Editing Christianity and homosexuality (section)

===Homosexual Christians and organizations===
{{Further|LGBT-affirming Christian denominations}}
{{See also|LGBT-affirming religious groups}}
[[File:TroyPerry2006-09-17.JPG|thumb|right|Rev. [[Troy Perry]] preaching in 2006 at a [[Metropolitan Community Church]]]]

Studies in the US show more LGBTQ individuals identify as Protestant than Catholic.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prri.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PRRI_Mar_2020_LGBT-Figure_2.png |title=LGBT Identification by Religious Affiliation |date=March 2020 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/FT_15.05.22_RLSsexualOrientation_640px.png |title=Religious Composition by Self-Reported Sexual Identity |website=Pew Research Center |date=2014 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/06/SDT-2013-06-LGBT-6-02.png |title=Religious Affiliation |website=Pew Research Center |date=2013 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref> [[George Barna]], a conservative Christian author and researcher, conducted a survey in the United States in 2009 that found gay and lesbian people having a Christian affiliation were more numerous than had been presumed. He characterized some of his leading conclusions from the data as follows:<ref name="Chellew-Hodge 2009" /> "People who portray gay adults as [[Godlessness|godless]], [[hedonistic]], Christian bashers are not working with the facts. A substantial majority of gays cite their [[faith]] as a central facet of their life, consider themselves to be Christian, and claim to have some type of meaningful personal commitment to [[Jesus Christ]] active in their life today." Barna also found that LGBTQ people were more likely to interpret faith as an individual rather than a collective experience.<ref name=BARNAGAY>{{cite web|url=http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/282-spiritual-profile-of-homosexual-adults-provides-surprising-insights |title=Spiritual Profile of Homosexual Adults Provides Surprising Insights |publisher=Barna.org |date=22 June 2009 |access-date=12 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106041153/http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/282-spiritual-profile-of-homosexual-adults-provides-surprising-insights |archive-date= 6 November 2011 }}</ref>

Candace Chellew-Hodge, liberal Christian lesbian founder of the online magazine ''Whosoever'', responded to the findings: "All in all, I'm grateful for Barna even wandering into the subject of gay and lesbian [[Religion|religious belief]]. I think his study is important and can go a long way to dispelling the old "gays vs. God" [[dichotomy]] that too often gets played out in the media. However, his overall message is still harmful: Gays and lesbians are Christians – they're just not as good as straight ones."<ref name="Chellew-Hodge 2009">{{cite web |date=26 June 2009 |title=New Poll Shows Gays and Lesbians Believe in God, Candace Chellew-Hodge, ReligionDispatches, 25 June 2009 (accessed 2009-06-27) |url=http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/sexandgender/1590/new_poll_shows_gays_and_lesbians_believe_in_god |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090629045208/http://www.religiondispatches.org/blog/sexandgender/1590/new_poll_shows_gays_and_lesbians_believe_in_god |archive-date=29 June 2009 |access-date=12 November 2011 |publisher=Religiondispatches.org}}</ref> She argued that Barna had formulated his report with undue irony and skepticism, and that he had failed to take into account the reasons for the data which enkindled his "arrière pensée." The reason why far fewer homosexuals attend church, she argued, is that there are far fewer churches who will accept them. Equally, gays and lesbians do not see the Bible as unequivocally true because they are forced by its use against them to read it more closely and with less credulity, leading them to note its myriad [[Internal consistency of the Bible|contradictions]].<ref name="Chellew-Hodge 2009"/>

Organizations for homosexual Christians exist across a wide range of beliefs and traditions. The interdenominational [[Q Christian Fellowship]] (formerly Gay Christian Network) has some members who affirm same-sex relationships and others who commit themselves to celibacy, groups it refers to as "Side A" and "Side B", respectively.<ref>[http://www.gaychristian.net/index.php? GCN Homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100610174736/http://www.gaychristian.net/index.php |date=10 June 2010 }} (website). Gay Christian Network. Retrieved 2008-03-05.</ref><ref>{{cite news| title = The Believers| first = Tim| last = Murphy| newspaper = The Advocate| date = 17 June 2008| pages = 52–58}}</ref> According to founder [[Justin Lee (activist)|Justin Lee]]:

{{blockquote|We're just trying to get people together who experience attraction to the same sex, however they have handled that, and who love Jesus and say, OK, you are welcome here, and then let's pray together and figure out where God wants us to take it.<ref>[http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0612/18/acd.02.html Transcript] of 18 December 2006 episode of ''Anderson Cooper 360''</ref>}}

Some organizations cater exclusively to homosexual Christians who do not want to have gay sex, or attraction; the goals of these organizations vary. Some Christian groups focus on simply refraining from gay sex, such as [[Courage International]] and [[North Star (organization)|North Star]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://northstarlds.org |title=North Star web site |publisher=Northstarlds.org |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Same-Sex Attraction|url=http://samesexattraction.org/ |website=samesexattraction.org |date=19 December 2024 |access-date=19 December 2024}}</ref> Other groups additionally encourage gay members to reduce or eliminate [[same-sex attraction]]s. [[Love Won Out]] and the now-defunct [[Exodus International]] are examples of such ministries. These groups are sometimes referred to as [[ex-gay]] organizations, though many no longer use the term. [[Alan Chambers (Exodus International)|Alan Chambers]], the president of Exodus, says the term incorrectly implies a complete change in sexual orientation,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-18-na-exgay18-story.html |title=Approaching agreement in debate over homosexuality |website=Los Angeles Times|date=18 June 2007 |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> though the group [[Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays]] continues to use the term. In addition, individual Christians identifying as gay who want to subscribe to the conservative ethic are becoming more vocal themselves.<ref>{{cite web |last=Belgau |first=Ron |title=Spiritual Friendship in 300 Words|url=http://spiritualfriendship.org/2012/08/29/spiritual-friendship-in-300-words/ |website=spiritualfriendship.org |date=29 August 2012 |access-date=18 March 2021}}</ref>

