By Gabriella Medina
You may hear the word “gay” from time to time. Maybe you’ve heard that your friend is going to their friend’s gay wedding, or to the gay pride parades, but most people don’t think about how much harm the people in the LGBTQ community have faced. They have suffered through a lot over the years. The homophobic belief that they are beneath humanity and beneath equality because of something they cannot control has led to a lot of discrimination. It has been seen as a sin to be gay and as something wrong. Now it’s a mystery to me how come it’s so controversial to religion, and people in general, so I am going to be discussing this subject, from thin corners to wide gaps.
In Leviticus 18:22/20:13 in part of the Bible, it says how it is not right to be homosexual, “it is an abomination” (What Does The Bible Say About Homosexuality, 2020)
A very long time ago, in ancient Greece and Rome, there was evidence pointing to homosexuality between many men at the time. But looking at the world now, it seems as though there are many people who still do not like it. Why was it so accepted in Ancient times, but not now?
Overtime, when Christianity/Judaism started becoming a new age of religion in the world, it started to become evident that these religious people did not like homosexuals. Many who were LGBTQ hid in the shadows and did not come out to anyone. But then one day, on June 28, 1969, the police attacked the Stonewall Inn, whom many gays and lesbians called home. Especially for drag queens who were unwanted at other bars. This sparked many people to want to fight against the brutality against many gays, but not with violence. Exactly a year later, on June 28, 1970, a protest was made which started in sixth avenue all the way to “Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park”. This act of protest sparked many more soon to come protests, and now the LGBTQ+ community celebrates their pride every year in June. (First Gay Pride Parade, 2017)
Now, not all religious people are bad, but many who are extremely into their religion and loyal to God (extremely) are very homophobic. From a friend, who would like to stay anonymous, has a mother whom is very homophobic, but the problem is that [anonymous] is LGBTQ. It is impossible for them to come out to their mother, since their bond might be broken. The mother could accept them, or refuse to accept their child. Now I have interviewed some people (who will stay anonymous), who understand the community/and or are in the lgbtq+ community. I have asked them how it’s like to be LGBTQ+ today versus let’s say in the 1900s. They said that it has improved greatly, but in the 1900s many people were killed for being gay. Now, in the 2000’s many people accept homosexuality, but there are still many religous families who cannot fathom their child being this way.
Many people have abandoned their children for being LGBTQ+ and these people truly think their children are spawn of the Devil, and are a walking image of evil. It is sad that things are this way, but the world is growing and growing. Some of these abandoned kids don’t understand themselves. There are many who are religious and try to get rid of their homosexuality. They could be called “confused” or that they have a choice to change the way they are, but in truth, you can’t just magically let your personality go.
The LGBTQ+ community doesn’t only consist of gays/lesbians/bisexuals, there are tons of different sexualities, but also genders. In LGBTQ+ the T stands for Transgender, which refers to an individual who does not take their assigned gender at birth, and realize that their original gender does not quite fit them right. A transgender friend of mine (Anonymous) explained to me how they felt. Transitioning isn’t anything big, but it can really change you, positively. Changing your genders isn’t a game, and transitioning has helped many people find themselves. It could be confusing for you, but understand, that people just want to be themselves.
I hope that one day everyone realizes, religion or not, that people who are LGBTQ+ are still human beings and cannot control the way they are, people who simply want to live in a world of peace. I hope that this has taught at least one person who is confused, the history of Pride, and what it means to be LGBTQ+.
Students of the Sidewalk 