What It's Like To Be Christian, Gay And Celibate

[xchrom]

http://www.businessinsider.com/some-gay-christians-choose-celibacy-2013-5



Between the faction of gay Christians who are happy with their sexual identity and "ex-gays," who say they've removed their homosexual yearnings, is a third group that gets little attention.

These so-called Side B Christians identify as gay and believe it's not sinful to do so. But because they see acting on their orientation as ungodly, they commit to a life of celibacy.

Now, for the first time, a sociologist has taken an in-depth look at what makes Side Bs tick, particularly how they navigate their same-sex desires and their awkward position as stuck in the middle of ex-gay groups and content gay Christians.

The study is small, but finds that Side Bs experience both tension and connection with these two groups. (The origins of the "Side B" term are foggy, but the terminology seems to come from the organization the Gay Christian Network, which labels gay Christians who do not see their sexuality as sinful as "Side A" and those who do as "Side B.&quot


Read more: http://www.livescience.com/34634-celibate-gay-christians-desire.html#ixzz2UIptxKve

[Fearless]

1. Sex is not shameful

Or sinful. It is natural and beautiful. Makes me want to slap people upside the head!

[Zorra]

2. To each their own. If someone does not wish to share their body and give

sexual pleasure to another person, that's totally their right.

I hope they are happy people content with their life choices.

From my POV as a healthy, very happy, life loving, fun loving sexually active polyamorous LGBT woman, that would be a useless, total waste of a wonderful gift and something like flogging myself with a whip after voluntarily locking myself in a hopeless prison of my own creation. But who knows, maybe those celibate folks believe that my sensuous, sexually fulfilling, fun, love oriented happiness producing lifestyle would cause them to be totally miserable if they were to do the same.


Personally, masochism has totally never been my thing, and I suspect that most of those voluntarily celibate LGBT folks are Log Cabin Republicans.

[Rowdyboy]

4. And over the years I've known a couple of wonderful, happy people who had absolutely no interest in

sex with anyone of either sex. Both insisted they had not been abused, nor particularly hurt-they simply had no interest in sex and never had. I find the concept very difficult to comprehend but certainly respected their feelings and had no problem with them as friends. My interpretation would be more along the lines of a hormonal thing-these guys were neither conservative nor Republican (or political at all if I remember correctly). They just found the idea of physical intimacy with another person distasteful.

I'll admit, its totally beyond my imagination. My sexuality has played an enormous role in my life, probably far more than it should have and its difficult to understand a response so totally foreign but I believe they both were telling me the truth as they experienced it.

To be totally honest I have no idea if either was a Christian, practicing or not. Back in the day no one really cared that much. God I miss those days.

[Zorra]

5. I've known a few people who said they had no interest in sex also.

It also seemed to me that they were not celibate because of some dogmatically induced guilt or prohibitons, but were celibate simply because of their individual physiology or personal tastes.

Again, to each their own. I only know what is true for me; what others believe, and feel, and allow to guide their actions, is their business. I wish everyone the very best.

[closeupready]

3. Now THAT, this IS a waste.