Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender - April 2007

For a grad school project, I have to do an activity or exhibit a behavior specific to the opposite gender (in this case male) in public, then describe how people respond. The activity cannot break a norm or taboo, it just has to be specific to males.

2007-04-12 14:39:31 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous

I'm just curious what your thoughts are.

2007-04-12 14:35:48 · 10 answers · asked by BellaJ_DDils 3

"fluid" = changing readily; shifting; not fixed, stable, or rigid

(Dictionary.com)

2007-04-12 14:21:52 · 19 answers · asked by NHBaritone 7

2007-04-12 14:03:02 · 8 answers · asked by debvmic 2

I was trying to make friends with this girl but I noticed her behaviour towards my tribe was the same unpleasant attitude.

2007-04-12 13:42:19 · 20 answers · asked by Divalicious 2

Gays will always say homophobes are ignorant, but when we try to reason with them on why they shouldn't be gay, they just yell at us. Now who's really ignorant? By the way i'm not taking sides, i just wanna hear what people think. (I'm homophobic)

2007-04-12 12:38:13 · 12 answers · asked by hthomos 1

ok , i am 19 but never had the courage to ask abt these stuff ( i am just not confortable abt asking ppl around me )also i didnt find any book or source to knw even i knw all abt sex , .....techniques n everything ( i have no problems in this even my friends asks me abt stuff in it ), i am confused abt those three they seem like each other ........sometime sgurls say they r gays n sme time si n sometimes lesabians......................thanxxxxxxxxxxxx


also what's transgendered.

2007-04-12 12:12:23 · 13 answers · asked by who k 3

ya know i just heard on nbc news that the military was stretched to the limits......reckon they'd let them go home???? ya know don't ask don't tell, i know alot of folks in the military and about half are gay, and that's not to mention the bi-bisexuals,

or would they swallow hard and say ok you can be the army it's cool with us................

just a thought

but then they'd have to give us our rights, right? so that's why they have don't ask don't tell right. like then the government would have to accept same sex marriage and all..........

now i see their strategy

2007-04-12 12:01:14 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

express how you feel and explain how hard it is give all details. explain all the steps. like how much the stress is.

2007-04-12 11:45:12 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous

About 94% male masturbate and about 57% female masturbate. Since I am male so it is but obvious that i will have curiosity that how female masturbate.

2007-04-12 11:44:54 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous

I'm curious, I personally dont think it's a choice. There was a recent event that took place in our city and a few comments were made about the person deserving what they got because they choose to be gay....

2007-04-12 11:17:38 · 61 answers · asked by Anonymous

dying from aids.

2007-04-12 09:59:57 · 11 answers · asked by pebbles 2

2007-04-12 09:34:11 · 20 answers · asked by Kittykaat_95 2

2007-04-12 09:29:53 · 20 answers · asked by Anonymous

Subject: What the Bible Says about Homosexuality



Homosexuality & Christianity

by Rev. Michael S. Piazza,
Dean of the Cathedral

The Bible

In our Judeo-Christian society, the documents
collectively known as the Bible serve as the primary
guide on most issues. It is interesting that many
Christians take literally the references to homosexual
acts, while interpreting other text with great
flexibility. One person reported listening to a
nationally-known woman speak in her campaign against
homosexuality. She spent quite a bit of time quoting
impressively from Leviticus. The listener accepted
much of what the speaker said until he realized that,
by Levitical standards, the crusader herself had
broken many biblical laws – she spoke in church (1
Corinthians 14:34), she taught men (1 Timothy 2:12),
she was wearing a dress made of cotton and polyester
(Deuteronomy 22:11), and others of which he was
probably unaware.

What does the Bible really say about homosexuality?
Actually, very little. Most significantly, Jesus said
nothing at all. Considering the relatively small
amount of attention the Bible pays to the subject, we
must ask ourselves why this is such a volatile issue.
Other subjects about which the scriptures say a great
deal (e.g. judgment, pride, hypocrisy) receive much
less passionate attention. Before looking at specific
passages, it is important to note that everyone
understands the scriptures based on, and through, the
light of what they have been taught. The Bible was not
written in a cultural void, and many of its
instructions and laws are simply classified as less
relevant today (e.g. prohibition against eating pork).

Nowhere does the Bible actually address the idea of
persons being lesbian or gay. The statements are,
without exception, directed to certain homosexual
acts. Early writers had no understanding of
homosexuality as a psychosexual orientation. That
truth is a relatively recent discovery. The biblical
authors were referring to homosexual acts performed by
persons they assumed were heterosexuals.

