradise? How do young people today distinguish between homosexuality as a practice and homosexuality as a self-proclaimed identity? ... Three things become palpably clear from reading the book. The first is that social attitudes are the single-most mind-crushing factor for young men and women in Arab world who are trying to deal with the fact that they are attracted to members of the same sex. More so than legal statutes or religious edicts, the pressure to marry is what pushes many of these young men and women to the breaking point. The second is that because not only homosexuality in particular but sexuality in general remain so stubbornly taboo in the Middle East, there is a dangerous dearth of reliable information, education and counseling available for gay men, lesbian women and their respective families... The third is that the push for gay rights in the region is very much tied to wider issues of social and political reform. "It's not just about gay rights," says Whitaker. "It's about the whole issue of reform, and reform is not just about elections."

Re-Orienting Desire: The Gay International and the Arab World. by Joseph Massad (Public Culture, 2002, 14(2): 361-385). Excerpt: "By inciting discourse about homosexuals where none existed before, the Gay International is in fact heterosexualizing a world that is being forced to be fixed by a Western binary. Because most non-Western civilizations, including Muslim Arab civilization, have not subscribed historically to these categories, their imposition is producing less than liberatory outcomes: men who are considered the passive or receptive parties in male-male sexual contacts are forced to have one object choice and identify as homosexual or gay, just as men who are the "active" partners are also forced to limit their sexual aim to one object choice, women or men. Most "active" partners see themselves as part of a societal norm, so heterosexuality becomes compulsory given that the alternative, as presented by the Gay International, means becoming marked outside the norm—with all the attendant risks and disadvantages of such a marking. Also, most Arab and Muslim countries that do not have laws against sexual contact between men respond to the Gay International's incitement to discourse by professing antihomosexual stances on a nationalist basis. This is leading to harassment by police in some cases and could lead to antihomosexual legislation. Those countries that already have unenforced laws have begun to enforce them. Ironically, this is the very process through which "homosexuality" was invented in the West. It is not the Gay International or its upper-class supporters in the Arab diaspora who will be persecuted but rather the poor and nonurban men who practice same-sex contact and who do not identify as homosexual or gay. The so-called passive homosexual whom the Gay International wants to defend against social denigration will find himself in a double bind: first, his sexual desires will be unfulfilled because he will no longer have access to his previously available sexual object choice (i.e., exclusively active partners, as in the interim they will have become heterosexual); and second, he will fall victim to legal and police persecution as well as heightened social denigration as his sexual practice becomes a topic of public discourse that transforms it from a practice into an identity. When the Gay Internationalincites discourse on homosexuality in the non-Western world, it claims that the "liberation" of those it defends lies in the balance. In espousing this liberation project, the Gay Internationalis destroying social and sexual configurations of desire in the interest of reproducing a world in its own image, one wherein its sexual categories and desires are safe from being questioned. Because it has solicited and received some support from Arab and Muslim native informants who are mostly located in the United States and who accept its sexual categories and identities, the Gay International's imperialist epistemological task is proceeding apace with little opposition from the majority of the sexual beings it wants to "liberate" and whose social and sexual worlds it is destroying in the process. In undertaking this universalizing project, the Gay Internationalultimately makes itself feel better about a world it forces to share its identifications. Its missionary achievement, however, will be the creation not of a queer planet but rather a straight one." - Note: The present western "gay" concept for male homosexuality is a recent socially constructed invention and there have been great ongoing efforts to destroy other socially constructed forms of male homosexuality that are decreed to be inferior to (less than) the western "gay" concept. An example of this is embodied in this paper: "Suck My Nation - Masculinity, Ethnicity and the Politics of (Homo)sex" - by Sasho A. Lambevski (Sexualities, 1999, 2(4): 397-419). Abtstract. Full Text: PDF Download).

Muslim Cultural Resources for the gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender people. - Gay and Lesbian Arabs: Resources. 

Judaism

Why Judaism Rejected Homosexuality. - Sodomy, Rape, Homosexuality and the Jewish Family. - Judaism and Homosexuality. - The Jewish GLBT Manual: Some of our stories... - Judaism and Homosexuality - Traditional Judaism and Rabbi Boteach. - Orthodox Jewish responses to homosexuality. - Homosexuality and Conservative Judaism: A resolution of the Rabbinical Assembly. - Positions of other streams of Judaism on GLBT issues. - Conservative Judaism Catches Up. - Rabbis attack gay inclusion in Shoah museum. - Judaism and Homosexuality: Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, Member of The Chief Rabbi's Cabinet. - The gay question and the Jewish question: "At the same time as the Conservative Movement's Committee on Law and Standards reached its groundbreaking decision of recognition of same-sex union and on the ordination of openly gay rabbis, the Knesset voted against the registration of same-sex couples who were married abroad. The Conservative Movement, the second biggest Jewish denomination in America, is not the first to tackle the "gay question," socially and halakhically. The Reform Movement had already humanized the LGBT community: Reform rabbis perform marriages of same-sex couples as a matter of routine. Fifteen Jewish LGBT congregations flourish in North America..."

Homosexuality and its role in Judaism: An argument for acceptance of gay and lesbian Jews in leadership positions within observant congregations. -  Judaism, Homosexuality, and Political Activism: Analyzing the Need for Diversity in Approaching Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Politics. - Judaism, Homosexuality, and Psychology. -  A full issue on the topic Judaism, Homosexuality and Civilization. - Dennis Prager writes... - Dennis Prager: A Profile. - Dennis Prager Moralist Philosopher Talk Show Host. - Position Papers on Homosexuality and Judaism. - Jews and Alternative Lifestyles: A Halakhic Proposition for the Orthodox Jew (An essay specifically addressing the religious, social, and legal issues that are of concern to lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals seeking marriage commitments within the Jewish community. Jews and Alternative Lifestyles clearly demonstrates that  halakhically (by Jewish Law) the Torah demands the sanctification of gay, lesbian, and bisexual marriages, and further encourages the entire Jewish community to support the civil and sacred responsibilities of edifying committed relationships.). - US Jewish movement moves to allow gay rabbis: The Conservative Jewish movement, the faith's American-based middle ground between liberalism and orthodoxy, is nearing a leadership decision that seems likely to permit openly gay rabbis and same-sex unions. - Those Rabbis Are, Like, SO GAY: Jewish Seminary to Accept Gays and Lesbians. - Jewish Seminary to Allow Gay Applicants.  - Can There Be Gay Conservative Jewish Rabbis?..The Bible Says "Sexual Perversion."

Gay Orthodox Rabbi Peels Back His Life: ""Like peeling an onion," Rabbi Steven Greenberg said, about the process of coming out. The first openly gay Orthodox rabbi, he initially wrote about his sexuality under a pseudonym, Rabbi Yaakov Levado (meaning Jacob Alone), for Tikkun magazine in 1993 and then in 1999 came out publicly in an interview in the Israeli newspaper, Ma’ariv. Greenberg, who appears prominently in the award-winning film, "Trembling Before G-d," now tells the story of his own journey and also offers new readings of traditional Jewish texts related to homosexuality, and argues for gay and lesbian inclusion in the Orthodox community in his first book. "Wrestling With God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition" (University of Wisconsin), he said, is the peeling back of another layer.

