Three quotations:

1, By R. Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in his book "Homosexuality and the Bible." 2005:

"Homosexuality is now the most controversial issue of debate in American culture — and it is likely to stay that way for a long time. Once famously described as “the love that dares not speak its name,” homosexuality is now openly discussed and debated throughout American society. ₄

Webmaster's comment:

Dr. Mohler made this comment in 2005, one year after private, consensual same-gender sexual behavior was decriminalized across the U.S., and one decade before marriage was extended to same-sex couples nationwide except for the territory of American Samoa. Both changes resulted from decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court.

When this menu was most recently updated during 2020-JUN, homosexuality remains a "controversial issue of debate." However, with the the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case Obergefell v. Hodges which legalizing gay marriage throughout the U.S. (except for American Samoa) the topic has diminished somewhat in importance. A debate that is now rapidly rising in importance concerns equal rights for transgender individuals.

2. The main difference between sexual orientation and gender identity:

3. An article on the evangelical web site: OneNewsNow.com:

On 2019-AUG-09, Steve Jordahl wrote an article: "A theory on slippery slope from faith to liberal bliss." It discussed several prominent Christian leaders who have abandoned some of the Bible's discriminatory teachings and have instead promoted the Golden Rule by refusing to discriminate against women and minorities.

The main author of the ReligiousTolerance.org web site submitted the first reader comment to the One News Now article. It states:

"It is important to realize that the Bible was written by humans in ancient times and reflected the culture of that time, which was anti-women, pro-execution for sexually active never-married women, anti-LGB persons, pro human slavery, and anti-transgender persons. Further, Noah's Curse of Ham was once interpreted as meaning that black-skinned people were eternally cursed to be slaves; this was the original root cause of racism.

Over the past century, slavery has been abolished in the U.S., Canada, etc.; women have been given the vote, are now often permitted to become clergy, etc., and are now generally treated as equals; LGB persons are now becoming recognized as having one of three normal and natural sexual orientations caused by epigenetics -- a layer on top of their DNA that turns various genes on and off; transgender persons have generally been found to have a male body and female brain structures or vice versa; skin color is now recognized as being caused by a very few genes out of over 20,000 human genes in our DNA. In short, we are beginning to ignore much of the Bible's treatment of women and minorities, and giving increased weight to its Golden Rule."

Very few of the comments I have submitted to articles in evengelical web sites ever see the light of day. One News Now added 24 comments to their article. Mine was not included.

Notes:

During the early 21st century, the most controversial religious topic in North America related to the LGB community was marriage equality -- allowing qualified same-sex couples to marry, limited only by the same age and genetic restrictions that are in place for opposite-sex couples. This is discussed in a separate section of this web site.

During mid-2005, the federal government in Canada legalized such marriages across the entire country.

A decade later, on 2015-JUN-26, the U.S. Supreme Court made a major ruling in the case Obergefell v. Hodges. For the first time, same-sex couples were able to obtain marriage licenses across almost the entire United States -- all 50 states, 4 of 5 territories and the District of Columbia. For a while, some county clerks refused to issue licenses to same-sex couples. This forced the couples to travel to an adjacent county to obtain a license. As of 2019 the exceptions were:

• The territory of American Samoa where most of the population are regarded as American residents, not American citizens. Thus rulings by the High Court do not necessarily apply there.
  
  
• Some Native American jurisdictions where Aboriginal tribes are given jurisdiction over certain cultural matters.

By mid-2019, all county clerks appear to be issuing licenses to same-sex couples. At least, refusals are no longer discussed in the media. Even if a couple is refused a marriage license by one clerk, they can usually travel to an adjacent county in their state to obtain one.

Almost immediately after the High Court's ruling, those conservative religious and political groups that had worked to prevent marriage equality for the LGBT community switched from fighting gay marriage to concentrate their efforts at:

• Preventing equal rights for transgender individuals and transsexuals.
  
