Gay Rights and the Church (Second in a series of articles on Church Related Issues)

Several years ago the Vatican published its new chatechism for the Catholic Church. In very clear language the chatechism stated what the Church believes about homosexuality. There was nothing new in the document, but anyone who was hoping for some easing of the prohibition on homosexuality was likely disappointed.

Nevertheless, the doctrine itself remains pretty strange. Sexual orientation is not considered by the Church to be something that one can change, and therefore being gay is not a sin. There is just one problem. It is OK to be gay, but it is not OK to have sex. You can be gay as long as you don't do anything about it.

As strange as this formulation may seem, if you know anything about the history of the Church and sex, you would not be particularly surprised. Again, simply put, the Church is not exactly fond of sex. An early church understanding of marriage was not far different. It essentially said it was OK to be married, but it would be better if the couple refrained from sex. Finally, if sex had to occur then one should not enjoy it. One thing that hasn't changed is that marriage is all about having kids, so that if you're not having kids sex is basically unacceptable. The very notion of celibacy being somehow a higher charism than marriage suggests that sex is at best tolerated in the Catholic Church.

At any rate, my concern, is that after the Church reaffirmed its stance towards homosexuality it has done nothing to value those who are in fact gay. It seems to me that doctrinal reaffirmation freed the Church to treat homosexuals as real people and to be advocates for assuring that their rights as members of the community are protected. Since no one can doubt what the Church believes about homosexuality, nobody can confuse compassion and justice with approval of homosexual behavior on the part of the Church. Unfortunately, the Church too often has taken the side of those who would deny the gay community basic rights. In a current struggle over gay marriage in Washington D.C. the Church has said it will quit providing social services to the DC community if they don't get their way on pending legislation. This is Christianity at work?

Granted that sexual orientation is something one is born with, aren't these poeople of God entitled to the same rights as all other members of the community? How can the Church that steadfastly proclaims the worth, value and dignity of every individual stand by and in many cases support those who attempt to discriminate against gays in behavior and in legislation? Leave aside the issue of gay marriage for the moment. We are talking about civil rights in employment and housing, and freedom from hate crimes and violence. At what point does the Church stand up for the rights of this minority group to be treated as human beings?

The Catholic Church in the United States played a significant and positive role in the Civil Rights struggle of the 60's. The time has come once again for the Church to speak out about the treatment of members of the gay community. The need for this stance is particularly important when one considers how many members of the Church community are also gay. Gay Catholics represent the Church in positions of leadership both clerical and lay. If the history of the Church could be written or even known about in this regard there is little doubt it would be an eye opener not only as to the number of significant church personnel who are gay, but also as to the number of valuable contributions these gay members of the community have made to the life of the Church over the years.

Now let us take a look at the issue of gay marriage for a moment. Obviously the Church is not likely to approve of gay marriage any time soon, but I think there are some legitimate issues that ought to be considered. I myself have believed along with many others that marriage is between a man and a woman, and while I would support equal rights for gays in everything but marriage, I could not support gay marriage itself. Recently I have taken another look at this issue, and one organization that has caused me to rethink this issue is the Interfaith Alliance led by Dr. Welton Gaddy. Consider that marriage is both a civil and a religious institution. Marriage is a contract that is regulated by the state, and thus subject to the laws of the state. A couple of any or no religious persuasion can go down to the court house and enter into this contract and it will be recognized throughout the community. The Church on the other hand considers marriage a sacrament and makes decisions about who they will marry within their community. They set the requirements, regulations, and the norms for entering into a marriage within their community. The Church should not be infringed upon in this matter, nor should the state be infringed upon in regulating civil marriages. No Church is being asked or should be asked to recognize a gay marriage. However, the state makes norms for all citizens not just those of one or another religious persuasion.

One can disagree as to whether the state should permit civil gay marriages to occur. Yet the beliefs of a particular religious organization are not sufficient for denying the state authority to make rules in this regard. In fact, one must consider that there are indeed churches and religious groups that are more than willing to bless and approve gay relationships. What religion is the state to follow? Isn't that what separation of Church and state is all about? Finally there is another consideration. Our country has gone the route of separate but equal once before and found it wanting. It did not provide equal facilities, and it continued the legacy of segregation and discrimination. Even domestic partnerships do not provide all of the rights of marriage so in that sense they do not provide gay couples equal rights.

Although we can be all but certain that the Church will not change its position on gay marriage in the forseeable future, there are still some things it really needs to do. It needs to become an open advocate for the legitimate rights of all human beings including our gay citizens. Its doctrine speaks loudly and clearly, but what about its doctrine of love, compassion, and care for all the people of God. The Church should stand strongly against those who feel they can do harm to gays with impunity. Just as the Church has stood forcefully for illegal immigrants in our midst they also need to champion the needs of all the oppressed including those in the gay community. Finally, the Church needs to at least recognize that marriage is both a civil and a religious institution. If the state should recognize gay marriages, it in no way impinges or undermines the Church's own norms for recognizing marriages within its institution.