Sandi Simcha DuBowski's remarkable documentary 'Trembling before G-d' examines the issue...Here's the conflict, though: ultra-Orthodox Judaism interprets the Law to condemn homosexuality, while their bodies tell them it's the most natural thing in the world. Segments of the Hassidic and Orthodox communities consider homosexuality a sickness at best, and at worst, a sin worthy of banishment from family and community. -  Gay Orthodox Jews in the Movies: Trembling Before G-d, directed by Sandi Simcha DuBowski. Produced by Sandi Simcha  DuBowski and Marc Smolowitz. A New Yorker Films release, 2001. 

Jewish Lesbianism. - Lesbian "Rabbis" Await a New Generation: (Alternate Link) Related to a Book Review of "Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation". - Toward Wholeness: New anthology celebrates the stories of 18 lesbian rabbis. - Jewish Lesbian Daughters of Holocaust Survivors. - Jewish Lesbians. - Lesbian Jewish folk singer Alix Dobkin. - Alix Dobkin: Lesbian Musician and Feminist Icon. - Building Jewish lesbian culture. - Lesbian Women Abound in the Reform Judaism College. - Multivalent voices: gay and lesbian artists who are also Jewish search for ways to address questions of ethnicity and sexuality in their work - Identity Politics. - To be or not to be Jewish, lesbian, feminist. 

Twice Blessed - The Jewish GLBT Archives Online:  Everything Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender and Jewish  -  World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations. - Congregation Beth El Binah (Dallas, Texas). - Jewish Gay and Lesbian Group (UK). - Sex: What Does Judaism Have to Say About It? Review of two books N/A. (Related Books) - Jewish GLBT Books. - Jewish & Lesbian Books. - Resources and Support for Orthodox Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People. - Bibliography: By, For, and/or about Jewish Lesbian/Bisexual Women.   

The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Subject: Jewish Images). 

Buddhism

Dalai Lama says "oral and anal sex' not acceptable "Buddhists Agonize Over an Apparent Reversal of Non-Judgmental Attitudes. Apologists Say Leader's Statement Applies to Heterosexuals As Well." - "Update: The Dalai Lama and Sexual Minorities: A Personal View": (Alternate Link) "As a gay Buddhist activist who personally met with and questioned the Dalai Lama in 1997 about his reiteration of "traditional" buddhist sexual misconduct ethics, I read sadly in Newsweek's "Lama to the Globe" (August 16,1999) that "Although he has affirmed the dignity and rights of gays and lesbians, he has condemned homosexual acts as contrary to Buddhist ethics." Unfortunately, in the past decade, he has repeatedly stated in publications, in public talks, and in international press interviews that non-vaginal sex including masturbation is "wrong and against Buddhist ethics" for any human being "of good faith", not just homosexual buddhists... The Dalai Lama is not a "Buddhist Pope,'" makes no claims to infallibility based on his position or any "divinely revealed scripture," and as one Tibetan Buddhist teacher, cannot speak authoritatively for other Buddhist teaching lineages, such as Theravada and Zen. He also makes no claim to being a "Living Buddha", nor to having the spiritual or political authority to make any unilateral decisions for changing Buddhist traditional teachings... Not knowing when, where or even if these teachings came directly from the Buddha, the Dalai Lama's persistent "wrong sex" teachings marginalize the behavior and full humanity of sexual minorities and others and contribute to the worldwide atmosphere of permission for harmful psychological, spiritual, and social violence against them. The fundamentalist Christian Right in the United States is already quoting the Dalai Lama's sexual misconduct statements in their literature opposing gay civil unions, partnership rights, and marriage. This atmosphere of permission also leads to acts of ongoing and often horrific physical violence against the world's sexual minorities, including murder -- all the farthest results from the Dalai Lama's genuinely deep good intentions for all beings..." - On Homosexuality and Sex in General. (Alternate Link)

Gay/Straight, Man/Woman, Self/Other" What Would the Buddha Have Had to Say About Gay Liberation? An interview with Jose Cabezon (Alternate Link): "on June 11, 1997, in San Francisco, gay Buddhist activists met with H. H. the Dalai Lama to take the revered Tibetan Buddhist leader to task for his position that gay sexuality was in violation of Buddhist sexual ethics. In his book Beyond Dogma, the Dalai Lama cites Buddhist rules that classify homosexual activity as misconduct. For practicing Buddhists, the indisputable implication of this contemporary publication was that if one were gay and sexually active, one couldn't be a Buddhist in good standing. Faithful gay Buddhists were upset.... I wondered what Cabezon would have to say. He is a vocal advocate of gay rights and has been a disciplined Buddhist monk. He knows the classical Buddhist texts and has met many of the great modern Tibetan teachers. At the same time, he has studied gay history and is involved with the pressing social issues raised by contemporary gay culture. Is our identification with our sexual preference a key element in our spiritual pursuit? Is the liberation of our sexual identity part and parcel of our spiritual liberation? What is the relationship between being gay and enlightenment?... In the West, in large part as a result of Freud's influence, we tend to see the development of our identity as intimately linked to sexuality and to sexual desire. Buddhism would question that. From a Buddhist point of view, our conventional sense of self, our ordinary notion of who we are, does not depend upon gender or sexual differentiation. Our sense of self is more basic than, and arises prior to, our identification as male or female, straight or gay. It arises as a result of the distinction between self and other... As I mentioned, I think that many Westerners tend to overidentify with their gender and sexual orientation. We tend to think that our true self is intimately linked to who we are as gendered and sexual beings, and so we tend to think that the answer to our spiritual quest must be grounded in our gender and our sexuality. I don't hold this view... I would go so far as to say that. Whatever the case at the conventional level, ultimately one's identity as male or female and one's sexual orientation are irrelevant to the spiritual path, in part because at the ultimate level, those distinctions have to be left behind. They have to be transcended. Now, as I mentioned before, that doesn't mean that there isn't a place for these distinctions at the conventional level. For example, sexual orientation can act as a catalyst for bringing people together in mutually supportive spiritual communities... First of all, let me say that even among gay writers today there is considerable debate regarding the extent to which sexuality and sexual expression are a necessary part of gay identity. Many gay writers raise the question of whether the claim that it is has, in fact, had negative consequences, like fueling the fires of AIDS. This is a debated issue even in the North American gay community. There have always been voices in the gay liberation movement that have questioned the essentializing of a "gay identity" in any way. So, for example, to say, "Sexual self-expression is an essential part of gay identity"—that it must be this way—I find problematic. I don't believe that sexual self-expression is essential to being a gay person. To say that it is essential is to make celibate gay men and women somehow less gay, which is both logically absurd and ethically problematic, as if to say, "You don't count as a real gay person." ... I don't know if it's possible to generalize but, in retrospect, I'm quite convinced that in my own case, the most effective way of sustaining a spiritual program is through celibacy. Now don't get me wrong, I'm far from being celibate at this stage in my life. But I still hold celibacy as an ideal, and I have tremendous respect for those who can keep to the discipline of celibacy... You know, this might go back again to what I think is almost a Western obsession with sexual identity and gender differences or gender identity. It's said in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist texts that an understanding of nonduality, of emptiness, brings about greater compassion. I think that the most tangible result of seeing through gender, of seeing through the distinctions of male and female, gay and straight, manifests itself in a kind of equanimity of compassionate action in regard to all creatures. All distinctions, not only gender distinctions—beautiful, ugly, fat, thin, intelligent, ignorant—form the basis for restricting our compassionate action. I think a person who has truly seen the empty nature of these distinctions, including male/female, gay/straight, would exhibit the kind of equanimity in their life that does not distinguish between human beings."

