Queer Life: A Primer

 

Hey guys, gals, and fellow non-binary pals!

Fun fact: grad school is hard.

I know I intended to post a lot more this month on different aspects of the LGBTQ+ experience, but summer semester of school has been intense. So this post is going to be a bit of a catch-all. You may want to read it in chunks; I'm covering several different areas of interest, and this is a bit involved.

I strongly encourage you to think deeply about this. This will likely challenge your current understanding. Think about where your own perspective came from, and why the information presented here might be different.

If you have questions, comments, concerns, stories, complaints, atta-boys, or responses in relation to anything I post, in this post or any other, please reach out to me. My DMs are open, and I love getting to have conversations about this stuff. 

Now, on to the info dump...

TL;DR - there is a biological/genetic influence on sexual orientation/gender identity; accept queer kids - it's suicide prevention; there are different views of how the Bible talks - or doesn't talk - about homosexuality, and there's a good case for interpreting the Bible in a way that is affirming to queer people.

The Biology

First, I want to make this clear: there is no such thing as a gay gene. It would certainly make things a lot easier if there were. But unfortunately, we can't just look at one particular sequence on one particular chromosome and go, "yup! See that? The straights have this sequence written as GACCAG. This person is clearly gay, cause their first set of Cs and second set of Gs are inverted! See: GAGA. All hail our Lady Mother! She hath made this one Born This Way!"

Second, I want to make this clear: genetics do play a role in the development of queer people. There has been ample evidence observed in scientific studies that it is not just an environmental thing. 

• Cook (2021) has found that at least 32% of the variance of homosexuality in twin studies can be explained by genetic influence. 
• In fact, researchers have been able to replicate a study that showed that the Xq28 gene is involved in some way (Sanders et al., 2015). 
• Swaab (2008) has found differences in particular brain structures for homosexuals versus heterosexuals, including the hypothalamus, the amygdala, and the suprachiasmatic nucleus. 
• Chung et al. (2002) showed a correlation between the neuron connections in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) of transgender individuals with the neuron connections of the gender they are identifying as. 

While this information does not necessarily conclude that one brain structure or one chromosome or one gene is responsible for queer people being born, it does conclude that queer people exist due to a complicated interplay between various genetic and biological factors, and various, undetermined environmental factors. Because of this, it is not reasonable to conclude that any queer person chooses to be queer. In fact, in all of the sexual identity developmental models that have been created, the first phase of development nearly always starts with attractions that begin below the person's conscious determination, followed by confusion about why those attractions are there and a mini existential crisis about what they may mean (Cass, 1979; D'Augelli, 1994; Devor, 2004; Troiden, 1979; Yarhouse, 2001).

Risk Factors in the LGBTQ+ Community

When a queer kid realizes they are not straight, the first thing they realize is that they are not straight; the second, is that they are wrong - they are broken, orientationally disfigured, perverted, disgusting, an abomination, should not exist. The idea that someone might not be cisgender and/or heterosexual (cishet, pronounced "sis-het") is not initially seen as normal or okay. The default assumption is that people are cishet, so when a kid realizes they fall outside that default, they typically think something went wrong.

But the crucial question that we all need to ask is: why do they think they're wrong? Why do they think something did not go right?

Here's another thing I want to make perfectly clear, so pay attention: it is not because they "know in their heart" that they were led astray and they need to be made right with God.

LGBTQ+ youth are 4 times more likely to consider, plan for, and carry out suicide than their straight counterparts (Kann et al., 2018; Johns et al., 2019).

Stigma and discrimination cause mental health difficulties for LGBTQ+ youth and adults (Bariola, 2015; Budge, 2013; Clements-Nolle, 2006; Hatzenbeuhler, 2010; 2014; Nuttbrock, 2010;) and can increase rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, self-harm, and suicide.

Support and acceptance lowers these risk factors (Committee on Adolescence, 2013; Olson, 2016; Perez-Brumer, 2015; Ryan, 2010). This includes affirming our existence, passing laws that protects us from discrimination, and recognizing our right for us to thrive.

It's important to understand that literally all we want is the right to exist equally with everyone else. And because this is still not a reality for us in 2021, the description of the LGBTQ+ experience is going to continue to include our fight for our rights. Thank the stars that we got the right to marry in 2015 - this was groundbreaking for us, and we are very, very happy about it.

However, the gay panic defense still exists, somehow, conversion therapy is still legal in many states, and transgender youth are still being discriminated against in sports (based not on science, but a weird series of "well obviously...").

So in our celebration of Pride, we are going to still bring attention to the ways we still need to grow as a society, so Pride can retire the mantle of "protest," and settle in as a proper celebration.

