Challenges of LGBTQIA+ Individuals in Politics and Religion
As we navigate another political season, it’s easy to feel the tension in the air, whether it’s at the dinner table, on social media, or in everyday conversations. During these times, discussions can quickly escalate, and the pressure to take sides can create rifts even among those who care deeply for one another. For many in the queer community, this season can feel especially fraught, as our very identities are often thrust into the political arena. Whether it’s the right to marry who we love or the freedom to express our true gender identity, these deeply personal aspects of our lives are frequently politicized, leading to debates that go far beyond policy and strike at the heart of who we are.
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Navigating Political and Religious Turbulence as an LGBTQIA+ Person
Religion, too, has played a significant role in this marginalization. Many queer individuals have experienced exclusion, judgment, or outright condemnation from religious communities that prioritize dogma over compassion. These experiences can leave lasting scars, making it difficult for queer people to find spaces where they are fully accepted and loved for who they are. The intersection of religion and politics often amplifies these challenges, creating a storm of external pressures that can feel overwhelming.
A Peacemaker Building Bridges with Love and Compassion
In every community, there are those who take on the role of peacemakers—individuals who work tirelessly to bridge the gap between voices that often seem irreconcilable. These peacemakers strive to foster understanding and build connections where division once stood, creating pathways for dialogue and healing. This blog is dedicated to honoring people like Kathy Baldock, a straight ally who has devoted her life to mending the divide between the LGBTQIA+ community and the church. Though I’ll delve deeper into her work later, it’s important to acknowledge the critical role that allies like Kathy play in creating spaces where queer voices can be heard and valued.
“What’s happening outside church walls is happening inside church walls. It is all part of the human experience. Ignorance and lack of education about sex, sexual orientation, gender identities, and human sexuality in general have led to harmful assumptions and poor pastoral counsel.”
~ Kathy Baldock, Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community
The Role of Allies in Building Bridges Between the Church and LGBTQIA+ Community
However, the reality remains that advocating for oneself within religious spaces can be incredibly challenging for queer individuals. The church, which is often seen as a place of refuge and support, can instead become a source of pain and exclusion. This is particularly true when religious doctrines are wielded as weapons to marginalize those whose identities don’t conform to traditional norms. For many, the fight for recognition and equality within their faith community can feel like an uphill battle, made even more difficult by the limited number of churches that openly affirm LGBTQIA+ people.
Lessons from the Gospel of Mark: Calming Storms and Creating Unity
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9 NRSVue) These words, spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, resonate deeply with the call to bridge divides and heal rifts in our world. Peacemaking is not an easy path; it requires courage, compassion, and a willingness to step into the storms of conflict. Yet, it is through this challenging work that we become the true children of God, embodying the divine call to create harmony where there is discord.
The Gospel of Mark, the earliest of the four gospels, offers a profound narrative that underscores the challenges and rewards of peacemaking. Written primarily for a Gentile audience, this gospel highlights the ministry of Jesus as he navigated the boundaries between Jewish and non-Jewish territories—two groups that were ideologically and culturally divided. Throughout this gospel, we witness Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee multiple times, each journey representing a physical and symbolic crossing into new, often challenging, terrain.
One Jesus Serving Two Cultures
Mark’s gospel draws intriguing parallels between Jesus’ work in Jewish and Gentile regions. For example, Jesus’ inaugural exorcism in Jewish territory (Mark 1:21-28) is mirrored by a similar act in Gentile territory (Mark 5:1-20). Likewise, his popular ministry among the Jewish people (Mark 1:29-39) is paralleled by his widespread healing in Gentile lands (Mark 6:54-56). These parallels continue with symbolic healings (Jewish: Mark 5:22-43, Gentile: Mark 7:24-37), feeding multitudes (Jewish: Mark 6:32-44, Gentile: Mark 8:1-10), and rebuking leaders (Jewish: Mark 6:51, Gentile: Mark 8:14-21). These mirrored actions represent an intentional effort to bridge the gap between two communities that were separated by more than just physical distance.
Calming the Storms
However, peacemaking is rarely without its challenges. In Mark’s gospel, we see that the first time Jesus crossed over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a storm arose (Mark 4:35-41). As the waves battered the boat, the disciples, frightened and unsure, woke Jesus, who was asleep, and implored him to save them. Jesus calmed the storm and gently rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith. This moment likely reflects the disciples’ apprehension about entering potentially hostile territory—that challenged the norms and safety of their Jewish teachings. Yet, Jesus’ calmness and his command to have faith remind us that true peacemaking often requires us to face the storms that arise when we seek to build bridges across divides.
The Gospel of Mark teaches us that these storms are not obstacles to be feared but are integral to the journey of peacemaking. It is through facing these challenges with faith that we create connections between groups that seem irreconcilable. In our contemporary context, this lesson is invaluable, especially for those working to bridge the gap between the church and the queer community. It is a reminder that the work of peacemaking is both difficult and divine, and that through faith, we can calm the storms and create spaces of understanding and love.