Gay Love as a Spiritual Path: Divine Eroticism: "Encountering the divine through the erotic is one of the best-known and yet least-understood aspect of Tantra. Compared with monastic celibacy, Tantric sexuality may seem the patently more appealing option. Enjoying an exciting sex partner would seem preferable to abstaining from sex entirely. Unless, of course, the goal is God realization, experience of the divine Self... In Tantric philosophy divine eroticism expresses itself at every level of being and awareness. At the gross, physical level we experience the erotic through the instinctual drives that are rooted in our biological being, hunger, sexual desire, physical comfort, and through sense perception. At the subtle level the erotic gets expressed as thought, feeling, and imagination. At a subtler spiritual level the erotic connects us with the divine being in an intimate relationship. At the deepest spiritual level all forms, identities, and aspirations merge into one Being. The ecstatic aspirant does not automatically give up the lower expressions to try to experience the higher, as ascetics do, but strives to apprehend the divine erotic presence in every expression. As his experience of the divine deepens, however, the gross expressions drop away of themselves, finding their fulfillment in a more comprehensive experience. The sexual desire for a particular body type, for example, gets replaced by a generalized love for all beings that is experienced as more pleasurable, more deeply satisfying than any less-comprehensive experience. The ecstatic aspirant literally follows his bliss, never resting satisfied until he reaches the Source of bliss within and without..."  - A Dialogue with Rev. Briones on the Issue of Homosexuality and Buddhism. (Alternate Link) - Gay sex in Buddhism.

Forbidden fruit in the forbidden land. (Alternate Link) (Part 2): "As the first Western journalist to interview gays in Tibet...:"

 Thai Buddhist accounts of male homosexuality and AIDS in the 1980s. (Alternate Link) - At Midlife in Medieval Japan: PDF File (Japanese Journal of Religious Studies-1999-26/1–2).

Queer Dharma: "QueerDharma is a safe space for our LGBTQ community to gather, listen, discuss, and encourage Buddhist meditation practice and spiritual growth. By cultivating a network of queer practitioners, we can study and play together, foster relationships, spread wakefulness, and develop confidence in our basic goodness" ... Articles. - Gay Zen Buddhist Group: Gay Zen LA. - Buddhism and Gay/Lesbian Sexuality. - Gay Men's Buddhist Sangha. - The Buddhist AIDS Project (BAP) N/A.

Dharma-Dykes Web Site: Dharma-Dykes Links. - Lesbian Buddhist e Sangha:  Links to Lesbian Buddhist Websites & Other Websites Related to Women & Buddhism. - Ven. Sarika Dharma:  Ven. Sarika Dharma was a Zen Buddhist monk for over eighteen years. Her duties as head monk at the International Buddhist Meditation Center in Los Angeles included training novices, teaching classes, giving dharma talks, and leading retreats.

Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender - 1992 - edited by Jose Ignacio Cabezon. - Gay Buddhist Fellowship: Includes GBF Newsletter Archive. - Desert Gay Buddhist: Buddhism & Sexuality: Some Notes/Articles on Buddhist Views of Sexual Minority Orientation and Behavior.

Buddhist Internet Resources & Books. - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgenderism in the Buddhist World: Links. (Alternate Link) - Articles: - Pitaka: Links to Homosexuality Related Online Articles. - Books: Mystics, myths, symbols, and gay Buddhists.
 

Hinduism

Homosexuality and Hinduism (Wikipedia): "Hindu views of homosexuality are diverse, as Hinduism is a heterogeneous religion with no central doctrinal authority. Same-sex relations and gender variance have been represented within Hinduism from Vedic times through to the present day, in rituals, law books, religious narratives, commentaries, paintings and sculptures. In Hindu society, there are four worthy goals, in human life, the Purusharthas, 1) dharma, 2) artha, 3) kama and 4) moksha, in that order. While Hindus texts on dharma, artha and moksa mention homosexuality only briefly, the Kama scriptures describe it in much detail, more so than any other of the world's great religions... The Vedas, which form the foundation of Hinduism for most, do not refer explicitly to homosexuality but do refer to Kama and deep love between men. Mythologist and author Devdutt Pattanaik summarised the place of homosexuality in Hindu literature: "though not part of the mainstream, its existence was acknowledged but not approved." People of a third gender (tritiya-prakrti), neither men nor women, are referred to throughout the literature, and modern readers often draw parallels between these and modern lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sexual identities." - Homosexuality and Hinduism: In general, then, the Hindu evaluation of homosexuality depends heavily on the context.

Homosexuality and Hinduism: "Hindu texts have discussed variations in gender and sexuality for over two millennia. Like the erotic sculptures on ancient Hindu temples at Khajuraho and Konarak, sacred texts in Sanskrit constitute irrefutable evidence that the whole range of sexual behavior was known to ancient Hindus. As Saleem Kidwai and Ruth Vanita demonstrated in Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History, traditions of representing same-sex desire in literature and art continued in medieval Hinduism as well as Indian Islam. When Europeans arrived in India, they were shocked by Hinduism, which they termed idolatrous, and by the range of sexual practices, including same-sex relations, which they labeled licentious. British colonial rulers wrote modern homophobia into education, law and politics. A marginal homophobic trend in pre-colonial India thus became dominant in modern India. Indian nationalists, including Hindus, internalized Victorian ideals of heterosexual monogamy and disowned indigenous traditions that contravened those ideals. Nevertheless, those traditions persisted, for example, in the very visible communities of hijras, transgendered males who have a semi-sacred status and often engage in sexual relations with men." - Hinduism by glbtq.com .

