There is a new website on the internet catering to religious homosexual Jews. No that is not an oxymoron. One can be a homosexual and be religious. As long as one realizes that homosexual behavior is forbidden by the Torah and does not engage in it. Or in the event that one succumbs to the temptation, they realize it was sinful behavior requiring Teshuva.
The idea of this website is I suppose that it recognizes the existence of a group of people who struggle with this issue and yet still want to remain observant. I think many of us can relate to that. Do we not all succumb to sinful behaviors of one type or another, requiring Teshuva …some more serious than others? The key is realizeing that it is sinful. I believe that this new website caters to exactly this kind of individual.
I am not exactly sure who runs it or whether it is in fact Halachic, but according to an article in Ynet, it at least seems to be the case. At present, there is a rabbi who - though he has chosen to remain anonymous - has consented to answer Halachic Shailos for them.
If it is a Halachic site, then this is a very unusual first. For one thing it accepts the position of the psychiatric community… that a person’s sexual orientation is genetically determined at birth. It is therefore accepting of people to be as they are rather than trying to chage them. It’s purpose is to keep these Jews observant in every way it can.
This is how one of the founders of the website put it:
Up to now the only website catering to the religious gay community was atzat-nefesh (www.atzat-nefesh.org), which was basically run by straight people that publicly stated that a religious person cannot be gay. They tried to ‘turn’ gay religious people straight, which is something that we know cannot be done. We try to help people reconcile their religious beliefs and their sexual orientation,”
One might question the existence of an organization that does not attempt to maker gay people straight. I suppose be that would be the ideal… if it is possible. I’m just not sure that it is, if the APA is right. They declared back in the 1970s that homosexuality is no longer considered to be a psychological disorder. I’m not entirely sure they are right though.
In any case, if this website is a Halachic one I think it is a good idea. Why not give people of common interests or problems a site they can relate to and share their unique problems on? Why not provide Halachic guidance to their special needs… without being judgmental? Isn’t it better to welcome them under the umbrella of Torah than to reject them because of their forbidden desires? We ought to understand that there are Halachic Jews like this who want to observe Halacha. Let’s not discourage it.
There is no reason we can’t respect every individual no matter what his or her sexual orientation is. The only thing we can’t respect is violation of Halacha.
