The Catholic Church’s history dates back to 30 CE, and you’d think that like a majority of the world it would have evolved significantly more than it has. Even with their messages of “love thy neighbor”, which includes enemies, friends, family, the unfortunate, your literal neighbors, and everyone else (for the most part), and yet the second a person doesn’t fit into the Bible’s narrative all hell breaks loose. Gay? Get out. Lesbian? Get lost. Bisexual? Don’t bother. Trying to figure yourself out? Don’t even try. An extremely large number of members of the Catholic Church would rather see you out if you don’t fit their “man and women shall be the only proper way one can be wed”. Let’s get into this, this post is going to discuss the unfortunate ongoing battle between the Catholic Church and the LGBTQ+ community.
I’m absolutely not saying that all members of the Catholic Church are homophobic, I’d like to make that extremely clear. I personally know many members that support or are members of the community, however I also know a significantly large number of them who would rather send them to conversion camps than show love and support to them.
Hmm you know what, let’s directly quote the Bible. In Philippians 2:5 it says “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus” and in John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”. In short you’re supposed to love everyone, no matter what. There should be nothing stopping you from loving someone, and whoever that person loves should not and absolutely does not affect you in any way.
To get a bit more personal, as I’ve mentioned in a previous post my private Catholic high school had a “gay list” which is absolutely ridiculous. Initially it had just been known as a myth, that was until the day someone found it on a staff member’s laptop. The list had no title, but a list of names that all had something in common. If it’s not already obvious all people listed fall somewhere within the LGBTQ+ community, and I was slightly but also not at all shocked that my name apparently made it on there. I suppose me constantly casually holding hands in classes and hugging my best friend around campus were some grounds for sending in a “tip” of sorts to the higher ups. Fact of the matter is that they can’t do anything about it, they can’t punish any of us for it but simply watch us go about our lives and that’s the way it should be for everyone.
The most ironic event was the day one of the higher ups went on the pa system and proceeded to tell us about something insensitive that was written on the bathroom walls and then go on to say “we do not discriminate and accept all people here no matter what”. Oh the irony of saying that and still having a “gay list” be so fr. The second they said that one of my, at the time, upperclassmen friends and I had to stifle our laughter and could only shoot each other a “no way they just said that” glance.
What happened to prioritizing love, community, and support?