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LGBTQ Rights from the Right Side

Johnathon Gibbs
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
7 February 2017
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The recent rise in the need for equality has pushed the LGBTQ revolution further than it
has ever gone. Although it seems a pro-LGBTQ majority is beginning to grow, there are still
plenty of people, worldwide, who are against the progressive viewpoints of LGBTQ rights. Now
just to be clear, this is not going to be an essay bashing or disclaiming the legitimacy of political
and social conservative views, but a platform for their claims and justifications to be heard. This
also does not reflect the views of all conservatives because there are plenty who do support
LGBTQ rights. What we lack today is an unbiased source of information. Hopefully this essay
will provide, you, the viewer with an unbiased look into the advocates against LGBTQ
progression.

LGBTQ rights have taken center stage in much of the news circulating the western world.
We hear plenty about the protests and legislation either for or against the promotion of LGBTQ
rights but what we lack as a society is the other side. We miss the people against this progressive
ideal and then give them malice for sharing their opinions. Our hypocrisy as a human race is
overwhelming and if we are to create a sense of peace and unity, we must learn to use our ears
more than our mouths. Political and social conservatives have strong reasons for their defense
against LGBTQ rights. Religion often plays a huge role in the conservatives position on this
topic and often is the only reason why they do not support or even believe in LGBTQ rights and
LGBTQ marriage. Conservatives religious views also affect their professional life and workers
are often left choosing between work and religion which can create controversy and an internal
conflict. For example, having to choose between your professional career and your religious
views. The dilemma that supporters of the anti-LGBTQ movement experience is an
undocumented endeavor that is not publicized but occurs more often than not.
The main reason there is such a large disagreement with gay rights and gay marriage falls
primarily on religion. Out of the top six religions worldwide, three of them explicitly reject
homosexuality in their religious texts. These religions include Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.
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The Bible states,

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have
sex with men (1 Cor. 6:9 New International Version).
The Old Testament of the Bible (Torah) says, Do not have sexual relations with a man as one
does with a woman; that is detestable (Lev. 18:22 New International Version). The Quran says
this about homosexuality:
And [We had send] Lot when he said to his people, Do you commit such immorality as
no one has preceded you with from among the worlds? Indeed, you approach men with
desire, instead of women. Rather, you are transgressing people. But the answer of his
people was only that they said, Evict them from your city! Indeed, they are me who keep
themselves pure. So We saved him and his family, except for his wife; she was of those
who remained [with the evildoers]. And We rained upon them a rain [of stones]. Then see
how was the end of the criminals (Quran, Al-Araf 7:80-84).
What all these books have in common is that they all explicitly denounce homosexual acts. The
texts are very clear and precise with very little room for an alternative interpretation. These
religious texts also mention punishments that are very gruesome. The Bible says, If a man has
sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is
detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads (Lev. 20:13 New
International Version). The Quran says that people who practice same-sex intercourse would be
stoned because these people were considered criminals (Quran, Al-Araf 7:84). The Hadith (the
second book to the Quran which contains traditions from the prophet Muhammad that many
people of the Islamic faith follow) states,
The Prophet cursed effeminate men (those men who are in the similitude (assume the
manners of women) and those women who assume the manners of men, and he said,
Turn them out of your houses. The Prophet turned out such- and-such an, and Umar
turned out such-and-such woman (The Hadith, Sahih Bukhari 72:774).
Homosexuality at this time was often detestable and seen as a sin and against the law of these
religions. The problem that liberals have with this belief from religious followers is the picking
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and choosing that seems to go on. In other words, LGBTQ activists get annoyed when people
against LGBTQ progression detest homosexuality but then commit sins that in the bible are just
as detestable. An example would be divorce and then remarriage. The bible states, Anyone who
divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man that marries a
divorced woman commits adultery (Luke 16:18 New International Version). The punishment
for adultery was being stoned to death. This picking and choosing is a habit that drives
pro-LGBTQ people crazy. Even knowing that, strict believers of these religions still feel very
strong against the LGBTQ community and are often demonized for following the religious law.
The interpretation of these passages leads to the belief that marriage belongs between one man
and one woman. The Bible says this about natural marriage:
But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a
man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become
one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined
together, let no one separate (Mark 10:6-9 New International Version).
The Torah states, That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and
they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24 New International Version). The Quran says, Do you
approach males among the worlds and leave what your lord has created for you as mates? But
you are a people transgressing (Quran, Ash-Shuara 26:165-166). All these texts talk about
marriage being between one man and one woman that they would be one flesh. This would
imply the unity of the two. The Quran does not specifically use the words one flesh but the
line ...and leave what your lord has created for you as mates? can easily be interpreted as
meaning a unity between the two, male and female. Cynthia Yockey, a former liberal and now
fiscal conservative says this:
...the government must define marriage in order to protect the freedom of religion for all
its citizens. If the religions fighting marriage equality succeed in grabbing the power to
define marriage away from the government, instantly they will become totalitarian
governments unto themselves, with enormous coercive powers. People who now have the
right to marry will lose their rights to divorce, to change religions, and to marry without
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belonging to a religion. This would be a huge loss of individual liberty (Yockey,

