Insi and outst: multifaceted stigma and remptn the liv of gay and lbian Jehovah's Wns - PubMed

Contents:

• BEG A GAY JEHOVAH'S WNS MA DANIEL FEEL LIKE HE 'DIDN'T BELONG ANYWHERE'
• THE HARDSHIP OF BEG A GAY JEHOVAH'S WNS
• WHAT I LEARNED GROWG UP AS A GAY JEHOVAH’S WNS NORTH CORK
• IF I’M A GAY JEHOVAH’S WNS, IS HETEROSEXUAL MARRIAGE THE ANSWER?
• INSI AND OUTST: MULTIFACETED STIGMA AND REMPTN THE LIV OF GAY AND LBIAN JEHOVAH'S WNS

BEG A GAY JEHOVAH'S WNS MA DANIEL FEEL LIKE HE 'DIDN'T BELONG ANYWHERE'

"That was how homosexuals were always portrayed at the meetgs and bible discsns, so beg aware that you were gay, you really were odd. Although the Bible nmns homosexual acts, do not enurage prejudice, hate crim, or any other kd of mistreatment of homosexuals.

” (Hebrews 12:14) While they reject homosexual acts, Jehovah’s Wns do not force their view on others, nor do they participate homophobic hate crim or rejoice when they hear of them. Still, some people would say that the Bible promot prejudice agast homosexuals and that those who adhere to s moral are tolerant. For example, the Bible speaks of “those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who subm to homosexual acts, ” and then adds: “That is what some of you were.

THE HARDSHIP OF BEG A GAY JEHOVAH'S WNS

In sayg “that is what some of you were, ” do the Bible mean that those who stopped engagg homosexual acts never aga experienced any homosexual sir? (Romans 7:16-25) A person who has homosexual leangs n ntrol what he allows his md to dwell on, jt as he would ntrol any other wrong sire, cludg leangs toward anger, adultery, and greed.

A few weeks later, our ngregatn’s pridg elr lled me on the phone and asked if I was “a homosexual” and planng to live as one, as if the two n be separated. Whilst I was told I uld have Jehovah’s favour if I did not practice my homosexual feelgs (like a straight person uld whilst not mtg fornitn) I personally felt that was different if you are gay.

Many tim I have sat through meetgs and the topic of homosexualy or homosexuals have e up and I crge at what I’m hearg and I have to get up to go to the toilet jt to stop hearg , bee I don’t want to be remd how beg gay is wrong and how gay people will be stroyed at Armageddon. Y, I know only refers to those who are practisg homosexuals, but knowg how God hat homosexuals and knowg that I am one and n’t fix that is mentally bilatg.

WHAT I LEARNED GROWG UP AS A GAY JEHOVAH’S WNS NORTH CORK

Whilst imprsed wh their level of fah orr to do this, is sad gay people are nied very basic human rights, the right to love someone and build a home wh that person. I was not after sex, and had no plans to sexually attack the people, but bee I was outed as beg gay, people beme unfortable wh me. My only memory of gay people ever beg mentned at home was my stepmother once mutterg "disgtg" when a gay character appeared on a televisn belief of not beg good enough took root.

IF I’M A GAY JEHOVAH’S WNS, IS HETEROSEXUAL MARRIAGE THE ANSWER?

Of urse, there were noticeable cultural differenc, however, I uld see the same pa them that I had endured my childhood and how led to parable Dubl, the gay Arab iends uld be “out” gay men, as I had been Cork. Of urse, I nnot know if what I experienced as a gay man growg up a fundamentalist Christian sect north Cork is tly the same as a gay man growg up wh a Mlim fay the Middle East. Every time they travelled home, they were forced to go “back the closet” sufferg gay people endure om hom where dogmatism tmps kdns is utterly stctive, sometim fatally so.

Though I have ma much progrs wh years of therapy, I am still untanglg the black roots of self-hatred imposed on of that untanglg was to tell my mother that I was gay when I first met her a fe off St Patrick’s Street. I n only wish Aasim, and those gay Arab men I knew, the for Pearls by Jamie O’Connell is published by Doubleday and is out now.

” (Ephians 4:​14) Instead, they base their view of homosexual nduct (and any other kd of nduct, for that matter) on the standards set forth the Bible. Those who are sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who subm to homosexual acts, men who practice homosexualy, thiev, greedy people, dnkards, revilers, and extortners will not her God’s Kgdom. A person that engag same sex sexual relatns n be disfellowshipped, however a celibate homosexual n rema as one of Jehovah's Wns.

INSI AND OUTST: MULTIFACETED STIGMA AND REMPTN THE LIV OF GAY AND LBIAN JEHOVAH'S WNS

Watchtower do not accept that people are born homosexual, and teach that homosexual sir are a choice that are veloped, such as through masturbatn, and n be overe. "Although the Bible nmns homosexual acts, do not enurage prejudice, hate crim, or any other kd of mistreatment of homosexuals.... Whilst this article appears to prent the Watchtower view of same sex relatns a balanced and tolerant manner, is not harmony wh what has appeared for many s wh the pag of the Watchtower, nor align wh how homosexuals are treated wh the ngregatns.

A follow up article ntued the theme, appearg cril of the medil profsn's acceptance of homosexualy as somethg other than a mental disorr.