The Conflicting Religious Understanding

Regardless of what you believe about humanity, its intent, or design, it is a verifiable reality that there are several different views surrounding the way religion - Christianity in particular - understands how LGBTQ+ people should exist. (Disclaimer: I grew up in Christianity and am most familiar with it, so I am limiting my discussion to that. I am not well enough informed on the beliefs of other religions to comment on how their beliefs impact queer lives). 

To be clear, this issue has been approached in several different ways throughout history; there is not one uniform story of how Christianity has understood, dealt with, and responded to, queer people both in and outside of the church. Culture and language has evolved over time, and with that, the way words are understood and utilized has also evolved. 

At a high level, Christianity recognizes two main - and four total - views on the intersection between LGBTQ+ issues and faith. The two main ones are Side A and Side B. 

• Side A states that being LGBTQ+ is ordained by God and blessed by Them; therefore, same-sex relationships are approved by God and are permissible.
• Side B states that it is not God's original design for man to be with man, or woman to be with woman. Therefore, queer people are called to remain celibate. You can call yourself Gay, but you are not to act on your desires. It is a sin

The debate between these two sides is very active, and neither is too willing to concede that the other has a better argument. They both claim they're right, and use different facets of the same information to make their points. In the end, it's really up to you on what resonates with you the most - you have to live with the bed you've made, either way. Do you want to believe that God blesses same-sex unions and let yourself be boo-ed up? Or do you want to believe that God called you to a different purpose and honor God with your celibacy for the rest of your life?

The other two sides are Side X and Side Y. Technically there's also a Side C, but that's just kinda like a bookmark until you decide which camp you want to set up your tent in. Side X is the side that favors conversion therapy, which has been uniformly declared harmful (APA, 2021; and before you get up in arms and call this a political move, read the report - the position was based on science, not the cultural zeitgeist). Side Y is like Side B, except they tend to not like the label "gay," and prefer that you use the term "same-sex attracted," if anything at all. Side Y is also not very common.

While it is up to you where you want to land on the "Side A/Side B" debate, I want to make a case for Side A. Side B is most commonly accepted in conservative Christian circles, but it tends to be based on a current-culture understanding of scripture, read in English, through a 21st-century, Western lens. I advocate for a more nuanced, integrated understanding of the scriptures; one that considers not only historical, cultural, and linguistic differences, but also differences in the theological understanding from different scholars. 

A much more comprehensive review of the relevant scriptures and themes will follow in a separate post, but the Spark Notes version is that cultural and linguistic contexts in Biblical times weren't concerned with (and may not have had an understanding for) sexual orientation, or with two single, consenting adults being together. Most people didn't believe that to be a valid expression of romantic or sexual desire until the late 1800s. They were concerned with married men committing adultery (Anonymous Student, 2016; Joosten, 2020), not wasting potential seed to perpetuate a people group (Jefferson, 2021), patriarchal gender roles borne out in an honor-shame society (Honeycutt, 2012), pedophilia/pederasty (Anonymous, 2019), and economic exploitation (Rosborough, 2020).

It's important, when reading the Bible, to remember that it was written in a different language, very long ago, on the other side of the planet, by several different people, with different ways of understanding the world that are definitively not the way we understand it in the United States. Additionally, as early as 70 AD, beliefs about how inspired writings should be interpreted began to morph as different cultures interacted with them for the first time (Spickard & Cragg, 2005). So despite the preservation of the documents we have, interpretation of the documents have likely undergone several different changes over time.

Okay, that's enough for now. As we end Pride month, remember that there is still a long way to go. Stonewall happened only 52 years ago, and the depathologization of homosexuality was accomplished only 48 years ago. "Gender Identity Disorder" was a thing only 8 years ago, and the DSM still talks about Gender Dysphoria now, which people misunderstand all the time. LGBTQ+ people are still being discriminated against, attacked (physically and verbally), and dismissed, with black trans women getting the worst of it (despite their being how Stonewall happened and progress began in the first place). 

Also take time to acknowledge and appreciate the lengths that we have gone, and the progress we have gained. Despite the commercialization of Pride month, it's being commercialized! Thousands of ads and posters and endcaps and products have Pride colors being perceived positively! That doesn't excuse the discrimination and prejudice that still exists, but it is progress we've made, and for what it's worth, I'm going to celebrate the small victories.

References

American Psychological Association. (2021). APA Resolution on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts. https://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-sexual-orientation-change-efforts.pdf.

Anonymous. (2019). Has "Homosexual" always been in the Bible? Forge. https://www.forgeonline.org/blog/2019/3/8/what-about-romans-124-27.

Anonymous Student. (2016). Leviticus 18:22. Queer Bible Hermeneutics. https://blog.smu.edu/ot8317/2016/05/11/leviticus-1822/.

Bariola, E., Lyons, A., Leonard, W., Pitts, M., Badcock, P., & Couch, M. (2015). Demographic and psychosocial factors associated with psychological distress and resilience among transgender individuals. Journal Information, 105(10).