Discussions on Dharma: From the language of puja and the Trinity to organ donation and gay marriage, the Mela's religious leaders offer their sagely opinions: "Gay marriage: This question got our reporter Rajiv in a lot of trouble. Several people tried to talk him out of asking it altogether, but he explained that the editors of Hinduism Today in America sought the Hindu position on the subject as it is an issue, even in the current presidential elections. Suffice it to say that most of the swamis opposed the concept of a Hindu-sanctified "gay marriage." Swami Pragyanand, for example, said, "Gay marriages do not fit with our culture and heritage. All those people who are raising demand for approving such marriages in India are doing so under the influence of the West. Sanatana Dharma has no place for such marriages, and we do not even discuss it." Juna Peethadheeshwar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshananda Giri Ji Maharaj called the concept "so unnatural, uncommon and unusual." Others were conciliatory, such as Shri Mahant Madhusudan Giri of Avahan Akhara, popularly known as Nepali Baba. He expounded, "Today people are even changing their sexes. They want a lot of freedom, and this freedom is available to them. So if they choose to live in a particular way out of the consent of two grown up people, how can we stop them?" Ram Puri gave an insightful answer, "There is a principle in all Hindu law that local always has precedence. In other words, the general rules and the general laws are always overruled by a local situation. I do not think that this is something that is decided on a theoretical level. We do not have a rule book in Hinduism. We have a hundred million authorities." The most liberal opinion came from Pandit Shailendra Shri Sheshnarayan Ji Vaidyaka. He reasoned, "Whatever is done in a hidden manner becomes a wrong act and is treated as a sin. But whatever is done openly does invite criticism for some time but ultimately gains acceptance. Why not give them the liberty to live in their own way, if they are going to do it anyway? After all, we have kinnars, eunuchs, who have been accepted by the society. Similarly these people can also be accepted. Like we have a kinnar samaj, eunuch society, we can have a gay samaj."

"Wedding of two souls": same-sex marriage and Hindu traditions: "For more than two decades, I also collected every reference to homosexuality in India that I came across in books, magazines, and newspapers. In 1995, historian Saleem Kidwai (who had been making a similar collection) and I began to work on what became the book Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History. (2) This collection of translations from texts in fifteen Indian languages composed over a period of more than two thousand years, along with editorial essays contextualizing and analyzing them, exposes as false the myth that same-sex desire is unknown in traditional Indian culture. Kidwai and I conclusively demonstrated that same-sex love and romantic friendship flourished in ancient and medieval India in various forms, without any extended history of persecution. We also found textual evidence of marriagelike unions, an area that I further explore in my forthcoming book, Love's' Rite: Same-Sex Marriage and Its Antecedents in India and the West." - Saleem Kidwai Uncovers the Many Faces of Gay India: "You know, there are many in the West as well as in India and elsewhere who see homoeroticism as a 'Western import.' This false cliche held by colonialists and post-colonial ultra-nationalists, by right-wingers and leftists of whatever stripe, is powerfully challenged in Same-Sex Love in India. You and Ruth Vanita have done a great job of uncovering gay texts throughout Indian history, from the ancient Hindu Shastras to the present..."

The Man Who Was a Woman and Other Queer Tales of Hindu Lore - 2001 - by Devdutt Pattanaik (Compiler) - Interview with Author: Mythologist from Mumbai: Devdutt Pattanaik queers Hindu Lore. - Review:  "The Man Who Was a Woman is a thoroughly engaging and insightful work which I feel sure that anyone with an abiding interest in the often complex relationship between a culture and its myths will find engrossing and delightful. You don't have to be queer to enjoy this book, but if you are, then then this is definitely not to be missed!" - Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik's Web Site. (Old Homepage: Haworth Information on Book. - Related Information & Conclusion of Book.). - Homosexuality in Ancient India by Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik.(Alternate Link).

A Spiritual Bloomsbury: Hinduism and Homosexuality in the Lives and Writings of Edward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, and Christopher Isherwood - 2006 - by Antony Copley. - Gay Tantra - 2001 - by William Schindler. - Tantra for Gay Men - 2002- by Bruce Anderson. - The Gay Man's Kama Sutra - 2004 - by Terry Sanderson and Kat Harding. - Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures (Perverse Modernities) - 2005 - by Gayatri Gopinath and Gayatri Gopinath.

Fear and loathing in gay India: "Throughout South Asia, homosexuality has been a taboo subject. There are signs in some areas that gay people are now becoming more open in their behaviour. In the first of a series of articles from the region, the BBC's Soutik Biswas looks at gay life in India...  The 145-year-old colonial Indian Penal Code clearly describes a same sex relationship as an "unnatural offence". In a largely patriarchal society, lesbians bear the brunt of social ostracisation and the law more than gay men. In many states, lesbians have taken their lives after facing harassment at home and outside... Comments: " It is evident from the Kamasutra and the sculptures at Kajuraho that ancient Hindu India recognized and probably accepted homosexual practices. It was only the advent of the intolerant puritanical Islamic and Christian conquerors of India that has brought Indians to their present despicable state of intolerance of homosexuality and for that matter anything that is not orthodox. Hinduism is a tolerant religion but Indians are not a tolerant people." - Gay India 2001-03: Many Faces, Secret Traditions and Bold New Times. - Closet Drama: Caught between harsh laws and cultural conservativeness, Indian gays often lead lives of frightened secrecy. But now hopes are high they may be on the brink of a legal breakthrough. - Gays in India closeted by caste and class: "The Indian gay male community that exists at the moment is made up of privileged middle and upper class men who keep in contact through a private net-work. Everyone is married - or at least expected to be. Homosexuals of other classes may be tolerated on the margins of this group for sexual purposes...  The real Indian gay man has yet to surface in strength to challenge the prevailing heterosexist culture and the mythology of the family."

Lesbians vs. Gays vs. Hinduism vs. Modernity? The conflicts facing alternate sexuality: "Though I am not a Sanghi, I am a faithful Hindu. I therefore appeal to you to stop targeting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) communities as a foreign lifestyle issue. If you read the Vedas, the Puranas and the Itihaasas, you’ll find that LGBT communities existed even then. There are over 10 genders of males mentioned in our sacred literature; there are more sophisticated definitions than in any other civilisation, whereas the West only had binary definitions like homosexual and heterosexual. It was only in India that we recognised and cherished different kinds of sexualities as valid. LGBT identities were never brushed under the carpet. Homosexuals were never stoned to death or even persecuted in Hindu India or even in the worst days of Aurangzeb, the Mughal bigot. It is only with the advent of the British, during their brutal Raj, that homosexuality was criminalised under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. This law was ironically enacted by Lord Macaulay and comes from Leviticus in the St James’ Bible. So you see, hatred for homosexuals (homophobia) is nota Hindu tradition..."

GALVA-108: Gay and Lesbian Vaishnava Association, an international organization dedicated to the teachings of Lord Caitanya, the importance of all-inclusiveness within His mission, and the Vedic concept of a natural third gender. Its purpose is to educate Vaishnavas, Hindus and the public in general about the “third sex” as described in Vedic literatures. This knowledge will help to correct many of the common misconceptions that people hold today concerning third-gender people (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders, the intersexed, etc.). In addition to this, GALVA wishes to provide a friendly and positive-oriented place where third-gender devotees and guests can associate together and utilize their time to learn more about Krsna consciousness and advance in spiritual life. - Articles:  Tritiya-Prakriti: People of the Third Sex. - Hindu Deities and the Third Sex. - Modern Biology and the Concept of a “Third Sex”: Improving Our Understanding of Intersex Conditions and Homosexual Behavior. - Conversations Between Srila Prabhupada and Allen Ginsberg. - India’s Slow Descent Into Homophobia. - Is Your Temple “Gay-Friendly”?