The Sodom Story

A chief text used to condemn homosexuality is the
Sodom story (Genesis 19:1-29), often interpreted as
showing God's abhorrence of homosexuality. In the
story, two angels, in the form of men, are sent to the
home of Lot in Sodom. While they are there, the men of
the city “both young and old, surrounded the house -
everyone without exception” and demanded that the
visitors be brought out “so that we might know them.”
(Genesis 19: 4-5) Lot begged the men to leave his
guests alone and take his daughters instead. The men
of the city became angry and stormed the door. As a
result, they were all struck blind by the angels.

There are several problems with the traditional
interpretation of this passage. Whether or not the
intent of the men of Sodom was sexual, the
inhospitality and injustice coming from the mob, and
that generally characterized the community, were “the
sin of Sodom.” (Ezekial 16:49-50, Isaiah 13:19,
Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40) Jesus himself refers to the
inhospitality of Sodom. (Luke 10:10-13) If the men
were indeed homosexuals, then why would Lot offer them
his daughters? What is threatened here is rape. The
significant point, then, is that all rape is
considered horrible by God. The story deserves another
reading.

It should be noted that not all of the men of Sodom
could have been homosexual or there would have been no
need to destroy them. If they had all been
homosexuals, they would have all died off leaving no
heirs. Quite likely, they were a mixed group of evil
men attempting to be abusive to people who were
different. Ironically, lesbian and gay people are
often the victim of that same sin.


Although the traditional interpretation of the Sodom
story fails as an argument against homosexuality,
there are several other Old Testament passages that do
condemn homosexual acts. Again, it should be noted
that these passages do not deal with same-sex
orientation nor is there any reference to genital love
between lesbian or gay persons.

Homosexual Acts

Of thousands of Old Testament passages, only two make
explicit reference to homosexual acts: Leviticus 18:22
and Leviticus 20:13. Both of these passages are a part
of the Levitical holiness code, which is not kept by
any Christian group. If it was enforced, almost every
Christian would be excommunicated or executed. It has
been logically argued that science and progress have
made many of the Levitical laws irrelevant. For
example, fundamentalist author Tim LaHaye states that,
although Levitical laws prohibit intercourse during
menstruation, medical authorities do not view it as
harmful, and, therefore, it should not be viewed as
sinful. He further explains, “Those laws were given
3,500 years ago before showers and baths were
convenient, before tampons, disinfectants and other
improved means of sanitation had been invented.” (The
Act of Marriage, p.275) With that, LaHaye makes this
law irrelevant and rightly so. Ironically, though, in
his book, The Unhappy Gay, the Levitical laws are one
of the chief cornerstones of his arguments. Much of
the holiness code is now irrelevant for us as moral
law. Thus, having children, which was of exceptional
importance to the early Hebrews, is now made less
relevant by overpopulation, just as the prohibition
against eating pork and shellfish has been made
irrelevant by refrigeration.

The Bible never addresses the issue of homosexual
love, yet it does have several beautiful examples of
same-sex love. David's love for Jonathan was said to
exceed his love for women. (2 Samuel 1:26) Ruth's
relationship with Naomi is an example of a deep,
bonding love, and Ruth’s words of covenant to Naomi
are often used in heterosexual wedding ceremonies.
(Ruth 1:16-17) The Bible clearly values love between
persons of the same sex.

Jesus' Attitude

In the New Testament there is no record of Jesus
saying anything about homosexuality. This ought to
strike us as very odd in light of the great threat to
Christianity, family life and the American way that
some would have us believe homosexuality is. Jesus saw
injustice and religious hypocrisy as a far greater
threat to the Realm of God.

Episcopal priest Dr. Tom Horner has written that the
Gospels imply in two places that Jesus' attitude
toward lesbians and gays would not have been hostile.
(Jonathan Loved David, p. 122) The first is found in
the story of Jesus healing the Centurion's servant.
(Matthew 8:5-13) The word used for the servant is
“pais,” which in the Greek culture referred to a
younger lover of an older, more powerful or educated
man. Clearly, the story demonstrates an unusually
intense love, and Jesus' response was wholly positive.

The other hint of Jesus' attitude is seen in his
comments about eunuchs. (Matthew 19:10-12) Jesus
opposed divorce in opposition to the abuses
experienced by women. It is in the context of marriage
that Jesus said “some eunuchs were born so; others had
been made eunuchs and still others choose to be
eunuchs for the Kingdom's sake.” Jesus' remarks about
celibacy and castration are clear, but a male child
being born without testicles is a rare birth defect.
It is only in our day that the Kinsey Institute has
demonstrated that sexual orientation is likely
determined prior to birth. It could well be that those
to whom Jesus refers as being “born eunuchs” are the
people we call lesbian or gay.