Budge, S. L., Adelson, J. L., & Howard, K. A. (2013). Anxiety and depression in transgender individuals: The role of transition status, loss, social support, and coping. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 81(3), 545.

Cass, V. C. (1979). Homosexual identity formation: A theoretical model. Journal of Homosexuality, 45(3), 219-235. 

Chung, Wilson C. J., De Vries, G., & Swaab, D. (2002). Sexual Differentiation of the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis in Humans May Extend into Adulthood. Journal of Neuroscience, 22(3). Retrieved from www.jneurosci.org/content/22/ 3/1027.

Committee on Adolescence. (2013). Office-based care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Pediatrics, 132(1), 198-203. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2013-1282.

Clements-Nolle, K., Marx, R., & Katz, M. (2006). Attempted suicide among transgender persons: The influence of gender-based discrimination and victimization. Journal of homosexuality, 51(3), 53-69.

Cook, C. C. H. (2021). The causes of human sexual orientation. Theology & Sexuality, 27(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13558358.2020.1818541.

D'Augelli, D. R. (1994). Identity development and sexual orientation: Toward a model of lesbian, gay, and bisexual development. In E. J. Trickett, R. J. Watts, D. Birman, Human diversity: Perspectives on people in context. Jossey-Bass.

Devor, A. H. (2004). Witnessing and mirroring: A fourteen stage model of transsexual identity formation. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy, 8(1/2), 41-67. 

Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Bellatorre, A., Lee, Y., Finch, B. K., Muennig, P., & Fiscella, K. (2014). Structural stigma and all-cause mortality in sexual minority populations. Soc Sci Med, 103, 33.41. doi.org/10.1016/jsocscimed.2013.06.005.

Hatzenbuehler, M. L., McLaughlin, K. A., Keyes, K. M., & Hasin, D. S. (2010). The impact of institutional discrimination on psychiatric disorders in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: A prospective study. American Journal of Public Health, 100(3), 452-459. doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.168815.

Honeycutt, W. E. (2012). The meaning and continuing relevance of Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13. SOR Faculty Publications and Presentations. 182. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/sor_fac_pubs/182.

Jefferson, L. M. (2021). Sexual purity in Leviticus. Bible Odyssey. https:// bibleodyssey.org/en/passages/related-articles/sexual-purity-in-leviticus.

Johns, M. M., Lowry, R., Andrzejewski, J., Barrios, L. C., Zewditu, D., McManus, T., et al. (2019). Transgender identity and experiences of violence victimization, substance use, suicide risk, and sexual risk behaviors among high school students - 19 states and large urban school districts, 2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(3), 65-71.

Joosten, J. (2020). A new interpretation of Leviticus:18:22 (Par. 20:13) and its ethical implications. The Journal of Theological Studies, 71(1), 1-10). https://doi.org/10.1093/jts/flaa002.

Kann, L., McManus, T., Harris, W. A., et al. (2018). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 67(8).

Nuttbrock, L., Hwahng, S., Bockting, W., Rosenblum, A., Mason, M., Macri, M., & Becker, J. (2010). Psychiatric impact of gender-related abuse across the life course of male-to-female transgender persons. Journal of Sex Research, 47(1), 12-23.

Olson, K. R., Durwood, L., DeMeules, M., & McLaughlin, K. A. (2016). Mental health of transgender children who are supported in their identities. Pediatrics, 137(3), e20153223. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-3223.

Peres-Brumer, A., Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Oldenburg, C. E., & Bockting, W. (2015). Individual- and structural-level risk factors for suicide attempts among transgender adults. Behavioral Medicine, 41(3), 164-171.

Rosborough, S. (2020). Arsenokoitai. Robertson-Wesley United Church. https://www.rwuc.org/2020/03/20/arsenokoitai/.

Ryan, C., Russell, S. T., Huebner, D., Diaz, R., & Sanchez, J. (2010). Family acceptance in adolescence and the health of LGBT young adults. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23(4), 205-213. https://doi.org/10.1111/ j.1744-6171.2010.00246.x.

Sanders. A. R., Martin, E. R., Beecham, G. W., Guo, S., Dawood, K., Rieger, G., Badner, J. A. (2015). Genome-wide scan demonstrates significant linkage for male sexual orientation. Psychological Medicine, 45(7), 1379-1388. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291714002451.

Spickard, P. R., & Cragg, K. M. (2005). A global history of Christians. Baker Academic.

Swaab, D. F. (2008). Sexual orientation and its basis in brain structure and function. PNAS, 105(30), 10273-10274. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas. 0805542105.

Troiden, R. R. (1979). Becoming homosexual: A model of gay identity acquisition. Psychiatry, 42, 362-373.

Yarhouse, M. A. (2001). Sexual identity development: The influence of valuative frameworks on identity synthesis. Psychotherapy, 38(3), 331-341.