Dagara Tribe Spirtuality

Gate Keeper: PrimaSounds: In this CD the music serves as a kind of gatekeeper, sonically opening and closing the gates into other dimensions... the Dagara, and their spokeman in the U.S., Malidoma Some, who inspired this CD... Gate Keeper contains five songs, each running ten minutes, designed to guide the listener into ten different visionary experiences or dimensions. The name Gate Keeper was taken from the Shamanic culture of the Dagara Tribe located in the heart of West Central Africa. "Gatekeeper" is the title given by the Dagara to the Shamans who open and close the dimensional gates between alternate worlds and realities. According to Dagara cosmology there are five basic kinds of gates that a Shaman may travel through. In each dimension there are countless different worlds and realities, only some of which have been explored by man. The Gatekeepers know the five portals well, and know how to open and close the gates for their fellow shaman to enter and explore. This cosmology was made known to Ralph through his friendship with Malidoma and Sobonfu Somé, shamans from the Dagara Tribe. In this CD the music itself serves as a kind of gatekeeper, sonically opening and closing the gates into other dimensions. Each of the five songs on the CD is designed to open a different inner gate which the listener can then choose to enter. Once through, the path branches into two directions, one down and one up. The first worlds are lower - the microcosm - representing contact with levels of consciousness that are part of our own. Traditionally these are called the underground worlds: (1) Fire, (2) Mineral, (3) Water-Plants, (4) Nature-Animal, and (5) the Earth itself, Gaia. Each gate also has an upward heavenly direction - the macrocosm. These are realities where consciousness which is more evolved and expanded than our own can be found. Traditionally these are called the heavenly worlds: (6) Ancestors, (7) Elementals, (8) Angels, (9) Muses, and (10) Being in the Universe. All ten worlds go together in a kind of evolutionary "ladder of creation," referred to for instance in the Bible as "Jacobs Ladder." A complete description of these songs-gates and dimensions will be contained in Ralph's forthcoming book on PrimaSounds. By intense listening to Gate Keeper you can find these five portals within. You can choose to enter and fly, much like a Shaman in trance. It is like jumping through a hoop into another world. There visions and messages of all kinds can be received. New worlds and dimensions can be explored. This can stimulate creativity, self knowledge, and provide lasting contact with intelligences of all kinds from all over the Universe. This is a kind of sacred blessing, not a pandoras box. So don't worry, the sonic portals are a one way door; only you can pass in and out, and it won't happen against your intentions or desires. If a session gets too intense, you can return to "normal consciousness" at any time fairly easily and quickly.

What about Patrice Malidome Somé saying that "there are no words for homosexuality", and that homosexuals are the "gatekeepers" of the underworld? (Must Scroll: # 6)  In precolonial Dahomey, there were "no words for homosexuality" as well. All earlier words that refered to homosexuality were foreign imports largely by the Arabs and Europeans. Additionally, in Dahomean Vodoun the "Gate keepers" that Patrice Malidome Somé makes reference to, are known as "Tohossous." The Tohossou are children who are born physically and mentally challenged, for example "drawfism, or the famed Enuchs" who make-up the bulk of Tohossous. More specifically, those who are designated as the "gate keepers" come directly from the Royal families and blood lineage's in Dahomey (and now in the diaspora), and it is they who act as the guardian of anyone who is born mentally or physically challenged, and it is also they [royal Tohossous] who actually sit at the "crossroads" of the underworld between the living and the Ancestors. There is no historical record of a lineage of homosexuals designated as Tohossous, nor are there any today in Togo, Benin or Ghana. Unfortunately,though Patrice Malidome Som� [who is not an actual priest] has become very popular, and makes a good living in the West, he has earned the opposite reputation among many priests in West Africa due to his misrepresentation, and the unfortunate confusion his statements (if quoted correctly), has made on this issue for all concerned. Click here (Alternate Link) for more information on the history of the "gatekeepers" in Dahomean Vodoun." (Alternate Link)

Voodoo/Vodou/Vodoun

Wicca / Paganism

Other Religions:

Gay/Lesbian Sprituality

Gay Spirit Visions Fall Conference Keynote Address - 1999 "Words, Birds, Numbers & Roses" by Andrew Ramer. - Queer Spirit: On Sexual Identity as Help and Hindrance. - A new spirituality for gays. - Gay Lesbians & Bisexuals and Spirituality Papers. - Gay Spirituality: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness. - Spirit & Flesh: Web Site dedicated to helping gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) people grow in their relationship with God and with one another. - The spiritual roots of homosexuality. - Homosexuality & Spirituality. - Ka Le'a O Ke Ola: A Forum on Kanaka Maoli Culture, Sexuality, and Spirituality. - Reuniting Sexuality and Spirituality. (Alternate Link) - Mystics, Myths, Symbols & Gay Buddhists: Book List & Review. - Adelaide hosts first ever Queer Spirituality Festival. 

Gay Spirituality & Religious Resources. - AstroStar's Books on Gay and Lesbian Spirituality. - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Spirituality Bibliography. - GLBT Spirituality Resources. - Outspirit: Spiritual Resources for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People. - Visionary: The Journa of gay spirit visions.

Search GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Search BGLAD. - Search the QRD. - Search all GLBT Resource Directories. - Search Google.com. - Search Google Scholar. - Search Google's G:LBT Directory. - MSN Search. - Search findarticles.com: many full text articles and papers.

Bisexuality

Transgender / Transsexual / Intersexual

Transgendered Christians. - Transsexual Methodist Minister Leaves Denomination. (Alternate Link) - Unitarian Universalists' GLBT Resources: - Transgender Pastoral Care (PDF Downloads Available). - Transgender 102. - Transgender Pastoral Care by Sarah I. Gibb (PDF Download) (PDF Download). - Emergence Ministries is dedicated to serving the spiritual and physical  needs of the transgendered community. - Bomis: The Society/Transgendered/Spirituality ring. - Hermaphrodeities: The Transgender Spirituality Workbook - 2002 - by Raven Brangwyn Kaldera (Related Information).

Intersex Support Group International: God's Unique Creation.

Resources

F. Kenneth Freedman:  - Gay & Lesbian Mental Health (Part 1) - Part 2. - Faith, Identity, and Gay & Lesbian Awakening. - Spiritual / Sacred Psychology. - Multicultural Counseling. - Ecopsychology. His 1998 Master's Thesis - Rainbow Bridges: Counseling with Gays and Lesbians, Paying Particular Attention to Cultural, Spiritual, and Psychological "Otherness" - is available as a download "thesis.doc" file via the Home Page.

White Crane: A Journal of Gay Men's Spirituality  (New Link) -  Whosoever: An online magazine for GLBT Christians.  -  Gay Theological Journal/Homosexual Perspectives on Religion & The Scriptures. - glbtq.com: Spirituality. 

Mel White's - "Justice Net." - Justice Net Archives. - Mel White "Soulforce.org" site. - Against All Odd: A Reflection on Soulforce at Lynchburg. - 1998 Diversity Conference (Alberta) Embracing Spirituality Embracing Sexuality. - The Ultimate "Planet Out" Guide to Queer Movies (Subject: Religion / Spirituality).

