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Concept
Religion and LGBT people
Summary
The relationship between religion and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people can vary greatly across time and place, within and between different religions and sects, and regarding different forms of homosexuality, bisexuality, non-binary, and transgender identities. More generally, the relationship between religion and sexuality ranges widely among and within them, from giving sex and sexuality a rather negative connotation to believing that sex is the highest expression of the divine.
According to sociologists and researchers in social sciences, religion plays an important role in how heteronormative societies view LGBTQ+ people and same-sex couples, and their abilities to be functional beings in societal contexts. Some of the authoritative bodies, texts, and doctrines of the world's largest religions may view these negatively, especially those that belong to Abrahamic religions. This can range from discrimination and discouragement of self-disclosure directed at LGBTQ+ people, explicitly forbidding same-sex sexual activities and/or gender reassignment among adherents, actively opposing social acceptance of LGBTQ+ identities, to the criminalization and violence against LGBTQ+ people, such as death penalty for people engaging in homosexual practices while tolerating gender reassignment in specific cases.
Liberal and progressive voices within these religions tend to view LGBTQ+ people more positively, and some liberal religious denominations may bless same-sex marriages, as well as accepting and marrying people who are transgender. Historically, some cultures and religions accommodated, institutionalized, revered and/or tolerated same-sex relationships and non-heterosexual identities; such mythologies and traditions can be found in numerous religions around the world; elements of religious and cultural incorporation of non-heterosexual identities can still be identified in traditions that have survived into the modern era, such as the Berdache, Hijra, and Xanith.
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