  
• Preventing the LGBT community from attaining equality in other areas beyond marriage, including: equal rights in employment and housing, etc.
  
  
• Promoting state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs) and First Amendment Defense Acts (FADAs) that neutralize human rights legislation by preserving individuals' freedom of religion to discriminate against others.

Although marriage equality was a major social change, some same-sex couples have been married one day only to find themselves legally fired from their jobs on the next. Pro-equality groups have shifted their efforts to expanding equality to these other areas by passing state laws prohibiting discrimination.

Important developments during 2020 and 2021:

2020-JUNE: The U.S. Supreme Court issued a MAJOR ruling that interprets the word "sex" in the federal 1964 Civil Rights Act very broadly. It now protects biological men, biological women, transgender persons, bisexuals, homosexuals, asexuals, and probably others from being fired or not hired because of their "sex."

2020-JULY: PatriotHeadline.com issued a message to their email list saying that Richard Grenell, the Acting Director of National Intelligence is promoting the President Trump administration’s program to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Grenell said: "We have the president’s total support. This is an American value, and this is United States policy." ₆

2021-JAN: Ontario has the highest population of any province or territory in Canada. The city of Kingston is one of the oldest cities in Ontario and is located where Lake Ontario joins the St. Lawrence Seaway, across the lake from Rochester, NY. On 2021-JAN-19, city councillors unanimously voted to have their staff draft a motion to prohibit conversion therapy in the city. Conversion therapy is a largely discredited practice of trying to change a person's sexual orienatation from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual through the use of aversion therapy, drugs, prayer or exorcism. In the past, electric shocks were widely used to try to attempt to change a person's orientation. The motion was written by Jeff McLaren; he is the Meadowbrook-Strathcona District Councillor, where this web site is located.

Topics covered in this really big section:

Introduction: Key topics: (We recommend reading some of these introductory essays first.) A brief, less than two minute, explanation of homosexuality: what it is and how it is caused Basic info: Terms, quotations, the conflict, more definitions, topics under debate<<< This is very Important to read and understand! The root causes and resolutions of three major but unrelated religious/secular conflicts: Introduction, abortion access, homosexuality and bisexuality, and transgender individuals, transsexuals, & gender identity The desire of store owner's to discriminate on sincere religious grounds against their customers (mostly from the LGBT community) Common beliefs about how GLBT persons should be treated. Trends  How this this web site discusses sexual orientation Terminology related to sexual orientation A brief overview: quotes, the core problem, oppression, etc. 2017: The Nashville Statement of 2017 by evangelical Christians about homosexual and transgender persons. Two related essays by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: Three foundational flaws in the Nashville Statement against the LGBT community What it means to be human: An analysis of the Nashville Statement Conflicts over the nature of sexual orientation and LGBT rights; are they resolvable? A possible facebook dialogue <<< Important!

