I have a friend of mine that invited me to go to an Adventist church (she is an Adventist), she told me that they're liberal and affirming (she knows I'm trans and accept me) and they're not like evangelicals. But I've read that they're neither accepting nor affirming so I don't know if she is just or I'm confused.
Hello everyone. I am a gay man and I have been married to my loving husband for almost a year now. We are in Charleston SC and I have been seriously considering becoming a catholic. However, being that Im gay and married, i didnt know if I would even be allowed to be baptized as a catholic. Or if I would be asked to end my marriage before being baptized. Just looking for any information on if this is a good thing to pursue and if I should have any concerns of being asked to end my marriage to become catholic. Thanks everyone!
Hi all! I'm looking for any leads for a Catholic priest who could perform a discrete mass and wedding ceremony for a queer couple. Preferably in the US.
I'm very inspired by that group of women who were ordained by a rogue priest in Germany a decade or so ago. If anyone happens to know anyone like them who might be willing to do this, hit me up!
Feel free to DM me. Thanks and God Bless.
I am a 30 year-old gay man. My grandparents were Catholic and my dad was baptized Catholic but never really participated in Catholicism. I am have always been interested in the Catholic church, and am fascinated by its traditions, practices, and history. However, I know that the church can be very anti-LGBT. I am in the process of finding an LGBT-affirming Catholic community to go through OCIA, but in the meantime I am wondering if I should even be considering Catholicism or are there too many adversities? I do not want to go back in the closet and feel that God would never want me to feel shame or change who I am just to fit a religion.
"Welcoming presupposes that someone arrives from the outside and is allowed in out of the generosity of others. But as the baptized, no one is a guest in this church. God knows us by name, loves us and tells us again and again that we belong to him. There is, then, no door to cross, because by virtue of our baptism we are already inside,"
I'm asking this because although no encyclicals explicitly talk about non-binary people, their condemnation of "gender ideology", at least in my opinion, indirectly push that there are only two genders. I'm genuinely curious: how can you have a strong faith in a religion whose official theology denies your experiences as an evil ideology?
(I'm an aroace Catholic btw, I love the church and most of Her teachings but I just can't wrap my head around Her teachings about queer ppl)
Me and my gf have been together 3 years. We’re both Catholic, very in to our faith, and both recognize that church teachings say our marriage is wrong. I’m okay with that. She’s okay with that. Our marriage could never be sacramental. Legally speaking, we lowkey gotta get married. I had my first confession in a while, and it was actually really good. He obviously reminded me church stance, and I filled him in on stuff to fill in the gaps (pray the gay away since I was 10? Tried to date boys. Did date boys. Met my current gf and it was just different). I described my gf to him as the one I’d want holding my hand on my death bed, and that seemed to sink in. But, we talked about civil marriage. It’s impossible to live together in today’s society without marriage, legal rights, tax breaks, etc. Marriage is a commitment with one person I want by my side for the rest of my life. I love this girl. Shes my world. Shes like my other half and I can’t even imagine anyone else in my life I’d want here. I don’t want to offend the church, but I would never do this to “defy God,” or the “Natural Law.” My childhood religious guilt and so on had made it impossible to feel comfortable in the idea I want to propose. Any advice would help. Sorry if this is all over the place - it’s quite reflective of my mind lol. Thanks.
Hi all! I was hoping you could help me navigate the works of Father Martin? Correct me if im wrong, but he's seen as a (moderate?) LGBTQ ally, and I'd love to hear what he has to say. Is Building a Bridge the place to start? Thank you guys very much!
Additionally Id love any books that would be useful for an outsider looking in. I'm (M) agnostic who is not looking to convert but my girlfriend is a rather progressive catholic, and Im on a journey to make sure that our values and wants for kids are aligned before we move forward.
Again, thank you very much
Hi everyone, this is my first post here, so I am not sure if anyone has discussed this before.
Ever since I came out in 2020, I stopped doing communions.
I remember a friend of mine told me that it was okay as long as I did not break the Ten Commandments. I remember even witnessing transgender people or known gay people doing the communion. When I had the lessons before my first communion, I don't recall being gay as something to restrict from eating the body of Christ. We were only taught to follow the Ten Commandments. I mean, looking back on it now, who would discuss gay conversations with an 11-year-old?
