Rainbow Cross: LGBTQ+ Christians between church, faith, gender identity and sexual orientation

Ta magistrska naloga ponuja prostor pričevanjem LGBTQ+ kristjank_ov, ki živijo, na prvi pogled, nezdružljivi življenjski realnosti in identiteti – biti kristjan_ka in svojo spolno usmerjenost in/ali identiteto definirati kot LGBTQ+ oseba. V raziskavi me je zanimal morebiten obstoj krščanske vzgoje in krščanske skupnosti pri LGBTQ+ kristjankah_ih, odzivi krščanske in LGBTQ+ skupnosti, izzivi in strategije pri združevanju obeh življenjskih realnosti, načini prakticiranja vere danes ter željene spremembe. V teoretičnem delu najprej pokažem preplet krščanstva in kulture, ki ga nadaljujem s krščansko vzgojo kot vstopom v krščansko skupnost. Nato povzamem zgodovino homoseksualnosti od antične Grčije, Rimskega imperija do zgodnjega srednjega veka ter njeno vsebino v Svetem pismu. Nato nadaljujem z odnosom cerkve do LGBTQ+ oseb danes in pomenom raziskovanja LGBTQ+ kristjank_ov za socialno delo ter zaključim s povzetkom izzivov LGBTQ+ kristjank_ov iz tujih raziskav in z njihovimi usmeritvami za socialne delavke_ce. Raziskava je kvalitativna in eksplorativna, saj je bil njen namen spoznavanje izzivov LGBTQ+ kristjank_ov ter raziskovanje vloge socialnega dela. V njej je sodelovalo šest intervjuvank_cev pripadnic_kov rimokatoliške cerkve, od tega štirje geji, en transeksualec in ena biseksualka. Rezultati analize poročajo, da je bila krščanska vzgoja bolj ali manj prisotna pri vseh vprašanih ter da je skoraj vedno vodila tudi v pripadnost krščanski skupnosti, od katere so se vprašani kasneje odmaknili. Razlogi za to so politiziranje cerkve in selitev, obdobje kampanje družinskega zakonika, gej duhovniki in izguba verodostojnosti cerkve, odkrivanje spolne identitete in stališča cerkve do homoseksualnosti in splava. Analiza je pokazala, da nekatere krščanske družine težko preokvirijo svoja krščanska prepričanja s sprejetjem otrokove LGBTQ+ identitete, saj so vprašani poročali o direktnih ali subtilnih zavračanjih s strani staršev, babic ali ostalega sorodstva. Podobno je bilo tudi pri odzivih ostalih vernic_kov iz širše krščanske skupnosti. Medtem ko so se predstavniki cerkve odzvali s tiho podporo, sprejemanjem s pogoji neprakticiranja spolnosti, nasveti skrivanja spolne usmerjenosti in/ali identitete in z ignoriranjem razkritja ter skrivanjem spolne usmerjenosti in/ali identitete. Poleg krščanske skupnosti je pomembno vlogo igrala tudi LGBTQ+ skupnost, v katero so bili vključeni vsi respondenti_ke razen enega. Tako kot pri krščanski skupnosti je tudi tukaj sledil odmik. Predsodki do LGBTQ+ kristjank_ov s strani LGBTQ+ skupnosti so bili kot razlog za odmik prisotni v polovici primerov. Kot ostale razloge pa so navajali še izgubo potrebe po vključenosti in homogenost LGBTQ+ skupnost, nepodporna psihosocialna pomoč, LGBTQ+ filozofija ter prepiri in nesodelovanje med nevladnimi organizacijami na LGBTQ+ področju. Kot izzivi pri združevanju spolne usmerjenosti in religijske pripadnosti so se izkazali prevzeti stereotipi, odločitev med spolno usmerjenostjo in religijsko pripadnostjo, strah pred izločitvijo iz krščanske ali/in LGBTQ+ skupnosti ter občutek, da ne spadajo v nobeno izmed skupnosti. Interpretacije Svetega pisma, raziskovanje tako krščanstva kot drugih religij, postavljanje ločnice med cerkvijo in vero ter podporna mreža ljudi pa so se izkazale kot strategije umeščanja in združevanja obeh identitet. Danes vera večini vprašanih predstavlja oporo, prostor za izboljšave pa vidijo v prepoznavanju LGBTQ+ kristjanov_k s strani cerkve ter v ustanavljanju krščanskih LGBTQ+ organizacij, želijo si vključujoče in spoštljive cerkve, možnost cerkvene poroke, večjo udeležbo LGBTQ+ oseb na Paradi ponosa, povezovanje ključnih institucij, javno podporo socialnih delavk_cev, razumevanju heterogenosti LGBTQ+ oseb znotraj nevladnih organizacij ter skupino za LGBTQ+ kristjane_ke. Večini bi druženje znotraj te skupine predstavljalo možnost odkritega izražanja vere, druženja, podeljevanja izkušenj in pogledov o veri, pa tudi grajenja občestva in način premagovanja predsodkov. Kot predloge za socialno delo na koncu navedem večji poudarek temam, kot so vera in religija ter socialno delo onkraj heteronormativnosti znotraj dodiplomskega in podiplomskega izobraževanja, krepitev razumevanja intersekcije in urjenje v kulturnih kompetencah in zagovorništvu, usvajanje ustreznega jezika ljudi, s katerimi delamo, LGBTQ+ skupnosti in tudi cerkve. Pri tem naj bodo LGBTQ+ kristjani_ke naši največji usmerjevalci_ke, s katerimi spoštljivo vzpostavljamo stik in stopamo v delovni odnos, socialne_i delavke_ci pa trdna in javna opora tudi LGBTQ+ krščanskemu aktivizmu.This Master\u27s thesis offers a space for the testimonies of LGBTQ+ Christians who live the seemingly