Ethno-centric and America-Focused

Often when we look at the situation of LBGTQ individuals in other parts of the world, we use an ethnocentric lens that assumes that categories such as ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ are universally valid and understood in all cultures. This is not the case particularly in the realm of gender expression and sexual orientation. Non-Western countries have frequently been the victim of colonialism particularly in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Often indigenous legal as well as religious belief systems were supplanted by Western Christianity. Colonial ethical and legal  systems often condemned same-sex sexual behavior and gender non-conformity. Today, memories of past colonialism are lost or covered up and Victorian mores and legal codes can ensnare those who do not hold to a hetero-normative ideal.

In addition, we in the West often assume a binary approach to sexual orientation which designates someone as either ‘gay or lesbian’ or ‘straight.’ These Western categories often do not fit behavior in non-Western countries. We often make the assumption that the way that we live and think is universal.  Such an attitude ignores cultural variation and is a characteristic of ethnocentricity. Cultures around the world have different ways of thinking about ethics, the essence of being human, as well as different ways of evaluating which behaviors are good and which are bad. The same is true for gender  and sexuality.  There is no fixed, unchanging, universal approach to gender expression and sexual behavior.  Conflict often arises between those who strive for LGBTQ rights in the West and activists or even everyday citizens in other countries with mores and belief systems that differ from our own. At times, LGBTQ activists’ stress on Western style civil rights have actually led to a decrease in the frequency of same sex behavior, often because such behavior, which may have been seen as natural and part of the diversity of human life, is now associated with ninteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century western cultural, economic, and political exploitation.
 
Globalization moves us more and more toward a homogenous world, at least in urban, economically priviledged metropolitan areas. Globally, in such enclaves we may find individuals who resonate with and adopt western gay rights rhetoric and beliefs. However, in much of the non-Western world there is a much wider diversity of sexual and gender behavior. Sexual behavior, particularly same sex behavior, is often conceived of differently than it is in the west.  These general, divergent cultural assumptions also impact non-Western religions. And a number of non-Western religions have picked up the animus that many branches of Christianity has against LGBTQ individuals. 

To develop sensitivity to diversity, the Unitarian Universalist Association   offers several resources. I suggest the UUA’s Racial Justice and Multi-Cultural Ministries webpage as well as the resources found on the UUA’s Immigration Justice  webpage. Another very accessible resource is Patrick Cheng’s Rainbow Theology, a book that discusses the intersection of sexuality, race, ethnicity and religion.  Cheng writes in a accessible and easy to comprehend way and his book offers suggested discussion questions that would be useful with church study groups.  Rainbow Theology is also well documented so that Cheng’s primer can be useful for those interested in going into these subjects in more depth.