Jesus' attitude toward eunuchs differed greatly from
the fundamentalist Pharisees of his day. To them,
eunuchs should have been excluded from the covenant
and barred from worship and participating in the
community of faith. Jesus' graceful approach to
eunuchs is beautifully pictured in the promise of the
prophecy of Isaiah, “To the eunuchs...I will give them
an everlasting name that will not be taken away.”
(56:4-8)

In Jesus' day there were three types of persons called
eunuchs: celibates, those who were slaves and were
castrated so that children would not be born to them,
and those who were “born eunuchs,” or homosexuals.
Royal and wealthy households used castrated slaves to
work with and guard the concubines and female slaves.
However, when assigning slaves to female members of
the royal family, they would choose homosexual slaves.
With female members, the concern was not just unwanted
pregnancies but also rape.

It is against this background that we must read the
story found in Acts 8:26-40. In this passage, the Holy
Spirit sends Philip the Deacon to witness to and
baptize an Ethiopian eunuch of Queen Candace of
Ethiopia. One of the earliest converts to Christianity
was a person excluded for sexual reasons from the Old
Testament community.

Paul's References

Paul's statement in Romans 1:18-32 has been taken as
the strongest New Testament rejection of
homosexuality. He is concerned about the influence of
the pagan culture on the Roman Christians. After
giving a detailed description of a world that
“exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped
and served created things rather than the Creator,” he
continues, “Therefore, God gave them over to shameful
lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations
for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were
inflamed with lusts for one another. Men committed
indecent acts with other men and received in
themselves the due penalty of their perversion.”

A complete reading of these passages, in their
original context, clearly shows that what Paul was
actually referring to was homosexual temple
prostitution, which was performed by various cults
(though far more cults used heterosexual
prostitution). Again, Paul is not referring to
same-sex love, and he clearly has no concept of
persons for whom this lifestyle is “natural.”

Paul's other reference to homosexual acts in 1
Corinthians 6:9-10 is similar to 1 Timothy 1:8-11.
These two passages contain lists of persons to be
excluded from the Realm of God. The interpretation of
these passages depends on two Greek words that have
always presented a problem for translators. In the
King James Version, they are translated “effeminate”
and “abusers of themselves with mankind.” In the
Revised Standard Version, they were combined and
rendered as “homosexuals,” however, these are not the
Greek words for homosexual, so these translations
reflects the scholars' bias. The New International
Version illustrates the difference in these two words
by translating them “male prostitute” and “homosexual
offenders.” The Jerusalem Bible uses the terms
“catamites and “sodomites.” Catamites were youth kept
especially for sexual purpose, who were usually paid
large sums of money. Neither passage refers to persons
of same-sex orientation but to people who used their
sexuality for personal gain.

The Love of Christ

Jesus did a great deal to change many social customs
and ideas. He elevated the position of women, and,
ultimately, they were his best and most faithful
disciples. He did this by example and by commandments
that were absolutely inclusive of the rights of all
people. Yet, in the name of the Christ whose love
encompassed all, the Church has been the most
homophobic of all institutions. This should not be
surprising when we realize that the Church is still
the largest institution which is primarily racially
segregated.

The final, and central, message of the New Testament
is that ALL persons are loved by God so much that
God's Son was sent as a means of redemption from a
disease by which we are all afflicted. The cure for
this disease cannot be found in any set of actions.
Neither homosexuality nor heterosexuality is
redemptive. God's love through Christ was given to all
people.

The Theological Reflection

For the Christian, sin must be understood as a disease
that results FROM a broken relationship with God and
that results IN a broken relationship with one another
and with ourselves. Hence, Jesus' supreme command is
to love God and to love our neighbors as we love
ourselves. Christianity is not a religion with new
rules and laws but rather is a new relationship with
God. Those things that the legalists are fond of
labeling “sins” are actually just symptoms of the much
deeper disease of alienation and estrangement. Much of
the energy of the Church has been spent dealing with
symptoms while leaving the disease intact. Jesus did
not seem overly concerned about the legal
transgressions of those to whom he ministered. Rather,
he was much more concerned with healing the physical,
spiritual, emotional and relational brokenness of
people. Perhaps if the Church would again give itself
to the healing/reconciling ministry of Jesus, then
some of the symptoms about which we are so concerned
would begin to disappear.

That brings us to the question: Is homosexuality a
symptom of brokenness? In a very few cases, perhaps.
Yet, pointing fingers of blame and accusation is not
Christ's way. Rather, Jesus accepted people as they
were and allowed love and acceptance to work its
miracle. However, most lesbians and gays have been
lesbian or gay for as long as they can remember. For
them, it is a much a natural characteristic as their
eye color or their handedness. Kinsey Institute
research (University of Indiana, 1981) has suggested
that homosexuality may well be genetic or, at least,
linked to some prenatal factors. (Sexual Preference,
Bell &Weinberg) Certainly most competent psychologists
would concur that sexual orientation is set prior to
the age of five in most persons. It is, therefore, not
a matter of choice, so it cannot be a moral or ethical
issue.

