I feel like my identity got negated somehow...

Today, one of my friends called me out to the pool when she saw me outside. We've flirted off and on since she 'used to be'(<--her words) attracted to women. So, I go down there and she's talking to me about how great this one church is and I ask her if it's LGBT-affirming. She tells me no and that there used to be a church in that town that was, but that it got burned down by anti-gay protesters a few years ago.

She continues to talk about how 'homosexuality is wrong' but that she 'hates the sin, but loves the sinner'. Now, first off, I hate that term when applied to homosexuality because the 'sin' is an integral part of that person. I start trying to explain my views(I've studied the Bible extensively) and she cuts me off by saying the 'no man shall lie with a man as with a woman' and that I can't truly be saved unless I repent. She also adds that my translation of the Bible can't be trusted because I'm not living according to God's will and that Satan is skewing the message.

Another friend of mine that was at the pool chimes in with something along the same lines of 'homosexuals can never be Christian because they refuse to repent and continue to live in iniquity' and 'being gay is weird and unnatural'.

Then the first girl begins to talk about how crossdressers and trans* people are abominations against God. I begin to explain that I'm an androgyne, and therefore on the trans* scale, and she says that the reason I'm androgynous is because I'm not living according to God's plan for my life due to my homosexuality. She also adds that I can't possibly be androgynous because I look too 'pretty' and not 'man-like' at all.

I'm both confused and angry about this conversation. I'm confused because only a few weeks ago(before she started going to church) she was flirting and hanging out with me and telling me that she was a LGBT ally and now she's done a complete 180. Also, I couldn't understand why my other friend agreed with her considering that they've been my friend for almost a year and never brought up any issue with it.

But what hurt the most was that it felt like they were denying three very important parts of my identity. It hurt deeply and I had to leave soon after because I just felt sick to my stomach.

I don't really know why I'm posting this except maybe to get some encouragement. I know that those parts of my identity are still solid, including my Christianity, but it was the first time that I've ever had someone just negate my identity like that. I made me feel so alone...

 

Thanks Kai LD I don't know what church they're going to, but she says that the minister is called a prophet? I'm firm in my belief that God loves me and wants me to love others, I'm just sad that my friends reacted that way.

Thanks Dakeli27 I pointed out those things to her and she agreed that those ideas were outdated but that the verse on homosexuality wasn't.

There are a few LGBT+ churches around here that I'm really considering going to, since I've had a tough time finding a church that accepts me. The UU church sounds like an excellent one for me to start out with!

 

Yes. Also many people don't realize that the laws set down in Leviticus were there for a variety of reasons, including medical and symbolic.

For example, the mixing of fabrics and crops was symbolic of Jews not 'mixing' with other nations. Also, not eating pork or shellfish was a way to keep the nomadic Jewish nation healthy because they didn't have proper curing or cooking procedures. I also believe that the homosexuality verse was meant for health reasons because they couldn't take the proper precautions during that time to make sure both partners remained healthy, as well as serving as a warning against temple prostitution.

 

I love those verses, though my favorite ones to pull out to pull out are Psalms 9:9-10 and Psalms 145: 8-9