Thoughts on monogamy...

Why is it that monogamy often gets a bad rap? There are so many stories and movies about people cheating on one another because they can't handle commitment.  Some people criticize monogamous relationships for not being 'progressive' enough, because monogamy is an institution that was built upon oppression, power, and control.  Now, I understand this particular critique - I used to feel that way myself (specifically regarding marriage).  But what changed my mind on this topic had more to do with making a commitment, not just to a person, but to a certain type of life that I wanted to have.  Getting married isn't just about having the same political rights as heterosexuals.  It's more about entering an equal partnership with another person and making a formal, public statement to those close to you that you are going to work hard to make each other happy and do what is best for each other.

Think about it - we judge relationships all the time.  Your best friend starts dating someone new.  There's this awkward period where all the friends are assessing that new person - trying to determine if this person will be good to your friend.  A relationship ends.  What's the first thing that is usually said? "They weren't good for you."  We care about relationships and we care about the people in them.  Many of us have had relationships where we just can't get enough of that person. What makes this feeling last? What makes it end? There are a lot of reasons that can answer these questions...

Lately, a few things have happened that have got me thinking a lot about relationships and monogamy - specifically regarding queer relationships.

1. A conversation among queer friends at a birthday party
2. Watching "The Science of Sex Appeal" on Netflix
3. Struggling to actually want to watch "The Kids Are Alright"
4. Talking a lot with my partner about our own relationship

1.  I mostly listened to the conversation at the birthday party - but here's the gist of what happened.  Some of the guys there were gossiping about these two guys who were engaged recently broke off their engagement because one of them cheated.  A comment by an older queer guy was really what took me by surprise.  He basically said, "Oh, they're young.  Once both of them get a little older, they'll learn to work through this sort of thing and not be so quick to end a relationship."  This then turned into a conversation about the difference between men and women (gays and lesbians, respectively).  Basically, men can't control their hormones and will fuck around.  Women like to settle down and nest, and would naturally be more hurt if their partner cheated.

2.  This movie piqued my interest because I like documentaries, and I like the Discovery Channel (minus the fact they gave Sarah Palin her own show), and I am curious about sex and it's appeal.  Well, I should have known that this would be a disappointment.  The entire film focused strictly on heterosexual couples and had a very strong evolutionary focus (clarification - I do believe in evolution!), but had nothing to say regarding queer couples or what attracts one woman to another, etc.  Silly me for thinking it actually would.  It was still interesting, and I may have learned something - mostly that heterosexually inclined women are more attracted to 'masculine' smelling men when they are ovulating, but are really turned off and even down right disgusted by the scent of a 'masculine' man.  Men want to have sex with many women - and will even think an 'ugly' woman is doable if they can smell an ovulating vagina. Women are more picky when it comes to what attracts them to a man.  Oh, and love and monogamy can be scientifically calculated through MRI's and such.

3. I haven't seen this movie - and I'm not sure if I ever will.  But everyone who has seen it has said that it was really good (despite the femme mom cheats on her butch partner when she sleeps with the sperm donor for the couple's two children).  Why can't their be a movie where two people (regardless of sexuality - but ESPECIALLY if it is a queer relationship!) doing what it takes to make it work for the long haul and not succumbing to lust or boredom? Don't get me wrong - I don't think everyone that enters a long term, committed relationship ends up with a happily ever after scenario.  Lovers get sick, they die, they cheat on you, they end the relationship for other reasons.  Not everyone really gets a happy ending.  BUT - there are some relationships that last the test of time and actually work and the couple does have a happy ending...or happier.

4.  My current relationship is the most stable, secure, honest, happy, (insert every positive adjective here) relationship I have ever been in.  This isn't because my previous relationships were necessarily bad because of bad people or anything.  Rather, I think that I am just a different person because of those relationships and have a better understanding of who I am and of what I'm looking for in a relationship.  I am not interested in a non-monogamous relationship.  I dabbled in that sort of thing briefly and it was probably one of the worst things I could have ever done - for me and my relationship.  I don't like hurting or hurting people I care about, and everyone was hurt by this feeble attempt to be 'progressive'. Being non-monogamous can make you lose trust in your partner. It can make you feel insecure.  It made me feel both of those things and at the end of the day, it made me question not just my relationship or my partner, but who I was as a person.