Equality Will Come From the Right).
What Yockey is trying to get at here is that the government must define what they see as
marriage but also they must protect first amendment, freedom of religion. If the decision falls
towards a progressive view (same-sex marriage) this could ultimately disregard the freedom of
religion amendment by going against the belief of several religions. Yockey believes that this
would ultimately become a government that ignores the other amendments and takes full control
(totalitarianism), leading to other rights of marriage being revoked. Michael Jensen, a reverend
and author says it in another way:
It is crucial to notice that the proposed revision of marriage laws involves exactly that: a
revision of marriage. In order to offer the status of marriage to couples of the same sex,
the very meaning of marriage has to be changed. In which case, what same-sex couples
will have will not be the same as what different sexed couples now have. It will be called
marriage, but it wont be marriage as we know it. It wont be marriage equality: It will
be an entirely new thing (Jensen, I oppose same-sex marriage (and no, Im not a bigot).
This is a common belief between people who oppose same-sex marriage. They believe a change
in the definition of marriage ultimately leads to a new type of marital bond. Jensen then goes on
and begins a new argument against gay marriage:
It [marriage] is, or is intended as, a lifelong union between two people who exemplify
the biological duality of the human race, with the openness to welcoming children into
the world. Even when children do not arrive, the differentiated twoness of marriage
indicates its inherent structure (Jensen).
He later says that a child is a tangible expression of our sexed towness (Jensen). This belief
that marriage means the unity of two people with the ability to procreate is a common belief in
the traditionalist idea of marriage. Religion plays a major rule in the fight against LGBTQ rights
and same-sex marriage. From religious texts to biological inabilities, conservatives have valid
arguments against these new ideas.
With society starting to lean towards the acceptance of equal rights for LGBTQ
individuals, conservatives against these advancements are now at a crossroad between their
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careers and the evolving ideals of the twenty-first century. Ms. Ladele is a devoted Christian
who considered gay marriage to be contrary to Gods law and a sin (Cooper and Herman 64).
Ladele conducted civil partnerships but indicated to the council that she would be unable to
perform these partnerships because of her religious beliefs. The council told Ms. Ladele that it
was unable to accommodate her because of its equality and diversity policy (64). This is just one
noted instance but the likelihood that it has happened to other people is undeniably strong.
Beliefs against homosexuality also can affect personal life decisions. Mr. and Mrs. Johns,
members of the Pentecostals Church, believed that sexual relations other than those within
marriage between one man and one woman were morally wrong. Mr. and Mrs. Johns were
looking to foster children but encountered a few hurdles because of a statement that Mrs. Johns
made. Mrs. Johns said,
I will not lie and tell you I will say it is ok to be a homosexual. I will love and respect,
no matter what sexuality. I cannot lie and I cannot hate, but I cannot tell a child that it is
ok to be homosexual (66).
No decision was ever made for the Johns foster application. Unfortunately, these traditionalist
views that homosexuality is wrong has now caused altercations in professional and personal life.
Bruce Ryder, the participant in a story similar to Ms. Lapeles, states this:
Religion is indeed functioning here as the new gay: just as the display of minority sexual
orientations in the public sphere invited persecution in Canada in the past, now religious
public servants...are being asked to choose between keeping their jobs and acting in
accordance with their religious beliefs (70).
Is it fair that society is forcing people to make this decision? What right do progressives have in
forcing this decision on people? These are questions that conservatives ask themselves and
questions that liberals need to start asking. If religion plays a big role in a persons identity, why
shouldnt they be able to incorporate their religious views into their daily lives? These questions
will be the key to getting glimpse into the views of people against LGBTQ equality and
same-sex marriage.
The recent surge towards a new view on LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage has
created an internal issue for conservatives. Some now struggle with the idea of disobeying
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religious lessons for the newly accepted idea of homosexuality. These issues are now starting to
make their way into the personal lives of Christians, Muslims, and the Jewish who do not believe
in homosexuality or same-sex marriage. Hopefully now supporters of equal rights for LGBTQ
community see the reasons why some are against this advance. Hopefully the voices of
conservatives alike now feel that their beliefs and ideals have been put out there for all to hear.
Hopefully this will be a piece to the puzzle that is unifying people everywhere, no matter their
stance on LGBTQ rights and same-sex marriage.
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Works Cited

Cooper, D., & Herman, D. (2013). Up Against the Property Logic of Equality Law: Conservative
Christian Accommodation Claims and Gay Rights. Feminist Legal Studies, 21(1), 61-80.
doi:10.1007/s10691-013-9230-4

Jensen, M. (2015,May 27). I oppose same-sex marriage (and no, Im not a bigot). Retrieved
January 31, 2017, from http://abs.net.au/news/2015-05-28/jensen-i-oppose-same-sex-
marriage-(and-no,-im-not-a-bigot)/6502850

Seitz-Wald, A. (2014). Evngelicals Are Winning the Gay Marriage Fight--in Africa and Russia.
National Journal, 1.

Yockey, C. (2011). Equality Will Come FRom the Right. Advocate, (1053), 50-51