Critical Reflections: Thoughtful People Sharing Ideas: Sexualitiy. - Queer Asian Spirit: Writings. - The pioneering books of John J. McNeill: The Landmark Trilogy of Books on Gay and Lesbian Liberation, Self-Acceptance and Spiritual Maturity.

Religion Links: - QRD: Religion/Judeo-Christian Link. - QRD: Religion/ Judeo-Christian/ Protestantism Links. - Gay Theological Journal N/A. - Pridelinks - Open Directory. - Google.com  - Netgai / religion et spiritualité. - Gay at Messiah.org Resources. - The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry.  - Homosexuality and Christianity Links. - Religious/ Christian/ Denominational Links. - GaySpirituality Links. - White Crane list of gay spirituality web sites. - Gay Religion and Spirituality Links. - Gay Spirituality Links. - Young, gay, and struggling with spirituality? - Bent Links: Gay lesbian bisexual transgender spirituality and religion.

Resources: - Whosoever Magazine - Bridges Across  - Gay: Religion: Most of the articles focuses on how gay issues relate to Christianity, specifically to the New Testament. - The Free Net article listing: gay/religion. - Gay Lesbians & Bisexuals and Spirituality Papers. - Baptist Resources. - Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Religion Documents. - Internet Resources: Gay & Lesbian Religious Organizations. - Gay Spirituality & Religious Resources. - Holy Union Resources. - Links: GLBT Spirituality and GLBT Indianapolis. - Queer Asian Spirit. - House of Saadaya: A Call to Remember Our Spiritual Legacy... "If, today, we are suffering from a gradual ecological waste, this is simply because the gatekeepers have been fired from their job" - Malidoma Somé.  - Gay Spirituality & Culture. - Homosexuality and Spirituality: A Wisdom Archive on Homosexuality and Spirituality. - The Gay Spirituality of Toby Johnson. - Spirituality and Paganism: A Gay View: Essays. - Catholic Ministry with Gay and Lesbian Persons: Resources. - Cristianos Gays (Translation).

Bibliograhies / Book Lists: Gay-MART: Books - Spirituality & Religion. - Bibliography: Lesbian and Gay Theology. - Books on Gay and Lesbian Spirituality. - Religion and Spirituality. - FTM Intl - TG Spirit Bibliography. - Suggested Reading List On Christians and Homosexuality. - Open and Affirming Church Homes. - Gay and Christian?: A LesBiGay Bibliography. - American Anglican Council: Bibliography on Marriage & Sexuality. - Books on same-sex marriage. - Whosoever Book List. - Books on Religion and the GLBT Community. - Books on GLBT Spirituality. - Non­Fiction Books:  Religion and Spirituality. - Queer Religion Bibliography. - GLBT/Church Issues Bibliography. Amazon: Gay/Lesbian Spirituality Books. - Shannon's Queer Spirituality Bibliography. - Five queer spirituality authors honored as Lambda Literary Awards finalists: 2004. - Sexuality & Spirituality Resources. - A Catholic Bibliography on Gay Issues. - Geoffrey's gay/religious bibliography. - Bibliography  on the Biblical Interpretation of passages on homosexuality. - Ritter & Terndrup GLBT Bibliography: Spirituality, Traditional Religion. - A Catholic Bibliography on LGBT Issues. - Pastoral Care Resources: Books. - A Catholic Bibliography on Gay Issues. - GLBT Religion & Spirituality - A Selective Bibliography: 2006–2010.

Finalists for the annual Lambda Literary Awards: 2007, 2006 (Winners), 2005 (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 2004 (Winners & Nominees), 2003 (Winners & Nominees), 2002 (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 2001 (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 2000 (Winners) (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), Must Scroll), 1999 (Winners & Nominees) (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 1998 (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 1997 (Winners & Nominees, Must Scroll), 1996 (Winners & Nomineesl), 1992-1995 (Winners & Nominees), 1988-1991 (Winners & Nominees). Categories: Anthology - Arts & Culture - Bisexual - Childrens/Young Adult - Drama/Theater - Humor - LGBT Nonfiction - LGBT Studies - Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror - Spirituality - Transgender -- Lesbian Fiction - Lesbian Romance - Lesbian Mystery - Lesbian Poetry - Lesbian Memoir/Biography - Lesbian Erotica - Lesbian Debut Fiction -- Gay Fiction - Gay Romance - Gay Mystery - Gay Poetry - Gay Memoir/Biography - Gay Erotica - Debut Gay Fiction.

Lambda Literary Award (Wikipedia): "Lambda Literary Awards (also known as "Lammies") are awarded yearly by the US-based Lambda Literary Foundation to published works which celebrate or explore LGBT themes." Winner from 2002 to 2005 are listed. - Lambda Literary Award Nominees And Winners - Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror: 1989-2002.

Books

Homosexuality : Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice - 1996 - by Gerald D. Coleman (14 Sample Pages). - The Silence of Sodom: Homosexuality in Modern Catholicism - 2000 - by Mark D. Jordan (26 Sample Pages). - The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology (The Chicago Series on Sexuality, History, and Society) - 1997 - by Mark D. Jordan (13 Sample Pages). - Being Gay or Lesbian in a Catholic High School: Beyond the Uniform - 2002 - by Michael Maher Jr (Review). - Faith Beyond Resentment: Fragments Catholic and Gay - 2001 - by James Alison (12 Sample Pages). - Gay Catholics Down Under: The Journeys in Sexuality and Spirituality of Gay Men in Australia and New Zealand - 1992 - by B. R. Simon Rosser. - This Remarkable Gift: Being Gay & Catholic - 1998 - by Maurice Shinnick. - Gay Catholics Down Under: The Journeys in Sexuality and Spirituality of Gay Men in Australia and New Zealand - 1992 - by B. R. Simon Rosser. - Queer Inclusion in the United Methodist Church - 2008 - by Amanda Udis-Kessler. - Study New Testament For Lesbians, Gays, Bi, And Transgender: With Extensive Notes On Greek Word Meaning And Context - 2007 - by Dr A. Nyland. - Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling - 1992 - by Richard D. Parsons, Robert J. Wicks, Donald Capps. - Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling, Volume 2 - 1993 - by Robert J. Wicks and Richard D. Parsons. - Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling, Volume 3 - 2003 - edited by Robert J. Wicks, Richard D. Parsons, and Donald Capps (Google Books).

The Homosexual Person: New Thinking in Pastoral Care - 1987 - by John F. Harvey, Benedict Goreschel (15 Sample Pages). - Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth - 2003 - by Wayne R. Besen. - The After-Death Room: Journey Into Spiritual Activism - 2006 - by Michael McColly. Review.  - Qu(e)erying Evangelism: Growing a Community From the Outside In - 2005 - by Cheri Dinovo. Review.  - Homosexuality and the American Public Life - a book by the American Public Philosophy Institute: A Book Review by Father John McCloskey (20 Sample Pages).  - Sanctity and Male Desire: A Gay Reading of Saints - 2004 - by Donald Boisvert (Review). - Gay Religion - 2004 - edited by Scott Thumma & Edward R. Gray (Review).

