LGBTQIA+ Folks, Religion, Oppression
The Shift Within: How We End Oppression and Divisiveness to Create Liberation and Indivisibility for All
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LGBTQIA+ Folks, Religion, Oppression
In addition to woman, historically, LGBTQ+ people have experienced significant oppression due to these dominant and influential religious belief systems. The holy books of these religions contain passages that have been used to condemn same-sex relationships and gender non-conforming behaviors. For example, Leviticus 18:22 in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) states that "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination." Similarly, the New Testament in the Christian Bible contains passages that describe homosexuality as sinful and immoral.
Religious leaders in these traditions have often condemned homosexuality and gender non-conforming behavior, and have promoted conversion therapy or other forms of "curing" LGBTQ+ people. LGBTQ+ people have also often been excluded from religious communities or forced to hide their identities in order to remain a part of a religious community that they may have grown up in and still depend on for spiritual guidance and support.
Some religious communities have actively and intentionally worked to stigmatize and exclude LGBTQ+ people by blocking their access to positions of influence and leadership and aiding efforts to criminalize same-sex relationships and gender non-conforming behaviors. As a result of these efforts LGBTQ+ people have continually faced discrimination and violence at the hands of religious communities and individuals. In some countries, LGBTQ+ people have been subject to legal punishment, including the death penalty, for engaging in same-sex relationships.
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