	Mostly positive changes in the acceptance of the LGBT community: Among the U.S. public which seems to have reached a tipping point followed by rapid change Public opinion polls World Vision's brief 2 days of inclusion during which they recognized employees' same-sex marriages Gradual shift among conservative faith groups, as driven by membership loss Negative actions by a few conservative religious individuals and groups
	Basic info about homosexuality and bisexuality: Six common belief systems by religious folks about same-sex behavior and homosexual orientation Brief quotations Meaning of terms Meanings attributed to the term "sexual orientation" Beliefs about causes; is it changeable? abnormal? immoral? Preventing homosexuality Same-sex parenting, foster parenting, and adoption What percentage of the adult population are lesbian, gay, or bisexual? Bisexuality; Public opinion polls; << A large section Emails we have received; Suicide rates among gay and lesbian youth Is there a connection between sexual orientation and gender identity? Other topics: dialog; statements of professional groups; terminology
	The impact of religion: Six common belief systems by religious folks about same-sex behavior and orientation The Bible and homosexuality -- the famous "clobber" passages Books covering a full range of beliefs by different faith groups Beliefs and policies of various religious groups, theologians, clergy, and laity concerning GLBT issues Other essays on dialogue, change, conflicts, policies, compromise, schism, teaching in schools, etc. -- even Ipad apps
	Same-sex marriage (SSM), civil unions, etc SSM by U.S. state, in Canada, and other countries Public opinion polls Benefits of marriage Assessing the will of God 1999 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada Presidential races and SSM Political party platforms etc.
	Challenges faced by gays and bisexuals: Employment insecurity ENDA laws Public school harassment Gay-Straight Alliances Family of origin problems Attacks on gay-positive churches Accusations of child molestation Who are the LGBT's?
	Homophobia directed against homosexuals and bisexuals: Multiple meanings of the term "homophobia" Causes, incidence, cost Boy Scouts of America "Dr. Laura" Senator Santorum (R, PA) Carl Palidino (R) running for governor in 2010 Pro-equality businesses
	About ex-gays: reparative & other therapies:  Introduction Statements by professional groups Beliefs by the public Results of studies
	Laws & regulations affecting gays & bisexuals Worldwide laws protecting, recognizing & persecuting LGBTI persons UN declaration on the decriminalization of homosexual behavior 2011-DEC: Memo from President Obama re global LGBT rights strategy 2011-DEC: UN speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on worldwide LGBT rights Countries decriminalizing same-sex behavior U.S. state laws formerly criminalizing homosexual behavior Changes in laws and regulation due to the "gay agenda" U.S. and Canadian hate-crime/hate-speech legislation Should homosexuals and bisexuals be a protected class in law? Exclusion of gays and lesbians from the military. Ending discrimination in hospital visitation. Timeline of the granting of GLBT rights in Canada Persecution & execution of LGBTs in Uganda 2017 and 2020: Evangelical Christians vs. Child Protection Laws in Canada Persecution & execution of LGBTs in Uganda Persecution of LGBTs in Gabon
	News in the media and from the Internet General news concerning LGBT developments from 1996 to the present time Events indicating an increasing acceptance of homosexuality, etc. by the public Errors and lack of clarity among some media reports The "Dr. Phil" TV program & sexual orientation Homosexual milestones in the media The National Day of Silence The National Coming Out Day Support from the National Association of the Deaf Proposed straight pride parade in Boston TV Shows with LGBT content Updating daily news feed. etc.
	Parenting a gay/lesbian child; essays; sermons; personal stories; etc. What to do after your child says "I'm gay" Dealing with a son's homosexuality A gay person's letter to his church A father disowns his son for being gay Keynote sermon Analysis of an anti-gay essay Can a homosexual remain a Christian? An open letter from Christians to LGBT people by John Shore Challenging Emails we have received about homosexuality A mother's open letter to President Obama, 2009-JUN
	Resources Books, and videos of interest to the LGB community Gay and Bisexual-positive resources Conservative Christian resources

References used:

The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.

1. Barack Obama, "A Proclamation..." White House, 2009-JUN-01, at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
2. Peter Heck, "Homosexual family law," One News Now, 2010-FEB-08, at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/
3. "Religism" is a proposed new English word to cover bigotry based on another person's religious belief.
4. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., "Homosexuality and the Bible." 2005. This book can be downloaded for free at: http://www.sbts.edu/
5. Steve Jordahl, "A theory on slippery slope from faith to liberal bliss," One News Now, 2019-AUG-09, at: https://onenewsnow.com/
6. "Trump Will Back GLOBAL Push to Decriminalize Homosexuality," PatriotHeadline.com, at: https://patriotheadline.com/
7. Elliot Feerguson, "Council moves to ban conversion therapy," 2021-JAN-19 edition of Kingston This Week. It does not appear to be included on their web site at www.kingstonthisweek.com

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Last updated 2021-JAN-31
Author: B.A. Robinson

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