Religion

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Vatican report admits conversion therapy caused LGBTQ+ Catholics’ ‘profound suffering’

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Just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors in an 8-1 ruling that cast doubt on similar laws nationwide, a Catholic Church report is warning that so-called “reparative therapies” have caused LGBTQ+ Catholics “profound suffering” and spiritual harm. The published document comes from theologians assembled for the late Pope Francis’ Synod of Bishops. Remarkably, it includes testimony from two Catholic gay men in same-sex marriages, both of whom were previously subjected to so-called “conversion therapy.” That alone drew praise from advocates. Stay up to date with the latest in LGBTQ+ news with The Advocate’s email newsletter, in […]

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Catholic Hate Group Condemns “Lavender” College Graduation Ceremonies: “They Lead Students Into Sin”

Some of the country’s most prominent Catholic colleges and universities are holding separate LGBTQ-affirming graduation ceremonies this spring, including one that also plans to include a drag performance. At least 20 colleges or universities associated with the Catholic Church have held, or plan to hold, these “lavender graduation” ceremonies and celebrations, which are done separate from the main commencement ceremony and are intended to “honor and celebrate the achievements of our LGBTQ+ graduates,” according to a Fox News Digital review of university websites and social media posts. The term “lavender” has been used to describe LGBTQ+ affiliations amongst the gay […]

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Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces

In 20 states across America and Washington, D.C., so-called “conversion therapy” practices have been banned, with every major medical and mental health association recognizing the practice is not only ineffective, but harmful to young people subjected to it. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court against Colorado’s ban has reignited alarm among LGBTQ+ people, allies, and advocates. The disproportionate impact on Black LGBTQ youth is also deeply troubling and only just beginning to be understood. The practice has a harmful and traumatic history. Survivors describe enduring shock therapy; others were subjected to surgical procedures like lobotomies and other personality-altering techniques, like hypnosis. There […]

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LGBTQ People Are Leaving Orthodox Judaism Behind

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Shlomo Satt remembers first thinking he might be gay at 13 years old after seeing an article about gay marriage in the newspaper. Growing up in an Orthodox Jewish community on Long Island, New York, Satt immediately felt anxious about what this could mean for his future. “I think that’s when I started thinking, ‘Oh, am I that? Am I gay?’” Satt, now 30, told Uncloseted Media and GAY TIMES. As Satt came to realize he was gay, his anxiety skyrocketed. He was aware that only half of Orthodox Jews—and 20% of ultra-Orthodox Jews—are accepting of homosexuality. “In my community, it’s very […]

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Pope Leo XIV rejects formal same-sex blessings

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Pope Leo XIV indicated on Thursday (23 April) that he will maintain the CatholicChurch’s current stance on LGBTQ+ issues, reaffirming support for informal blessings of same-sex couples while rejecting any move toward formal recognition. Speaking at a news conference after an 11-day tour of Africa, the pope emphasised that the Vatican would not go beyond the framework established by Pope Francis in 2023, which allows non-liturgical blessings for same-sex couples, but stops short of endorsing marriage-like ceremonies. “First of all, I think it’s very important that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters,” Leo told reporters. “We […]

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Between Trump and Christian nationalism, MAGA Catholics have a big problem

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As if going to war with Iran wasn’t enough, the Trump administration has apparently chosen to go to war with the Vatican as well.  In a move that is shockingly stupid even by his own standards, Donald Trump unleashed a vicious attack on Pope Leo on Sunday. In a screed on Truth Social,Trump complained that the pope was “WEAK on crime and terrible on foreign policy,” and even took credit for the pope’s election. “I don’t want a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States because I’m doing exactly what I was elected, IN A LANDSLIDE, to do, setting […]

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Hegseth’s Pastor Calls For Criminalizing Homosexuality

Religion News Service reports: In Pastor Doug Wilson’s Christian nationalist America, there would be no minarets — only the sound of church bell towers. There would be no statues of Hindu deities or other non-Christian religious symbols in public spaces. Adultery would carry legal penalties, and Obergefell v. Hodges would be overturned. Under that framework, public celebrations of LGBTQ+ identity would not be tolerated. Wilson went further, offering praise for the 1969 Stonewall raids — the police action against a New York gay bar that sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. He added that said sodomy laws — which were on the books […]

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Mormons remind trans members they aren’t welcome at temple rituals until detransition

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The Mormon church updated its official principles to remind transgendermembers they will only be recognized in rituals by their “biological sex at birth.”  The update to the General Handbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not mark a formal change in doctrine, but it offers more detailed guidance on how gender transition affects eligibility for temple participation. “Worthy members who do not pursue surgical, medical, or social transition away from their biological sex at birth may receive a temple recommend and temple ordinances,” the handbook reads. That follows a prior update to church doctrine in 2020 that reflected a […]

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Americans are leaving Christianity because of anti-LGBTQ+ animus. Why now?

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When Garth Huelskamp was on his Mormon mission at 19 years old, he journeyed through western Nevada, where he remembers meeting a lesbian couple. While he remained tight-lipped, his companions quickly jumped into a conversation with them, speaking about how Jesus can save them from all sins, including homosexuality. “[There was] always an elephant in the room,” he says. That’s because at the time, Huelskamp knew he was gay. But like many queer religious people, he believed he could pray it away. “I was hoping that I’d come up from my mission and be attracted to women and be able […]

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US Christians gather to protest violence against trans people

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US Christians gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol to protest the “religious condemnation” of the trans community.  On Sunday (28 December), a group of trans-affirming Christians gathered to take part in the event titled “Not In Jesus’ name”.  The event, which took place from 2pm for two hours, included a march around Capitol Square and a sung prayer service inside the Capitol Rotunda.  As per 15 WMTV, organisers of the event said the gathering took place in response to the national debate over gender-affirming care and concern about religious condemnation directed at the trans community.  In June, a US Supreme Court decision to uphold […]

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