Many Christians insist that God can change/cure the
homosexual. In the book The Third Sex there are six
reported cases of homosexuals whom God has “cured.” Of
these six, at least four are known to have returned to
their gay lifestyle. (Christianity Today, February
1981) Many lesbians and gays spend most of their lives
trying, with no success, to persuade God to change
them. It is like trying to get God to change your eye
color. What option, then, is left to these persons?
They have been told that they can't be gay and
Christian. Since all efforts have failed in their
struggle not to be gay or lesbian, then their only
recourse, according to the Church, is that they can't
be Christian. So, the Church has discounted or
discarded as much as 10% of the population.

If they are excluded from the life of the Christian
community, who, then, will tell them of God's
inclusive love and of Jesus' reconciling death? Are
they left to assume that God is so narrow-minded as to
exclude them for something over which they have no
control and for a choice they did not make? When will
the Church finally be brave enough to say with Paul,
“in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or
free, male or female,” gay or straight? God has enough
love for all,

2007-04-12 08:45:13 · 21 answers · asked by JD, MAPSY 6

i am man in high school and i do queen thing and my boyfriends make fun of me.

why is this they make fun?

2007-04-12 08:38:57 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous

not like 25 years ago back in my day.

2007-04-12 08:34:42 · 19 answers · asked by Anonymous

This morning I was trying to figure out who'd play who, so far I have:
Glinda- FTW

Wicked witch of the east- lulu

Elphelba- Doris

The wizard- wide awake

Tin man-riverotter7

cowardly lion- Tracer

scarecrow- Ron s.

I only have one question: Who'd play Dorothy?

2007-04-12 08:25:25 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous

I would say, 89 Dr. Dorris's what say you?
Some more Dorris riddles:
- Does Dr.Dorris have an IQ, or a brain to begin with?
- Is Dr. Dorris just a desperate, single, 50-year old, closeted man?
- If you believe in a Deity: Do you think that this Deity likes morons and that's why He/She made Dorris and many clones of him in the world?
- Does Dorris have 46 chromosomes like other human beings?

2007-04-12 08:15:48 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous

And I just wanted to say hi to the 3rd wave feminist in advance who decides to write about how metrosexuality shouldn't be ashamed of since it increases sexual tolerance. The point being made here is that tolerance of this sort only avoids confrontation rather than resolves conflict. I'd much rather see everyone approaching each other for real rather than embracing a masked way of living that's been altered for the sake of acceptability.

O boy. Now do I have to apologize in advance to everyone that says how that's exactly what metrosexuals are trying to do in the first place too? Gimme a break guys. Flip it around. Metrosexuals surrender who they are so they can get along without embracing their manliness. It's pathetic really.

2007-04-12 08:02:59 · 9 answers · asked by Mikey C 5

Why after saying that do I feel like one of those creepy looking guys who sits all day in the cafeteria at work and warns everyone that the rats who hang out there are back?

(I'm happy! I got 5 a's on my conduct card and only two c's!!! ^_^)

2007-04-12 07:59:53 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous

im just wondering because guys pants are so big and low like mine lol

2007-04-12 07:52:20 · 29 answers · asked by Anonymous

1, To have had sexual experiences with men and just never enjoyed it.

2, To have had sexual experiences with men, enjoyed the sex, but couldnt click mentally & emotionally with them.

3, Never had sex with men & have no desire for it.

2007-04-12 07:21:44 · 16 answers · asked by Raynebow_Diva 6

cuz when my parents are watching TV they can tell if a person is gay right away. how do they do it?

2007-04-12 06:47:36 · 22 answers · asked by jess 3

just pushing buttons.....

2007-04-12 05:49:54 · 10 answers · asked by ? 3

would you homophobes be demanding your equal right to marry, adopt, ect?

2007-04-12 05:15:07 · 20 answers · asked by GothicLady 6

2007-04-12 05:09:16 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous

2007-04-12 04:51:51 · 18 answers · asked by Anonymous

Does homophobia push us forward? Does the opposition makes us grow? Are they doing us a favour by egging us on?

Without them would we even have a GLBT community, or would there be no use?

2007-04-12 03:57:07 · 15 answers · asked by Luis 6

I am not ignorant,i would not say i was homophobic although i do not agree being gay is " normal "
I don't wish to upset anyone or cause offence with my question i just want other peoples views.
I recently discovered my brother is gay and i have gay friends and while it does not change how i feel about them,i just cannot accept that being gay is normal.
I'm a christian but do not go to church so it's not as if homophobia has been brainwashed into me,it is just how i feel.

2007-04-12 03:21:38 · 45 answers · asked by Bird 2