There Sure are a Lot of Religious LGBT People...

by Michael Jones · 2009-08-10 08:46:00 UTC
Topics:

Church Candles

Given the ferocity that some religions attack LGBT rights with (here's looking at you, Maine Catholic Church), this is somewhat surprising news.  In a survey of more than 9,000 LGBT Americans conducted by prominent evangelical pollster George Barna, 70 percent of LGBT adults describe themselves as Christian, with 60 percent saying that religion plays a crucial role in their day-to-day lives.

The lesson?  That religion isn't the sole domain of anti-LGBT folks.  Not in the least.

Here's what Barna had to say about the role of religion in LGBT people's lives:

People who portray gay adults as 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.

Yes, this is definitely a study that is very Christian-centric.  But there is an important talking point at play here: religion can be a place of empowerment, comfort and security for LGBT people, especially in churches and faiths that incorporate equal rights into their social justice theology.  It's not just the domain of straight people.

And the more and more religious organizations that keep coming out publicly for marriage equality (among other LGBT rights issues) are reinforcing that message daily.

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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