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| 2018 Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem (Jewish Press) |
As I have said many times, I have no personal issue with people who have these inclinations. I believe we must accept everyone for who they are. My issue then is not about acceptance of who they are. It is about acceptance of what they do in that capacity. Speaking strictly as a believing Orthodox Jew, I cannot approve of behavior that the Torah expressly forbids. Nor can I support a lifestyle that is conducive to acting in that manner
That being said, it is nobody’s business to judge people who behave in those ways. That is up to God. But neither does it mean we should look the other way when forbidden behavior is promoted as a legitimate lifestyle choice no different than a lifestyle of permitted behavior. That is where it crosses the line for me.
None of this is new. I have stated these views many times. However, according to the Jewish Press, a survey asking the residents of the mostly observant community of Efrat questions that were heavily skewed towards full acceptance of a gay lifestyle:
The Efrat local council on Monday disseminated a survey to town residents, titled “Survey mapping needs for all residents regarding the LGBT population in Efrat,” which has many in this largely Orthodox but open-minded community up in arms. The objections are for the most part predictable, but what’s unusual about this survey is its bluntly biased stance in favor of the gay lifestyle––not something you’d expect in the Gush Etzion area.
As an example of their agenda, one of the questions asked was about whether they have ever heard or encountered the word ‘homophobia. Which as columnist David Israel notes - prejudices the survey by suggesting that any opposition to a gay individual or their lifestyle is a phobia. A phobia is defined as an extreme or irrational fear of or aversion to something. As though any opposition to a gay lifestyle must be irrational. Principled opposition to a gay lifestyle based on Halacha is completely ignored with a question like that.
I therefore completely agree with the reaction the rabbis of Efrat had. (Although I am puzzled as to why Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is not included among the signatories):
We read with shock and astonishment the survey published in Efrat, which seeks to promote public legitimacy for sins for which modesty is appropriate to them.
The Holy Torah illuminates our lives, and it directs us to modesty in these matters, and to the family life of a man and a woman, among whom lies the Shechinah. The calling of the western world to encourage different types of relationships and waving flags of public licentiousness harms the family institution in Israel, harms the presence of God among us, and does not helps the people facing these challenges.
The LGBTQ agenda is no small matter. It is clear that they see no value whatsoever in Biblical values They instead either ignore them or consider the bible an archaic document better suited to the trash bin (God forbid) than it is to the more enlightened modern man. Obviously, then they do not believe in the Divine authorship of the Torah either. Theirs is a ‘religion’ of self indulgence. I am reminded of the mantra of the 60s: ‘If it feels good, do it!’ That is their ‘bible’.
It is with this in mind that I completely reject the LGBTQ movement even though I actually do support part of their agenda. Which is the part that seeks to treat homosexual and transgender people with the dignity that all human being are entitled to have. And to not judge them. Which, as I said, is God’s domian. By trashing the Torah LGBTQ has lost all legitimacy. You cannot support an entity that is partially good and partially evil. Regardless of their intentions. Which are honorable if you ignore the Torah. They can perhaps be forgiven for their beliefs. But they cannot be supported in their agenda. At least not fully.
But even in the sense of compassion one should have for their particular state of mind, there is one thing about LGBTQ people I have trouble with and cannot have compassion for. It is the ‘B’ of that group. Being gay, lesbian, transsexual, or queer (A combination of gay and transsexual) is not a choice. It is a state of mind that - whether through nature or nurture - cannot be changed. The the sex drive is very strong and the only way a homosexual can fully satisfy it is with behavior that is forbidden by the Torah. This does not mean they are permitted do, act on it. But it does mean that we need to understand what they go through and not be judgmental.
Confusion about one’s sexual identity is another area that transsexuals have no control over. While it is difficult for me to understand how someone born male can possibly believe that he is really female (and vice versa) the fact is that it is a genuine belief that cannot be changed. A belief that results in a tortured existence and a very high suicide rate.
Being bisexual is a horse of an entirely different color. that fact they they are included in the LGBTQ community speaks to their real agenda of full acceptance of lifestyle choices. No mater what the circumstance.
A bisexual person is attracted to both sexes. Which means they can have a sexually fulfilling an permissible relationship with a member of the opposite sex. To support a bisexual lifestyle where a Halachic choice is consider3ed equal to a non Halachic choice shows a complete disregard for biblical values. It is one thing to have sympathy for an individual where the Halachic choices is difficult if not impossible. It is another to promote freedom to choose a relationship that is forbidden when one can be equally satisfied with a permissible one.
I therefor have zero sympathy for a bisexual individual who chooses a lifestyle that violates Halacha. They are no different than people who choose to commit adultery - even if all parties consent to it (e.g. a open marriage). Just because there is mutual consent does not mean that such a lifestyle is a moral choice. The sane thing is true about bisexuals. Just because one can be attracted to either sex does not mean they are morally equal choices. But that is exactly the agenda of LGBTQ activists. And I reject it.