...It Ends?

Hi there everyone. Sadly this is my last blog post. I really hope you've enjoyed reading them as much as I've had writing them.

We have looked at numerous examples of the combinations of homosexuality and religion in the 21st century and we often come back to the conclusion that the majority of religions strongly condemn homosexuality. However, attitudes none-the-less do seem to be evolving despite the fact that religious figure-heads are standing strong on their views. The fact that there are several gay religious leaders now-a-days, as well as the fact that one candidate for Jonathan Sacks' predecessor has been ruled out for being "too Orthodox" does suggest that the match of religion and homosexuality is slowly becoming more acceptable.

In the next few years I imagine more countries will legalise gay marriage and I do generally think over-time homosexuality will be more accepted within religion. What do you think?

Gay Christian Bloggers

I know I've already posted today but I've just come across this tumblr account that I'd like to share with you. Tumblr is a micro-blogging site, where mainly images and quotes are posted. This particular account caught my eye because the posts are by "a regular 21 year old Gay Christian" who (despite the occasional internal dispute) comfortably matches his religion and his sexuality. One picture he chose that particularly captures this is;

I think this Tumblr is pretty inspiring, It's nice to see someone so young so comfortable with whom they are, especially when it comes to being both gay and religious. If you too are inspired by this, check out these blog posts of people in similar situations;

• http://twospirits.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://jesuslovesgay.blogspot.co.uk/
• http://gayspirituality.typepad.com/

Homosexuality In Sport

2012; the year of the Olympics! What a summer for sport! However, in such an arena of masculinity I want to question whether homosexuality has a place in sport today.

My search for answers unfortunately began by discovering a web page titled “A Recent History of Homophobia in Sports” containing 25 examples of homophobic sporting incidents. One example explains how the former "soccer team coach" of Nigeria kicked all of the "lesbian players" out of the team.This is particularly saddening because sport should unite people and shouldn’t be used as an arena for discrimination. 

Mitcham holding his gold medal in the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games.

Olympic diver, Matthew Mitcham, experienced discrimination regarding his sexuality after winning a gold medal in the 2008 Olympics. NBC infamously didn’t “mention Mitcham’s orientation.” This subsequently caused a huge back-lash. Mitcham, despite all critics, proved that gay athletes could compete just as well. Additionally, Mitcham is proud of who he is, his Twitter reading “Yes, I'm that gay, Olympic-gold-medal-winning diver dude.” This level of pride could have been the perfect opportunity to inspire kids who may have been in the same situation as he once was. 

However, I also believe the support Mitcham received helped raise the number of ‘out’ Olympic athletes for the 2012 games. Check them out if you’re interested; http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/the-14-openly-gay-athletes-of-the-2012-olympics. Finally, Mitcham continues to inspire people today through social media sites. Check these out;

-     Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthew_mitcham
-       Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/MatthewMitchamOlympian#!/MatthewMitchamOlympian

Gareth Thomas on the front cover
of gay magazine 'Attitude'.

During my research I also discovered numerous positive sporting ‘coming out’ stories. Perhaps the most famous example is Gareth Thomas. Here are two clips I would like you to watch; 

               -       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3OnU_hNVrA
           -     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_2jR2qNIoY

For me, the most inspiring thing in these clips is how Thomas states “sport can change the world”. I agree. I also believe he has inspired numerous athletes (one of whom is Steven Davies, below) to accept who they are, as well as young kids to not give up on their dreams even if they are "different".

Here are a few more articles on sporting athletes 'coming out', if you're interested;

• Steven Davies

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHJnil8dtoQ  

- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/8351004/Steven-Davies-gay-coming-out-was-tougher-than-facing-Brett-Lee.html#

• Orlando Cruz

- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIfsadmP7BU

- http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/oct/04/orlando-cruz-boxer-announce-gay

• Rosie Jones

-       http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news04/jones.html

These clips and articles all emphasise pride. These athletes, like Thomas, want to inspire future generations to not be ashamed of whom they are, Cruz specifically saying he wants to be a “role model”.

What do you think? Do you agree with Gareth Thomas and that ‘sport can change the world’? Do you think this will encourage gay kids to get involved in sport? Or do you think that gay sports athletes make things too complicated?

Religious Responses Towards Same-Sex Marriages

It must be difficult for religious figureheads. Ultimately they are only following their religious law and this is admirable! Equally, with a growing number of people supporting same-sex marriages it must be hard to see the principles of their religion becoming increasingly rejected, especially in cases where it causes mass media hype such as Obama’s pro-gay marriage announcement. With this in mind I decided to look at how religious leaders are approaching the recent acceptance of homosexuality by looking at their views of gay marriage.

I first came across an article in the Guardian about Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of Britain. The article discusses Sacks’ opinion that “Any attempt to redefine [marriage] would...undermine the concept.” However, surprisingly this caused a significant back-lash and as a result "“next year” when Sacks retires a more liberal Jew is to be his successor", one candidate being ruled out already for being "too Orthodox".  Does this suggest that religious attitudes towards same-sex marriages are changing?

2008 protest rally.

I next came across an article from the Pope expressing his  belief that gay marriage is a threat “to humanity itself”. This is because “children [need] proper "settings" and that "pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman.”” I remember when civil partnerships were first OK’d in Britain I asked my Mum, who is an atheist, what her opinions on gay marriage were. She told me that she ultimately didn’t agree because she believed marriage was about having kids which ultimately a gay couple can’t do. These views are very similar to those of the Pope, so it is clear that this opinion is a shared one with ordinary people too. However, personally I believe that as long as the child can have an influence of both sexes then the child can still be provided with "proper settings" even when raised by a same-sex couples. Whilst not knowing any gay couples myself I am certain that thousands of them (as long as they were stable and in love with each-other) would make fantastic parents! Additionally, I ultimately don’t believe this issue should even be paired with gay marriage as the Pope implies.

What do you think? Do you think that religious leaders’ opinions on gay marriage are outdated? Or do you agree that it would “undermine” the family unit.

Protestors for and against same-sex marriage. Protest in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 11, 2010.