Denominations Welcoming LGBTs
Where Gays and Lesbians go for Religion and Spiritual Community
Aug 5, 2008
Yet spiritual LGBTs who are just coming out should know that almost every religion in the United States, from Catholic to Mormon to Baptist, has a welcoming congregation—individual churches that proclaim that queers are safe here, and extend an open door with gestures big and small.
Is a Small Welcome Enough?
Some religious denominations, like Catholicism, can’t openly state their support of gays without risking excommunication. Nevertheless, a number of Catholic Churches list themselves with organizations like gaychurch.com as congregations friendly to LGBTs.
Just because individual congregations are welcoming, however, doesn’t mean LGBTs will be comfortable with the denomination as a whole. Heterosexual relationships can still be presented as the natural and normal option in denominations that have particular ideas about gender built into their rituals and beliefs. “[D]enominations may have official policies of accepting or welcoming gay and lesbian members, but are nevertheless extremely heterosexist in their daily worship practices, promoting heterosexual relationships as normal, natural, and universal,” says Jeffery P. Dennis Assistant Professor of sociology at Florida Atlantic University, on glbtq.com.
The Most Welcoming Churches for LGBTs
The top three welcoming denominations—those with the largest number of welcoming congregations—are as follows, according to gaychurch.com’s national survey from 2005:
1. Episcopal
2. United Church of Christ
3. Presbyterian
Each of these denominations has seen significant controversy in recent years over issues such as the acceptance of gays and lesbian in the clergy and acceptance of same-sex marriage. The UUC was the first mainline denomination to support same-sex marriage in 2005, and the Episcopal Church consecrated Rev. Gene Robinson as its first openly gay bishop in late 2003, enraging some members of their respective denominations. The Presbyterian Church overturned a ban on gay and lesbian clergy in 2008, an action the LA Times called “likely to deepen theological fissures.”
Other welcoming denominations include the Unitarian Universalist church. The UUC, like the UCC, is known for a historically progressive take on civil rights issues, including LGBT rights. Both offer statements officially embracing LGBTs on their national websites.
LGBT Welcoming Synagogues
Traditionally, conservative and orthodox Judaism are not open to LGBTs, while reform and reconstructionist Judaism both openly welcome LGBTs. A number of synagogues across the United States are primarily gay and lesbian, including San Francisco's Congregation Sha'ar Zahav and New York’s Congregation Beth Simchat Torah.
“Gay-specific synagogues are considerably more likely than gay-specific churches to espouse their identity aggressively,” according to Dennis. However, gay-specific synagogues also tend to be more Orthodox in their services, Dennis points out, since they provide a refuge for those excluded from the more conservative braches of Judaism.
LGBT Welcoming Black Churches
Predominantly Black churches within mainstream welcoming dominations are also open to LGBTs. Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, for example, the former church of Barack Obama, welcomes LGBTs. In addition, Unity Fellowship Churches throughout the country are home to predominantly black gay and lesbian congregations.
Finding a Spiritual Home
More information on the place of LGBTs in individual denominations can be found on each organization’s website, where most religions clearly state their positions on gays and lesbians in bylaws and other governing statements.
