Trigger Warning: Mentions of topics that could trigger religious trauma in LGBTQIA+ folks, resources for help are found at the end of the article as well. Â
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 Â
This verse has made sense to me for as long as I can remember. The concept seemed simple. My task on this Earth was realized. This task being to love my neighbor to the best of my abilities, regardless of how they look, talk, act, and love. Surprisingly enough, this concept is not simple for everyone. Even though Jesus himself said “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” John 13:34-35Â
I’m sure we’re all too much aware of the growing tirade of homophobia in our country. Unfortunately, a lot of the vitriol comes from the very people who claim to love Jesus. Christians will claim that being LGBTQIA+ is a sin. That is not the case. The translations that are most often misused and abused in the Bible are called “arsenokoitai” and “malakoi” These terms have been mistranslated together to condemn homosexuality. Together, they actually condemn the abuse of young men. (Word of a Woman, 2012.) There is also a film that is called 1946, which talks about these mistranslations and about how the word homosexual wasn’t even in the Bible until 1946 and was only put in there for an agenda.  (1946, 2024.)Â
However, the purpose of this article today is to send love out to my community. I am a queer Christian, and I can understand the pain you all have been through, caused by Christians. I myself have experienced homophobia many times in the church and have experienced internalized homophobia. I want you to know that you are not alone and that you are loved. There is a fish symbol in Christianity. I thought about it while writing this article. It’s a symbol that Christians used in times of persecution to find each other safely. One Christian would draw the first half of the fish when encountering a person. If the other person finished it, they knew they were safe. If the other person did not finish it, it looked like someone just drawing in the sand. (Parke, 2022.) In this day and age, due to the recent White House leadership change, it is scary to be queer. The fish symbol has me thinking, our community needs to find their own fish symbol. How can we find each other, or our allies when things feel scary? Maybe it’s as simple as seeing someone with a carefully orchestrated outfit, and saying “Your look is eating today.” Or maybe it’s coming across someone and playing finish the lyrics to Pink Pony Club by Chappell Roan. It could be something we brainstorm together, possibly at a Chico State Pride club meeting. I believe that our community has this innate ability to look each other in the eyes, and see the “rainbow heart” inside, if you will. As queer people, I think we can sometimes tell each other apart from the rest, because we have this unique light around us that says, “I’ve been through it, and I’m still going to be me.” It’s something that I feel like only fellow queer people can spot. I hope we all continue to meditate on this, so we can work together to support each other during these dark times.Â
To our allies, or Christians who don’t know where they stand, I’d like to bring up the story of Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was a tax collector who was not well liked in the Bible, due to his shady misdeeds in his line of work. He found out Jesus was going to come visit his town, and so he hid in a tree. He wanted to see Jesus, but didn’t want Jesus to see him, because of his own shame. When Jesus arrived in Zacchaeus’s town, and came across the tree where he was hiding, Jesus looked up and pointed at him and said, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” Jesus set an example by going to Zacchaeus’s house. Zacchaeus as previously stated, was not well liked, and no one in his community dared to associate with him or get to know him. Jesus ignored those opinions and chose to love him and level with him anyway. The Son of God went out of his way to spend time with someone that was very different than Him and hated by the world. (Luke 19:1-10.)
So, to our allies, who want to help us, I would love if you reached out to queer people you know and ask if they need a kind presence to lean on. You could do what Jesus did for Zacchaeus, and spend some fun, intentional time with us in our homes! Thank you for your love and support, you are loved. To Christians who don’t know where they stand on the topic of the LGBTQIA+ community, I would be delighted if you took intentional time to get to know us and our stories. Our community is super fun, and I’m sure we’d have a lot to learn from each other. I want you to know you’re loved too. Sometimes, we just want to know we have supporters in this world. Let’s all try and love each other more and expand our understanding of empathy in this world. I’m going to continue thinking about what this means for me personally, and I hope you do too! Everyone reading this article should know that regardless of your race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation, you are loved very much. You have amazing things to offer the world. Â
Resources:Â
The Trevor Project: An LGBTQIA+ Mental Health Help Line:
thetrevorproject.org/get-help/
National Alliance on Mental Illness: Support & EducationÂ
NAMI Help Line Number: 1-800-950-6264Â
Sources:Â
“1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture.” 1946, 3 Nov. 2024, www.1946themovie.com/. Â
“God and Homosexuality: Parts 6 and 7 – Pornoi, Arsenokoitai and Malakoi – 1 Cor 6 and 1 Tim 1.” Word of a Woman, 9 Apr. 2012, wordofawoman.com/2012/04/09/homosexuality-and-god-parts-5-and-6-pornoi-arsenokoitai-and-malakoi/. Â
Parke, Blair. “Ichthys, the Christian Fish Symbol Origin and History Facts.” Bible Study Tools, 22 Mar. 2022, www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/the-christian-fish-symbol-origin-and-history-facts.html. Â