In the Lap of the Buddha - 1994 - by Gavin Harrison (Abstract) (32 Sample Pages). - Buddhism After Patriarchy - 1993 - by Rita M. Gross (Review) (17 Sample Pages). - Buddhism, Sexuality, and Gender - 1992 - edited by Jose Ignacio Cabezon (Table of Contents) (19 Sample Pages). - Buddhism Pure and Simple - 2001 - by Hsing Yun (Translated by Tom Graham) (Review) (Amazon.com Reference). - Queer Dharma: Voices of Gay Buddhists -1998 - edited by Winston Leyland (Review) (Review) (12 Sample Pages).

Sex, Longing & Not  Belonging: A Gay Muslim's Quest for Love & Meaning by Badruddin Khan (Commentaries) (Comments). -  Journeys & Arrivals: On Being Gay and Jewish - 1996 - by Lev Raphael (Review) Includes a list of related books (Amazon.com Reference). -  Lesbian Rabbis: The First Generation - 2001 - edited by Rebecca T. Alpert, Sue Levi Elwell, Shirley Idelson (16 Sample Pages) (Book Review) (Related Commentary) (Home Page of Rebecca Alpert). - A Gay Synagogue in New York - 2002 - by Moshe Shokeid. 

Gay Spirit: A Gay Men's Myth Book - 1995 - by Will Roscoe (Review) (Amazon.com Reference). - Queer Spirits: A Gay Men’s Myth Book by Will Roscoe (Excepts, Contents by geographic area). - Much More than Sexuality: Listening to 70 Gay People Talk About Their Lives edited by Liz and John Sherblom (Abstract, and links to two sections.) (Review). - Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith - 2000 - edited by Debra R. Kolodny (11 Sample Pages). - Openly Gay, Openly Christian: A Gay-Friendly approach to Scripture - 1999 -  by Samuel Kader. - Two-Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality - 1997 - by Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley Thomas, Sabine Lang (20 Sample Pages). - Two Flutes Playing - 2005 - by Andrew Ramer. - Openly Gay Openly Christian: How the Bible Really is Gay Friendly - 1999 - by Samuel Kader (Review).

Gay Spirituality: The Role of Gay Identity in the Transformation of Human Consciousness - 2000 - by Toby Johnson (Review) (Introduction) (By author: Spirituality and Gay Identity). - Blossom of Bone: Reclaiming the Connections Between Homoeroticism and the Sacred - 1993 - by Randy P. Conner (Review) (Amazon.com Reference). - Loving Men: Gay Partners, Spirituality, and AIDS - 1998 - by Richard P. Hardy (Amazon.com Reference). - Sex and spirit: Exploring Gay Men's Spirituality - 1995 - by Robert Barzan (Review). - From Queer to Eternity: Spirituality in the Lives of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People - 1997 - by Peter Sweasey (Review) (Amazon.com Reference). - Sex and the Sacred: Gay Identity and Spiritual Growth - 2006 - by Daniel A. Helminiak. Authors' Web Site. Review. - Gay Perspective: Things Our Homosexuality Tells Us About the Nature of God and the Universe - 2003 - by Toby Johnson. Author's Web Site. Reviews.  - Gay Soul: Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature with Sixteen Writers, Healers, Teache - 1995 - by Mark Thompson. - Gay Religion - 2004 - edited by Thumma Scott and Edward R. Gray. Related Web Site. Sample Chapters.

The Path Of The Green Man: Gay Men, Wicca and Living a Magical Life - 2005 - by Michael Thomas Ford. - Gay Witchcraft: Empowering the Tribe - 2003 - by Christopher Penczak. - Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts - 2005 - by Raven Kaldera. - Sons Of The Goddess: A Young Man's Guide to Wicca - 2005 - by Christopher Penczak. - Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism - 2006 - by Hugh B. Urban (PDF Download: Chapter 1). - Omnigender: A Trans-Religious Approach - 2001 - by Virginia Ramey Mollenkott. Review Essay. 

Same-Sex Marriage: The Moral and Legal Debate - 1998 - edited by Robert M. Baird, Stuart E. Rosenbaum (Abstract, Contents) (11 Sample Pages) (Review). - The Case for Same-Sex Marriage: From Sexual Liberty to Civilized Commitment - 1996 - by William N., Jr Eskridge. - Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con - 1997 - edited by Andrew Sullivan, Joseph Landau (14 Sample Pages). - The Lesbian and Gay Book of Love and Marriage: Creating the Stories of Our Lives - 1998 - by Paula Martinac, Roberta Achtenberg (23 Sample Pages) (Review).

An Ounce of Prevention: Preventing the Homosexual Condition in Today's Youth - 1998 - by Don Schmierer (Review). - The Same Sex Controversy: Defending and Clarifying the Bible's Message About Homosexuality - by James R.White & Jeffrey D. Niell (Review). - Welcoming But Not Affirming: An Evangelical Response to Homosexuality - 1998 - by Stanley J. Grenz. - Same-Sex Partnerships?: A Christian Perspective - 1998 - by John R. W. Stott. - Love Between Women: Early Christian Responses to Female Homoeroticism - 1996 - by Bernadette Brooten (Review). - Blessed Bi Spirit: Bisexual People of Faith - 2000 - edited by Debra R. Kolodny (11 Sample Pages) (Review). 

Search Engines & Directories: - Google.com. - Google Scholar. - MSN Search.- Proteus Search. - Wikipedia Listing of Search Engines. - All GLBT Resource Directories. - Google's GLBT Directory. - Yahoo's Directory. - DMOZ: Open Directory. - BGLAD. - Wikipedia. - GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture.

Directories for Open Access Resources: - The Directory of  Open-Access Journals. - Registry of Open Access Repositories (ROAR). - Yahoo Theses Access Directory. - Google Directory: Free Access Online Archives.

Open Access Collections From Multiple Sources: - Australian Research Online. - hal: articles en ligne (French / English Version). - Archive Ouverte INRIA. - Hispana. Directorio y recolector de recursos digitales. - Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina y el Caribe, España y Portugal.  - Pacific Rim Library. - OAIster: a union catalog of available digital resources. - OpenPDF.com. - OpenJ-Gate: Open Access. -  findarticles.com: many free full text articles and papers. - Scribd.com. 

Search for Free Papers / Book Reviews: - All Papers are free at BioMed Cental (Open Access) & PubMed Central. - HighWire Press (Numerous Free Papers).  eScholarship Repository:  University of California, e-books, journals and peer-reviewed documents. - DSpace Eprints: Australian National University. - DSpace@MIT. - Virginia Tech: Digital Library / Archives. - eScholarship: U of California. - University of Southampton CiteBase. - Eprints: University of Nottingham. - T-Space at The University of Toronto Libraries.  - NTUR, National Taiwan University. - Allacademic: Some free papers to either read online or download as PDFs. -  UNESCO: Articles, Report, Dissertations, Films, etc. - Kyoto University Research Information Repository. - Doctoral dissertations and other publications from the University of Helsinki. - E-LIS: eprints in Library & Information Services. - CogPrints: eprints. - RePEc: Research Papers in Economics. - DiVa: Scandinavian University Documents. - The International Gay & Lesbian Review (IGLR): Book Reviews & Abstracts. - InterAlia, a peer-edited scholarly journal for queer theory. 