How Kathy Baldock’s Work is Healing Divides
Kathy Baldock’s story is one of remarkable transformation and courage. As a straight evangelical Christian, Kathy’s journey began in a place that might seem familiar to many within conservative religious communities—a place of certainty about what she believed to be true about God, faith, and morality. But Kathy was willing to do something that many are not: she was willing to “cross over” and develop a genuine friendship with a lesbian woman. This relationship was not based on judgment disguised as “Christian love” but on a true attempt to understand the experiences, struggles, and humanity of someone from the queer community.
Kathy’s journey mirrors the symbolic crossings we see in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus repeatedly crosses the Sea of Galilee, moving between Jewish and Gentile territories—two communities divided by culture, religion, and long-held biases. Just as Jesus calmed the storm when his disciples were fearful of entering unfamiliar and potentially hostile territory, Kathy’s willingness to step into the unknown—to engage with a community she had been taught to fear or misunderstand—required faith and courage. It was a journey that could have easily been met with resistance and inner turmoil, yet, like Jesus, Kathy was committed to calming those storms, both within herself and within the communities she sought to bring together.
Recognizing Kathy’s Work
Kathy Baldock is now a leading voice in the movement to bridge the gap between the church and the LGBTQIA+ community. As the author of Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community, and as the Executive Director of CanyonWalker Connections, Kathy has dedicated her life to educating others about the historical and ongoing discrimination faced by queer individuals, particularly within socially conservative Christian spaces. Her work is a testament to the power of relationship, curiosity, and the willingness to question long-held beliefs.
In her journey, Kathy encountered many religious individuals who were unwilling to engage with queer people beyond the surface level—those who remained content with the stereotypes and misconceptions they had been taught. For many, the idea of forming a genuine relationship with someone from the LGBTQIA+ community was unthinkable, often seen as a compromise of their faith. Yet Kathy’s story shows us that it is precisely through these relationships that true understanding and change can occur. By stepping out of her comfort zone and listening deeply to the experiences of queer individuals, Kathy was able to see the flaws in the teachings she had once accepted without question.
“As used by Paul in the first century, arsenokoitai likely means pederasty. Pederastic relationships, inherently abusive and exploitative, are not equivalent to committed, loving, and monogamous same-sex relationships today. To say that they are would be like saying sex trafficking of young girls is equivalent to marriage.”
~ Kathy Baldock, Walking the Bridgeless Canyon: Repairing the Breach Between the Church and the LGBT Community
1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture
Kathy Baldock’s dedication to bridging the gap between the church and the LGBTQIA+ community extends to her involvement in the 1946 documentary, “The Mistranslation That Shifted a Culture.” As one of the primary contributors, Kathy brings her extensive research and advocacy work to the film, which explores the significant impact of the mistranslation of the Greek word “arsenokoitai” in the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Bible. This translation, which first introduced the term “homosexual” into the English Bible, has had devastating consequences for the LGBTQIA+ community, fueling decades of religiously justified discrimination. Kathy’s role in the film underscores her commitment to uncovering the truth and challenging the cultural biases that have shaped religious teachings against queer individuals. Her work in the documentary is another example of her tireless efforts to promote understanding and reconciliation within the church.
Community Transformation in Religious Settings
Kathy’s work is not just about education; it’s about transformation—both personal and communal. Through her book, presentations, and ongoing advocacy, Kathy has created a space where conservative Christians can begin to untangle the mess of misinformation that has long shaped their views of the LGBTQIA+ community. She speaks directly to church leaders and congregants, challenging them to reconsider their stances and to approach queer people with the same love and respect that Jesus modeled in his ministry.
Despite the resistance she often encounters, Kathy continues to push forward, driven by her belief that true peacemaking requires more than just good intentions—it requires action, relationship, and a willingness to face the storms that come with challenging deeply entrenched beliefs. Like Jesus crossing the Sea of Galilee, Kathy’s journey into the heart of the LGBTQIA+ community represents a bold move toward reconciliation, reminding us all of the power of faith in calming the storms that arise when we dare to bridge the divides that separate us.
Finding Hope in the Helpers: Peacemakers Who Calm Storms
Kathy Baldock’s work stands as a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of faith in action. Just as Jesus crossed the stormy Sea of Galilee to bring healing and understanding to communities divided by cultural and religious barriers, Kathy has navigated the turbulent waters of misunderstanding and prejudice to build bridges between the church and the LGBTQIA+ community. Her dedication to this work, grounded in a genuine love for people and a commitment to truth, continues to inspire and transform lives.
In Scary Times Look for the Helpers
During this political season, as we reflect on the turbulence that often surrounds the queer community, both politically and religiously, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face. Anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation and the vocal opposition from some religious institutions can create a storm of fear and uncertainty. In these moments, it’s important to remember the wisdom of Fred Rogers, who said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
When we encounter these storms, we must focus on the helpers—those who are working tirelessly to build bridges and foster understanding. People like Kathy Baldock, who, through her dedication and compassion, is helping to calm the storms by creating spaces for mutual understanding and awareness. By focusing on the helpers, we can find hope and strength to continue our own journeys, knowing that there are those who are committed to making the world a more inclusive and loving place.
Join Us Sept 28, 2024
Join us the next Virtual Folx with Faith Gathering, “Soul Healing & Self Discovery,” with Christian de la Huerta, Christian is a renowned personal transformation expert and TEDx speaker and will guide us in reclaiming our power and unlocking our true potential. Don’t miss this opportunity to embark on your soul-awakening adventure
