The LGBTQ+ Experience with Religion and Its Evolution

Historically, the LGBT+ community has been one of the many minorities fighting for recognition in society. And if we talk about religion and sexual diversity, they seem like words that don’t fit in the same sentence. Most churches have structured, conservative dogmas that confront some of the liberties of human beings.

But what is the current landscape for the LGBTQ+ Latino community living in the United States? Nowadays, many people in this community profess different religions, and some churches warmly welcome them. So, although the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church has had, since its foundation, very conservative leaders, some have evolved to adapt to today’s modern world.

Next up, we’ll share some insight that will help you understand the current relationship between religion and people of diverse sexual orientations.

According to the Pew Research Center and its Forum on Religion and Public Life, more than two-thirds of Hispanics identify as Roman Catholics. The Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality is based on the distinction between being lesbian or gay and acting as such; accepting the first and considering the second as wrong or sinful.

Often, this distinction is blurred, and the message many Catholics hear is simply that being gay is a sin. This draws condemnation against many LGBTQ+ Latinos in faith communities and has caused some to exercise discretion during religious activities. Which, of course, shouldn’t happen.

Dignity/USA, the largest secular movement of LGBTQ+ Catholics, says that often “people who are gay and lesbian in the Latino world are open about their sexual orientation in churches where they speak English, but not where they speak Spanish.”

While it’s true that leading an authentic life is important for LGBTQ+ people, some prefer to reveal their feelings partially. Other Latinos find their own path to spirituality that involves the Catholic faith, but not necessarily all of its dogmas.

It is also important to recognize that there are many priests, nuns, and other religious leaders working to reconcile the relationship between LGBTQ+ Catholics, their families, and the church. Members of the congregation, whether gay or straight, can play a vital role in educating the rest of the church and advocating for the acceptance of Latino LGBTQ+ people.

“For centuries, people have found a way to use religion and the Bible as an excuse to hate, exclude, and attack homosexuals. I take it as a challenge to change misconceptions about gays and lesbians; a challenge to confront those who do not practice Christ’s teachings to love one another and a challenge to be honest with me and accept the love that God gives me,” said Rogelio Z. Zepeda, a Mexican activist. 

In addition, the Letter to the Catholic Bishops on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, from 1986, states: “The teaching of the Church is to clarify that the fundamental human rights of homosexual people must be defended and all of us must fight to eliminate any type of injustice, oppression or violence against them.”

LGBTQ+ Latinos can use this message to help others realize the need for understanding and support. This letter, which was approved by Pope John Paul II, also says: “Respect for the God-given dignity of all people means recognition of human rights and responsibilities.” Although this document is not directed directly at Latino Catholics, it is an essential message for those who are trying to reconcile their sexuality and their religion.

However, it is also logical that Latinos in the LGBTQ+ community choose to be part of less conservative faith spaces. Gay-friendly inclusive churches, such as the United Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, attract many believers who deliberately strive to be ethnically and racially inclusive.

“Sin Tabú, Religiones y diversidad sexual en América Latina”

In this context, a quote from the book “Sin Tabú, Religiones y diversidad sexual en América Latina,” written by Hugo Córdova Quero, becomes relevant.

“When we say ‘religion oppresses women’ or ‘the church condemns people of sexual diversity’ we must stop to deconstruct those statements. First, what women? What people of sexual diversity? Second, what religion? what church? It is true that the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America imposed very harmful perspectives not only for women but also for men, especially in terms of sexual diversity. However, the issue is too complex to be summarized in universal statements, especially since we enter into the logic of power that one oppression is more important than the other, and there we are in trouble. There is, I admit, a heteropatriarchy, but that ideology has affected not only heterosexual women but also people of sexual diversity, which includes heterosexual men and women who do not adhere to the postulates of hetero-patriarchy, gay people, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and polyamory, among other people.

It is an ideology that cuts across all power relations in society, and emphasizing only one oppression means making all the others invisible. At the same time, there are churches and religions that have no problem accepting women and people of sexual diversity into their faith lives, especially in ministry. In many churches there are heterosexual women who are bishops, gay men who are Jewish rabbis, lesbian women who are Muslim imams, transgender women who are Buddhist teachers, or intersex people who are Umbandist teachers, just to name a few examples. Therefore, when addressing the issue of religions and diversity, we must take into account not only this religious plurality —which is a reality in Latin America— but also the multifaceted nature that religions acquire in relation to the issue of sexual diversity. Otherwise, we will continue contributing to the maintenance of stereotypes that do not reflect the plural reality of religious life and sexual diversity in our continent,” describes part of the book by Hugo Córdova Quero.

While it’s true that there is still a lot of work to be done on the road to achieving a world that accepts diversity at all levels of its society, including religious institutions, there are, as we’ve mentioned, spaces where people of the LGBTQ+ community can live and practice their beliefs with absolute freedom. In the end, despite the beliefs we hold and the churches we attend, the most important thing is the love and respect we should have for each other and ourselves. Love is love. Just that.