Could non-monogamy work for other people? Maybe...but I'm not convinced. I don't think people in non-monogamous relationships are truly happy. I don't think that people in monogamous relationships are necessarily truly happy either.  A relationship is a good one when there is equality and mutual respect between the two (or more) people.

I think the real question is: Can you create equality and harmony in the relationships you enter into? What do you think?

Would Jesus Discriminate? The 21st Century Question.

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

1 Corinthians 13:13

That is what the Bible says. This is what Christianity is supposed to be about. This is the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What the heck happened then?

Last week, I had the privilege of going to a panel about LGBT people, Jesus' ministry, the church in the 21st Century, and the intersections of oppression. Sounds like a spiritual, academic, and activist heyday, right? Right. It was just that. It was sponsored by the Metropolitan Community Church and the HRC, and there were many special people that served on this panel, including Reverend Dr. Cindi Love, author of the newly released book "Would Jesus Discriminate?".

Rev. Dr. Randall Bailey is the Andrew W. Mellon professor of Hebrew Bible at the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta. He teaches courses in the Pentateuch, historical books and new methodologies of interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. Rev. Dr. Cindi Love is the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Community Church, HRC Religion Council member, and author of Would Jesus Discriminate? The 21st Century Question. Rev. Dr. Susan Newman has had a 32-year career as a pastor, a community advocate, AIDS activist, and author. A native Washingtonian, Dr. Newman is the President of Sincerely Susan Ministries, and Adjunct Minister of Peoples Congregational UCC.| Moderator: Harry Knox is the Director of the Religion and Faith Program at the Human Rights Campaign.

What I enjoyed most about this panel was its richness of coming out (as both lesbian, queer, gay, etc. and as an ally) stories, their perspective on the bible and Jesus' message, what Christians should take away from Jesus' message, and how we (as queer Christians) can take away from Christ's message and faith.

There is something to be said for the courage it takes to stand up for something believe in - whether you have a personal, vested interest or not. As a self-proclaimed recovering Catholic, being involved in any sort of religious event tends to make me feel nervous, anxious, and generally feel like I don't belong. So, to see these brave souls take a stance and fight for change - and fight for change to occur in an institution that has so many followers and denominations against you was enough to make even the most cynical atheist feel a glimmer of hope for humanity. I can honestly say that I have not felt so welcome or a part of any spiritual gathering in quite a long time - longer than I can remember. Actually, I think that this has been the first time since leaving the Catholic church and the Christian community (both emotionally and spiritually) that I have felt anything spiritual come over me.

Both Rev. Dr. Susan Newman and Rev. Dr. Randall Bailey addressed some significant points and questions for Rev. Dr. Cindi Love's book (the purposeful use of non-heterosexual when referring to LGBT persons, the use of a White Jesus on advertising, etc.) - and they did so in a way that was both professional and kind. Rev. Dr. Cindi Love did an excellent job addressing their concerns with her book and at the end of the event, I was left feeling that I could go forth and challenge those that use the Bible incorrectly and negatively toward not just queer people, but anyone and everyone.

Rev. Dr. Cindi Love resides in Abilene, Texas - a small, conservative, Christian following town. She has been with her partner (Sue Jennings) for 28 years and both of her children are queer. She is living and working in a community that constantly renounces her very fiber (my very fiber...) and she has done a marvelous thing - she has taken all that hate and done something positive with it. She has stood her ground and challenged all who tell her she is sick, unloved, and going to hell. She is a true follower of Christ because the has not only held true to her faith, and her hope that things can and will be different, but also her love. It is because she allows her heart to be more full of love than anything else that allows her to do Christ's work. How else could she stand up to all those who position themselves against her?