Gay Christian writer and actor [[Peterson Toscano]] argues that organizations promoting orientation change are a "ruse".<ref>{{cite news|title=Turning off gays |first=Mark |last=Benjamin |newspaper=Salon |date=18 July 2005 |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/07/18/ungay/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525055244/http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/07/18/ungay/index.html |archive-date=25 May 2009 }}</ref> An organization he co-founded, Beyond Ex-Gay, supports people who feel they have been wounded by such organizations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.beyondexgay.com/ |title=Beyond Ex-Gay Group for survivors of Ex-Gay ministries |publisher=Beyondexgay.com |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref>

[[LGBT-affirming Christian denominations|Other groups]] support or advocate for gay Christians and their relationships. For example, in the United States, [[IntegrityUSA]] represents the interests of lesbian and gay Christians in the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.integrityusa.org/ |title=Integrity (US Episcopal) |publisher=Integrityusa.org |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> while [[United Methodist Church|United Methodists]] have the [[Reconciling Ministries Network]] and [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christians have ''Evangelicals Concerned''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecwr.org/index.php |title=Evangelicals Concerned: Gay Christians |publisher=Ecwr.org |access-date=12 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930014647/http://www.ecwr.org/index.php |archive-date=30 September 2011 }}</ref> [[GracePointe Church]] became one of the first evangelical [[megachurch]]es in the US to support full equality for LGBTQ people in 2015.<ref name=Time>{{cite magazine |last1=Dias |first1=Elizabeth |title=Nashville Evangelical Church Comes Out for Marriage Equality |url=https://time.com/3687368/gracepointe-church-nashville-marriage-equality/ |access-date=15 February 2015 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=29 January 2015 |archive-date=14 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150214143615/http://time.com/3687368/gracepointe-church-nashville-marriage-equality/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Hall |first1=Heidi |title=As one evangelical church 'comes out' for LGBT rights, others cast a wary eye |url=https://religionnews.com/2015/03/03/one-evangelical-church-comes-lgbt-rights-others-cast-wary-eye/ |website=Religion News Service |access-date=8 February 2023 |date=3 March 2015 |archive-date=8 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230208152423/https://religionnews.com/2015/03/03/one-evangelical-church-comes-lgbt-rights-others-cast-wary-eye/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014 the [[United Church of Christ]] filed a lawsuit challenging North Carolina's ban on same-sex marriage, which is America's first faith-based challenge to same-sex marriage bans; the [[Alliance of Baptists]] joined the lawsuit later that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article9127277.html|title=Rabbis group joins N.C. same-sex marriage suit}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2014/06/06/rabbis-join-marriage-equality-fight|title=Rabbis Join Marriage Equality Fight|date=6 June 2014}}</ref>

In Europe, working within the worldwide Anglican Communion on a range of discrimination issues, including those of LGBTQ clergy and people in the church, is ''Inclusive Church''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inclusive-church.org.uk/ |title=Inclusive Church (Anglican) |publisher=Inclusive Church |access-date=27 November 2012}}</ref> The longest standing groups for lesbian and gay Christians in the UK, were Quest (for LGBTQ Catholics) and Metropolitan Community Church (UK) both founded in 1973; followed in 1976 by the non-denominational [[Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgcm.org.uk/ |title=Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement (UK) |publisher=Lgcm.org.uk |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> specifically aimed to meet the needs of lesbian and gay evangelicals, there is the ''Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians'';<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eflgc.org.uk/ |title=Evangelical Fellowship for Lesbian and Gay Christians (UK) |publisher=Eflgc.org.uk |date=7 November 2010 |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> specifically working within the Church of England is ''Changing Attitude'',<ref>[http://www.changingattitude.org.uk/home/home.asp Changing Attitude (UK)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090428103050/http://www.changingattitude.org.uk/home/home.asp |date=28 April 2009 }}</ref> which also takes an international focus in working for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender affirmation within the Anglican Communion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.changingattitude.org/home/home.asp |title=(International) |publisher=Changing Attitude |date=21 September 2010 |access-date=12 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927073959/http://www.changingattitude.org/home/home.asp |archive-date=27 September 2011}}</ref>

Sociologist Richard N. Pitt argues that these organizations are only available to LGBTQ members of liberal denominations, as opposed to those in conservative denominations. His review of the literature on gay Christians suggests that these organizations not only represent the interests of Christians who attend their churches, but (like gay-friendly and gay-affirming churches) also give these members useful responses to homophobic and heterosexist rhetoric. His research shows that those LGBTQ Christians who stay at homophobic churches "kill the messenger"<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123306098/HTMLSTART |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216152744/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/123306098/HTMLSTART |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2012 |title=Killing The Messenger|doi=10.1111/j.1468-5906.2009.01492.x |date=1 March 2010 |access-date=12 November 2011 |volume=49 |journal=Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion |pages=56–72|last1=Pitt|first1=Richard N.}}</ref> by attacking the minister's knowledge about homosexuality, personal morality, focus on sin instead of forgiveness, and motivations for preaching against homosexuality.