But growing up, I learned the church's position towards homosexuality, and when I decided to fully embrace my gay identity, I also stopped doing communion. And to me, I do this because I want to respect the church's beliefs and teachings, and at the same time, I also want to live my full truth. I think this is my way of trying to keep practicing my faith whilst being gay.
I'd like to know what sort of changes or what did you had to make to balance both being gay and a catholic? I mean, I'm sure neither can be balanced, at least to the teachings, but you know what I mean.
Today was gonna be my first Sunday Mass at my new parish, but I came down with a nasty cold. 🥶 coughing my head off, stuffy nose, and too tired to move. Hoping maybe if I sleep enough this week, I can be better enough to go next week. 😞 any prayers are appreciated. ❤️🙏🏻
I’m so tired of conservative Catholics on the internet invading progressive Catholic spaces to cause damage, harm and division towards LGBTQ Catholics (or those of us like myself who are going to be entering the Church next Easter). I’ve been with my partner for four years in total. We’re committed to each other but cannot get married obviously in the Church. I can’t get legally married due to disabilities but we wear rings to show our commitment to one another. I have his last name legally as mine and we know that’s as far as we can go, especially as an interfaith relationship with me becoming Catholic and him being Hindu. I love the Lord, Jesus is my Savior. I’m consecrated to the Blessed Mother. I go to Mass daily at my Jesuit run parish. I say my Rosary almost every day. I read my Bible as often as my ADHD ridden brain will let me. Everyone at my parish knows that I’m queer, trans and in a committed queer relationship, and no one has said anything negative or hateful and has been extremely loving. My priest knew this day one and still said next year I’ll be allowed to be baptized and confirmed Catholic validly. Which is great.
But boy does it *hurt* when conservative Catholics who think they know everything tell me I’m living in sin, and that any absolution or taking of the Eucharist I’ll receive won’t be valid unless I remain celibate and single. I don’t believe that. I never will. If being gay is not a sin, how can acting in genuine love with my partner be a sin? I don’t believe it is. Even my priest who’s much older than me has told me that it’s not necessary for me to be single or celibate as long as it doesn’t impede or hinder my faith as a Catholic. Even had a very insightful, loving, honest conversation with him this morning after Mass about my relationship with my partner being not only romantic but sexual, and if I’ll need to bring that to confession or not.
My priest said and I quote: “if it doesn’t cause you to stumble, if it doesn’t make you feel as though you’re being removed from God’s grace, and you don’t feel convicted in your heart that you’re sinning, then no I don’t think you need to bring that to confession. This is more a conscious thing than a doctrine thing. If everyone in the Church tried to follow the catechism to the letter, we’d all be going to Hell. You’re going to be fine.”
I want to trust that. I want to believe in it and at the end of the day I do. I don’t care that conservative Catholics don’t like the Jesuits. It’s of no consequence or concern to me, truly. I just wish they’d mind their business and let us exist without acting just like evangelical protestant people. It’s so disheartening and painful and one of the reasons I originally ran from the church when my old parish tried to make me detransition and be straight to take OCIA. Ugh. 😑
Idk what I’m doing with this post. Venting I guess or looking for someone who’s experienced this that’s now in a more positive position about it? Idk. :/
This might be an odd request and I'm super secure in myself as a gay man, but hear me out --
I've really been enjoying learning about the Catholic view on homosexuality these past few weeks. I've focused on books from Catholics supporting homosexuality and gay relationships like Building a Bridge, A Home For All, and God and the Gay Christian (although he is not a Catholic, his book is very well rounded). I also have a book on the way called Faith Beyond Resentment and oh yeah the Catechism itself.
Even what the catechism says is intriguing to me as a non-catholic. I acknowledge that there still has been a lot of hurt to our community due to the catechism, but as somebody who grew up in nationalistic evangelical Protestantism, in my perspective, I find it to still be more well rounded that the evangelical approach.
The modern evangelical church has no structure and with that the views on homosexuality come off as based on political sidings, hatred, and exceptionalism. The views all are over the board and confusing. And grifters LOVE to crap out book after book about their opinions of homosexuality (thank you, Focus on the Family).
So with that, I'm wondering if there are any books from Catholics (whether clergy or congregation) that are in opposition of homosexuality? I'm hoping to find some that are written by well respected people, and written in a respectful way that focuses on scripture and catechism to support their opinions, rather than be driven by political opinion, personal hate, and vitriol.
