Defining your sexuality

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If you experience same sex attractions and have acted on them, does make you lgbtq? How does the church define homosexuality or bisexuality? Can you identify as LGBTQ yet still be Catholic?
 
Catholics tend not to define people by their sexual inclinations. A lot don’t even use the term homosexual: just say that that person has same sex attraction.

I for one think it is dumb to make your sexual proclivities a major part of your identity.
 
It depends on what LGBTQ means.
If one experiences these sorts of urges one can still be Catholic. Regardlessly we are all called to deny ourselves and carry our crosses like any good Christian. Fortunately there is the Sacrament of Confession for when we fall, though one needs certain dispositions in order to receive it properly.
 
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Is this something you should tell a priest
 
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Jump4Joy said:
If you experience same sex attractions and have acted on them, does make you lgbtq? How does the church define homosexuality or bisexuality? Can you identify as LGBTQ yet still be Catholic?
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The Catholic Catechism criterion of attraction is “exclusive or predominant” which covers bisexual.

Catechism
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” 142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.
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Jump4Joy said:
If you experience same sex attractions and have acted on them, does make you lgbtq?
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No. It makes you a person with same sex attraction.
Jump4Joy said:
How does the church define homosexuality or bisexuality?
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It doesn’t. And our sexual attractions don’t define us.

Same sex attraction can be the predominant attraction, exclusive attraction, or subordinate attraction.
Jump4Joy said:
Can you identify as LGBTQ yet still be Catholic?
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You should identify as what you are: a child of God.

Identifying as “LGBTQ” means you define yourself by your sexual attraction, rather than as a person who happens to have a certain attraction.
 
1ke said:
Identifying as “LGBTQ” means you define yourself by your sexual attraction, rather than as a person who happens to have a certain attraction.
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Would you say the same of “American”?

I agree with you that many people who call themselves LGBTQ are making that far too central to their personality. But I think the words CAN be used as mere adjectives (or, in Aquinas terms, “accidents”), with no ontological implications.
 
Vico said:
The Catholic Catechism criterion of attraction is “exclusive or predominant” which covers bisexual.
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I don’t know what you mean by that. A bisexual person could have neither an exclusive nor a predominant attraction to the same sex.
 
Agreed, it’s needless. Almost like you’re struggling to find anything of value about yourself.

Wouldn’t it be weird if we just introduced ourselves by what we “love”?

Person: I love women!

Person: I love men!

Cruciferi: I love trees!

(Everyone stares and begins backing away slowly)😬
 
Jump4Joy said:
If you experience same sex attractions and have acted on them, does make you lgbtq? How does the church define homosexuality or bisexuality? Can you identify as LGBTQ yet still be Catholic?
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Sure. People will bug you about it, and your reasons for so describing yourself could be flawed. But no worries, there is plenty of time for all things to become clear, as we follow the Lord and humble ourselves.

Come on in, the water’s fine! 😃
 
I mean I struggle with pornography… I dont call myself a ‘pornosexual Catholic’ It doesent define my Catholicism
 
Jump4Joy said:
If you experience same sex attractions and have acted on them, does make you lgbtq?
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No.
Jump4Joy said:
Can you identify as LGBTQ yet still be Catholic?
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No. These identities are centered around defining oneself by their sexual orientation. A disciple of Christ defines themselves based around their relationship with Christ.
Jump4Joy said:
Is this something you should tell a pries
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Yes, especially if you are seeking spiritual direction to eliminate sexual sin in your life and disordered desires.

Having sexual attraction is not a sin. It is a sin to act on sexual inclinations outside of the marital embrace, and it is spiritually very dangerous to pre-occupy oneself with sexual thoughts and desires.
 
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You only have to mention sins in confession. But, providing some context could help the priest give you better advice going forward.
 
I identify as queer, even though I’m celibate. The truth is, LGBTQ people have problems others don’t and experience discrimination that the church would condemn and that doesn’t go away even for those of us who live by Church teaching.
 
redbetta said:
Catholics tend not to define people by their sexual inclinations. A lot don’t even use the term homosexual: just say that that person has same sex attraction.

I for one think it is dumb to make your sexual proclivities a major part of your identity.
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This…
 
guanophore said:
No. These identities are centered around defining oneself by their sexual orientation. A disciple of Christ defines themselves based around their relationship with Christ.
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Though I think the extent to which you identify yourself is another thing to think about. I for example would identify as American, White, ect. That doesn’t mean I don’t know I’m Catholic. It’s just a way of categorizingbetween some groups. And I’d imagine for some LGBT Catholics, it helps them to have a name for the feelings. In other words, being able to identify as LGBT, but not let it define oneself, could probably help some people accept the challenges they’ll fave and face them.
 
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