I have come to the conclusion that it is also a political act to come out openly as a supporter of people who are LGBT. As I have begun talking to folks in my own meeting and beyond about my concern that LGBT folks need to be accepted as co-equals, the vast majority of folks have nodded, and explained that they had already quietly come to that conclusion themselves. On the one hand, this has been very reassuring. On the other hand, it has been a little troubling.
In Killing the Buddha, what the Anglican schism over sexuality has to do with the colonial legacy in Africa:
Unsurprisingly, the first thing the British did after they had made significant inroads into the region was to ban all worship of the goddess and to insist that all households be composed of one man, one woman, and their biological children. From that moment on, a priestess or female husband was out of a job. From one angle, then, what the Anglican world is witnessing is not the imposition of some “primitive” mindset upon a “modern” Anglo-American Church, but rather, a redeployment of the modern code of gender and church hierarchy imposed upon West and East Africans at the turn of the century.
There are aspects of our sexuality about which we as Quakers have community expectations and standards – ways we hold each other accountable for using our God-given gifts responsibly. I can’t, however, tell you where the boundary is between acceptable and unacceptable. If we can’t articulate where the boundaries are, how do we avoid crossing them? We stay in tune with God, with ourselves as individuals, and with our partners. We identify elders, mentors, peers and loved ones with whom we can talk through the things that confuse us.
No, I’m not gay. But there’s a closet that I think a lot of Christians find themselves in. And I think it’s about time I came out of it. So, um, here goes. Gulp. *Deep sigh* Homosexuality is not a sin. There. I feel better already. Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and laugh. I know this is not exactly a ground-breaking idea. I know that plenty of other Christians before me have said it. But it’s not a done deal yet for everyone. I’m coming out a bit late, but Now I figure is better than Someday, even if it’s not quite as good as Yesterday.
When I first encountered Quaker conversations about sexual ethics I was dismayed because they seemed to reflect the popular culture’s assumptions and polarities. Most of the Friends I knew were on the liberal end of the dialogue. Many of the older adults spoke passionately about the harm done by our “puritanical” culture, with its emphasis on sexual repression and shaming, and they celebrated the increased sexual freedom enjoyed by my generation.