incompatible realities and identities of being a Christian and LGBTQ+ person. In my research I was interested in the possible existence of Christian education and Christian community among LGBTQ+ Christians, the responses of the Christian and LGBTQ+ communities, the challenges and strategies in reconciling the two identities, the ways in which faith is practiced today, and the desired changes. In the theoretical part, I first show the interplay between Christianity and culture, which I continue with the Christian education as an entry into the Christian community. I then summarize the history of homosexuality from Ancient Greece, the Roman Empire to the early Middle Ages and its content in the Bible. I then go on to discuss the church\u27s attitude towards LGBTQ+ people today and the relevance of research on LGBTQ+ Christians for social work, and conclude with a summary of the challenges of LGBTQ+ Christians from international research and their implications for social workers. The research is qualitative and explorative as it aimed to learn about the challenges of LGBTQ+ Christians and to explore the role of social work. It involved six interviewees who are members of the Roman Catholic Church, four of whom were gay, one transgender and one bisexual. The results of the analysis show that Christian education was more or less present in all the respondents, and that it almost always led to the existence of a Christian community, from which the respondents later moved away. Reasons for this include the politicization of the church and relocation, the period of the Family Code campaign, gay priests and the loss of credibility of the church, the discovery of sexual identity and the church\u27s position on homosexuality and abortion. The analysis showed that some Christian families found it difficult to reframe their Christian beliefs through acceptance of their child\u27s LGBTQ+ identity, with respondents reporting direct or subtle challenges to acceptance from parents, grandparents or other relatives. This was similar to responses from other believers in the wider Christian community. While church representatives responded with tacit support, acceptance with conditions of non-practicing sexuality, advice to hide sexual orientation and/or identity, and ignoring disclosure and hiding sexual orientation and/or identity. In addition to the Christian community, the LGBTQ+ community played an important role, all but one of the respondents were somehow part od the community. As with the Christian community, there was also a shift away from it. Prejudice towards LGBTQ+ Christians by the LGBTQ+ community was present as a reason for disengagement in half of the cases. Other reasons cited were loss of need for inclusion and homogeneity of the LGBTQ+ community, unsupportive psychosocial support, LGBTQ+ philosophy, and quarrels and non-cooperation between NGOs in the LGBTQ+ field. Challenges in combining sexual orientation and religious affiliation were identified as assumed stereotypes, the choice between sexual orientation and religious affiliation, fear of being excluded from the Christian and/or LGBTQ+ community, and the feeling of not belonging to either community. Interpretations of the Bible, exploration of both Christianity and other religions, drawing a line between church and religion, and having a support network of people have all been shown to be strategies for locating and combining the two identities. Today, religion is the mainstay of most respondents. They see room for improvement in the church\u27s recognition of LGBTQ+ Christians and in the establishment of Christian LGBTQ+ organizationsthey want inclusive and respectful churches, the possibility of church weddings, greater participation of LGBTQ+ people in Pride Parades, networking of key institutions, public support from social workers, understanding of the heterogeneity of LGBTQ+ people within NGOs, and an establishment group for LGBTQ+ Christians. For most, gathering within this group would be an opportunity to openly express their faith, to socialize, to share experiences and perspectives on faith, as well as to build fellowship and overcome prejudice. As suggestions for social work, I conclude with a greater emphasis on topics such as faith and religion and social work beyond heteronormativity within undergraduate and postgraduate education, strengthening understanding of intersectionality and training in cultural competency and advocacy, learning the appropriate language of the people we work with, the LGBTQ+ community and the church. In this, LGBTQ+ Christians should be our greatest guides, with whom we respectfully make contact and enter into working relationships. Social workers should also present a strong and public support for LGBTQ+ Christian activism