Search for Free Articles, Papers or Reports:  FindArticles.com - The Free Library. - France Queer Resources Directory. - Séminaire gai. - The QRD. - GLBTQ: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Culture. - Human Rights Campaign. - IGLHRC: The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. - ILGA: The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association. - ILGA-Europe: International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association of Europe. - Magnus Hirschfeld Archive for Sexology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. - Kinsey Institute Staff Publications. - Sexual Policy Watch Working Papers. -  NAZ Foundation International: Primary aim is to improve the sexual health and human rights of marginalised males who have sex with males, their partners and families in South Asia and elsewhere.  The World Health Orgazization. - The Body: The complete HIV/AIDS Resource. - POZ Magazine: Archive dates back to 1994.

Search for Papers, with Abstract Available (Some May Be Free): The National Library of Medicine (Free papera are highlighted). Abstracts from searches are available at: ERIC: The Education Resources Information Center (Many Free Documents). - Informaworld. - Oxford Journals (Some Open Access Content). - Springer Journals (Some Open Access Content). - ScienceDirect Journals. - University of California Press Journals on Caliber. - IngentaConnect. - Project Muse. - JSTOR: The Scholarly Journal Archive. - Wiley Interscience. - Cambridge Journals Online: Follow Link. - Sage Journals. - Palgrave Macmillan Journals. - Emerald E-journals. - University of Chicago Journals. - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Journals. - HeinOnline (Access Free Content, Law Papers). - SSRN: Social Science Research Network.

Search for Free Theses / Dissertations, May Include Papers: Library & Archives Canada, Electronic Free Theses Download. - Virginia Tech: Electronic Theses and Dissertations. - DSpace@MIT. - Electronic Theses & Dissertations BYU. - OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Center & Worldwide ETD Index. - Australasian Digital Theses Program (Abstracts Given & Free Downloads). - Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Abstracts). - PQDTOpen Dissertations (Abstracts & Free Downloads: ProQuest). DART-Europe: Free Access to European Doctoral Theses. - The British Library's EThOS service (British Doctoral Theses Abstracts). - DORAS: Free Theses,  Ireland. - TEL (thèses-en-ligne). - DiVa: Scandinavian Theses / Other Documents. - BORA: Open Archive, University of Bergen, Norway.  - Doctoral dissertations and other publications from the University of Helsinki. - LUP: Lund University Publications. - National Cheng Kung University Institutional Repository. - HKU Scholars Hub. - Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertacoes (BDTD), Brazil. - OAIster: a union catalog of available digital resources. Free papers also available - OpenThesis.org.

Full Text Articles / Papers / Studies / Reports (and/or Abstracts):

Amico JM (2004). Clergy and sexual boundaries: addiction and sexual orientation issues. Addiction Professional, 2(6): 33-36. PDF Download.  Download Page.

Amico JM (2003). Healing from spiritual abuse: assisting gay and lesbian clients. Addiction Professional, 1(9): 18-20.  PDF Download.  Download Page.

Austriaco NPG (2003). The myth of the gay gene. Homiletic & Pastoral Review, December. PDF Download.

Béa, Tahseen (2006). Is My Yearning for You Sexual or Spiritual? Cultivating the Divine between Us. Paper presented at the 3rd Conference on Sex & Sexuality. PDF:  9-19. (Project Archives).

Birch, Zachary G (2011). Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Spirituality: An Intersectional Identity Study. Master's Dissertation, Indiana State University. PDF Download.

Boivin MJ (1997). On the Horns of a Dilemma or at the Horn of the Altar: An Introduction to This Theme Issue. Christian Scholar's Review, Vol. 26(4). (Full text) (Full text) Christian Scholar's Review Vol 26(4). Theme Issue: Christianity and Homosexuality. Abstract. Abstract.

Bong, Sharon A. (2008). Sexualising Faith and Spiritualising Sexuality in Postcolonial Narratives of Same-Sex Intimacy. Paper presented at the 5th Conference on Sex & Sexuality. PDF. (Project Archives).

Bryant L, Bowman L (2011). The Role of Spirituality in the Lives of Black Same Gender Loving Men at Midlife. Paper presented at the 2011 Adult Education Research Conference (AERC). PDF Download.

Bulokhov, Alexey (2008). Claiming Marginal Sexual Identity within Mainstream Religious Culture: Soulforce Q Equality Ride Case Study. Paper presented at the 5th Conference on Sex & Sexuality. PDF. (Project Archives).

Cheng PS (2004). Reclaiming Our Traditions, Rituals, and Spaces: Spirituality and the Queer Asian Pacific American Experience. Spiritus 6: 234–240. PDF Download.

Cheng PS (2004). Roundtable Discussion: Same Sex Marriage. Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 20(2): 103-07. PDF Download.

Cheng PS (2003). Kuan Yin: Mirror of the Queer Asian Christ.  PDF Download.

Cheng PS (2002). Multiplicity and Judges 19: Constructing a Queer Asian Pacific American Biblical Hermeneutic. Semeia 90/91: 119-33. PDF Download. PDF Download.

Cheng PS (2001). Jesus, Mary, and the Beloved Disciple: Towards a Queer Asian Pacific American Christology.  PDF Download.

Coolidge, David O (1998). Playing the Loving Card: Same-Sex Marriage and the Politics of Analogy. BYU Journal of Public Law, 12(2). Full Text.

Coyle A, Rafalin D (2000). Jewish gay men's accounts of negotiating cultural, religious, and sexual identity: A qualitative study. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 12(4), 21-48. PDF Download.

Dueck, Timothy Allan (2006). Dual Identity: The Experiences of Gay Christian Males. Master of Social Work Dissertation. University of Brotosh Columbia. PDF Download. Download Page.

Fretheim TE (2001). The Old Testament and Homosexuality: What is God Doing? Unpublished paper delivered before the Council of Bishops of the ELCA.  Full Text.

Gagnon RAJ (2001). The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Theology, Analogies, and Genes. Theology Matters, 7(6).  PDF Download.

Ganzevoort RR, van der Laan M, Olsman E (2011). Growing up Gay and Religious. Conflict, Dialogue, and religious Identity Strategies. Mental Health, Religion, and Culture, 14(3): 209-222. PDF Download.

Glacer C, Editor (2008). Gender Identity and Our Faith Communities: a congregational guide for transgender advocacy. Human Rights Campaign Foundation. PDF Download. Audio Files of Dramatic Readings.  

Grace J, Rhamey C, Dukett M, Gill K, Bell R (2007). Coming Out Gay, Coming Out Christian: The Beginnings of GLBT Christianity in San Diego, 1970-1979. The Journal of San Diego History, 53(3): 117-125. PDF Download. Download Page.

Grenz SJ (2004). Homosexuality and the Christian Sex Ethic. The Other Journal, 4. Full Text. Download Page.

Gross M, Yip AKP (2010). Living Spirituality and Sexuality: A Comparison of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Christians in France and Britain. Social Compass, 57(1): 40-59. PDF Download.

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