Hi Everyone,
I am looking to see if anyone here has any specific intel on if there is a catholic church in DC that is LGBT affirming? I belong to a fairly traditional/conservative parish currently and I am looking for a new parish.
Thanks for your help!
I see a lot of LGBT people say that they struggle with reconciling their sexuality with the Church's teachings. I am openly gay. I am aware of the Church's teachings, but I do not necessarily feel those same struggles; at least not to the extent that others seem to. People will call me a liberal, cafeteria Catholic. If I posted this on the Catholicism sub people would have their pitchforks out, ready to make a human chain blocking me from receiving Communion. Of course, sin can exist within sexuality, but I do not believe that totally suppressing sexuality is healthy for anyone, no matter their situation. Life is rarely black and white. Nuance exists.
I have never once heard a sermon about sexuality. I've only ever heard the culture war rhetoric online. I'm not particularly interested in how my fellow parishioners feel about my situation. As far as I'm concerned, if some holier-than-thou, far-right zealots want to get on their high horse and judge other people, let them. It makes no difference what they think at the end of the day.
Do you feel conflicted by the Church's teachings and/or attitudes that you've encountered within the Church?
Good points for lay Catholics too, actually. (OP is not Justin, just sharing the video)
I (26M) have grown up catholic in Italy, in a family that was deeply religious and I was deeply religious as well as child. At 11 I discovered I was attracted to the same-sex, you can imagine how painful it was to come to terms with what the main exegesis of the Scriptures is at such an early age. To me it was like hell, believing I was wrong, believing I deserved to die. Long story short, I accept fully my homosexuality now but the structure of self-loathing I developed when I was a child is still running: I’ve depression and ocd.
I moved away from religion at 16 years old because of the way some priests handled the introduction of same-sex unions in Italy. I became agnostic.
Then, almost two years ago, I witnessed an homicide. My reaction was the complete rejection of the idea of God mixed with death salience, OCD and depression episodes.
This year I attended Philosophical Anthropology classes at university, taught by a deeply catholic professor, on Pascal’s *Thoughts.* Well, what a journey it has been.
My ocd exploded on the question of the existence of God and Pascal’s Wager. The fun part? After the panic attacks I had about death last year, I ask God to make me see him through rationality, in some ways I interpreted the classes I attended as signs. One night I wrote a prayer to God to help me with my OCD, then I opened my copy of *Thoughts* and I read some passages that I think responded to the prayer. I had to go the day after to my psychiatrist and now I take antipsychotics.
My days now are calmer than before, and I still am questioning everything. I am agnostic again and I’m reading a lot about LGBT Catholics, the contexts of the period Scriptures were written and about progressive catholics.
It’s a mess.
Yes or no is fine...you don’t need to explain if you are or aren’t.
I’ve (f27) just been feeling like I need to go a bit deeper into this and probably speak with a priest, because it’s been weighing on me lately. I’m a hearty practicing Catholic who experiences SSA, and I’m trying to remain faithful to the Church’s teaching without trying to bend anything or look for loopholes. I don't know...it’s not that I’m trying to find a clear cut answer or a ‘right side’ to land on. Idk, I just feel like I’m carrying two realities in tension.
I think I’m just feeling a bit conflicted and trying to understand where people are coming from because I know what I know and have made peace with it. I’ll likely bring it up with a priest as well, but I wanted to ask here first. The Church is my home. I feel like I’m nothing without my faith and my Catholic roots...again, I just know what I know and I can't unlearn it. At the same time, I almost feel like I’m coming here looking for some kind of validation, even though another part of me feels like my mind has already made up its mind. I’m not trying to offend anyone, and if it comes off strong or defensive, I’m aware that might be how it reads...I'll make an appointment with my Parish Priest.
God bless you all
I hope this topic is okay.
The fact is I am Eastern Orthodox and gay, and being one is probably in some ways more difficult than being Catholic and gay. (though that's only my own impression)
But I think we probably share the same difficulties of finding likeminded faithful gay people to date.
Up to this point, I have never focused solely on whether someone is a Christian or not when choosing to date, since being a sexual minority is already its own struggle; but considering how many people in gay dating are also extremely commitment-averse, I am starting to wonder if finding someone who is faithful to God might be a better idea if I want a committed, non-transactional relationship.
If anyone has any advice or stories from personal experience to share to help me, a struggling Christian desiring a relationship built on love, please share them!
Thank you.