Gay People of Faith Come Out of the Closet

Page 1 / 2 / 3 - Next The film relates its own litany of damaging and fruitless endeavors to change sexual orientation, from misguided psychiatrists to eating figs and snapping rubber bands. Naomi Marks, a supportive psychiatrist interviewed for the film, comments that when committed, religious Jews are shunned from community because of their sexuality, the grim choice is often suicide or to “lose their souls by living a lie.” In the end, the film shows some gay Jewish men reconciling faith and sexuality, forming a yeshiva community of their own. Rabbi Steven Greenberg, the first openly gay orthodox rabbi, who is interviewed for the film, makes this remarkable statement: “The demonstration that human beings can influence even God is all over the Torah. … It's not about God's control, but about God's love.” Greenberg, author of the groundbreaking book Wrestling With God and Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, believes these recent media images can be influential. “Trembling Before G-d … has made an enormous [impact] in the Orthodox world,” Greenberg says. “It has given Orthodox Jews a portrayal of the situation of gay frum Jews for the first time, with which they can empathize.” In fact, the film's impact may be partly responsible for an upcoming vote in the Jewish Conservative Movement. This vote is expected to shift the decision-making process on some gay issues to local rabbis and individual congregations — a step that opens up new possibilities for gay Jews. For gay Muslims, the most high-profile example of media representation came in a recent British Channel 4 documentary, Gay Muslims. The film centers on five gay and lesbian individuals in England, all of whom are practicing Muslims. They all are estranged to some degree from their families, all three men have endured physical attacks because of their sexuality, and only one — Adnan Ali, identified as Britain's first gay Muslim activist — is comfortable enough to allow his face to be filmed. When a young gay Muslim, identified in the film only as Razeem, meets Ali, he says, “I've got hope now. I think everyone needs a role model … and I've never had a role model in my life.” It's a moment that underscores how important this film and others like it are for bringing visibility to gay people of faith. Gay Muslims however, has never aired in the United States. The most visible representations of gay Muslims have been short documentary segments in the PBS gay and lesbian newsmagazine In The Life. Both segments discuss the painful double bigotry that gay and lesbian Muslims face: from their Muslim communities for their sexual identity and, post-9/11, from the gay community for their Muslim identity. A documentary currently making the festival rounds is Fish Can't Fly, a low-budget, high-impact film that tells the stories of six gay men and one lesbian who underwent damaging evangelical ex-gay therapies and survived, ultimately embracing both their sexuality and a broader concept of faith. The film reels out a horror show's worth of destructive and ludicrous protocols meant to turn people straight. The individuals interviewed were almost all driven suicidal by the programs, and universally only found true faith when they let go of fear and began on their authentic life's journey as LGBT people. Jallen Rix, a Christian musician, observes in the film that he felt more of the love of God in just the first summer he lived as a gay man then in his entire time in the ex-gay movement. As he puts it, “My walk with God … suddenly became three-dimensional.” An evangelical who has created a truly new cultural image as a Christian and openly gay pop star is Jason Warner of Jason & deMarco, a pop duo and real-life couple who's latest video has recently topped Logo's Click List countdown. Warner and partner deMarco DeCiccio, a practicing Catholic, appeared on a 2004 cover of The Advocate with the caption “Gay Christians.” Warner is a former evangelical music star who was discarded from his singing group when he realized he was gay. Via email from his current tour, Jason tells us that one of the godsends on his journey was discovering White's book Stranger at the Gate. “This was the first time I was aware there was such a thing as 'gay friendly' churches. I had no idea!” he writes. “It allowed me to begin my research and discover … a broader sense of spirituality.” In turn, Warner has been able to reach out to young gay people still struggling with their faith. On Jason & deMarco's faith site, Warner has posted an open letter talking about his journey to reconciling faith and sexuality. He says, “It's a true blessing that I can be here for people searching for their truth.”