I hear stori like this om other LGBTQ Orthodox Christians and I thk for a moment that maybe we do need a Gay iendly Orthodox Church. A church where Gay fahful Orthodox Christians uld pray, nfs and mune whout fear of beg rejected simply for who God ma them to be.
Contents:
THE GAY ORTHODOX UNRGROUND
Orthodox Christiany and homosexualy. A place of support for gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenred Orthodox Christians. Constctive cricism of the church's posn * gay eastern orthodox *
There is no official membership, and only a handful of people are willg to put their nam on support-group Ashkazy, a gay-rights activist and Orthodox Jew who liv New York Cy, says he has spoken wh over 200 gay Orthodox Jews over the past few years. Filmmaker Sandi DuBowski, who produced and directed Tremblg Before G-d, terviewed hundreds of gay um (observant) Jews over the past few years for his movie.
Open and Secret Support Groups In the New York area, home to the largt ncentratn of gay Orthodox Jews, at least four support groups have spng up to meet their needs. ’" The three founrs of the Gay and Lbian Yhiva Day School Alumni Associatn chose that name specifilly to attract a gay group wh an Orthodox background.
The first Wt Coast support group was found Los Angel by "Jab, " a 54-year-old Orthodox gay Jew who had been married and livg a New York suburb until ten years ago, when he nfsed to his wife that he was gay. He started attendg an Orthodox synagogue, but was treated as a send-class member (he did not receive aliyot [he was not lled up to the Torah], for example) bee he was gay. Richard Isay, a gay New York-based psychoanalyst, timat that 15 to 20 percent of gay men marry women–bee they want to ny or "cure" their gayns, or want children, or to please their parents.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANS WHO STRONGLY FAVOR OR FAVOR GAY MARRIAGE
For example, the Greek Orthodox Archdce lists homosexualy bi fornitn, adultery, abortn and abive sexual behavr as “immoral and appropriate forms of behavr and of themselv, and also bee they attack the stutn of marriage and the fay.
” Siarly, the Assembly of Canonil Orthodox Bishops of the Uned Stat, clar, “Like adultery and fornitn, homosexual acts are nmned by Scripture. The first tentn is for this webse to be a place of support and refuge for Orthodox Christians who are gay – for to tell our stori about beg Orthodox and gay.
The send aim is to offer an opportuny for nstctive cricism and ments on the official and not so official stanc of the Orthodox Church and Orthodox Christians on homosexualy. Numero bishops and prits, “pastors” of the Church, have done ser spirual damage to a great number of gay Orthodox Christians cludg members of the clergy.