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BBC to ask homophobes what they think of its coverage of gay people
Major research project on how BBC represents gay, lesbian and bisexual people will include those with homophobic views The BBC today launched a major research project into what its audiences – including those with homophobic views – think about its portrayal of gay, lesbian and bisexual people on TV and radio. Licence-fee payers will be asked what they think of on-screen talent, humour, language …

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While it is not an age-old question, the question of lesbians (or gays) inside the Amish community does come to mind (my mind at least) with the recent news coverage on GLBT inside the Muslim community. Honestly, what got me thinking was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent comment that there were no lesbians/gays in Iran. I thought to myself, how can this be true. Lesbianism isn’t restricted by nationality, religion, heritage, or race.

At first thought, the obvious answer would be yes, there are lesbians (and gays) inside the Amish community, but after a thorough look at their belief system, this writer isn’t so sure after all.

Mose, one of the Amish men transplanted from the religious community and placed in L. A. for the television program Amish in the City (Australia’s Arena Network) says, “Probably the biggest culture shock for me was gay people. I didn’t even know there was anything like gay people existing in the world. ” In contrast, however, there is 87 year old ex-Amish, Isaac Stolzfuts, who identifies himself as “an 87 year old gay X-Amish artist. ” Herein lays the dilemma. Is the Amish community, at least in this regard, just like every other walk of life?

My answer is a resounding, firm, I don’t know. If they are openly lesbian (or gay), then I think it is a fairly safe bet that they aren’t inside the community any more, or if they still live inside, they haven’t come out and probably won’t.

Here is what I do know. The Amish claim to live by the Bible. According to the Bible, Christians are to sincerely follow the scriptures’ command to be “in the world but not of the world” meaning, they are to avoid following the daily path that the rest of the world takes.

The Amish are a sect of a very strict Christian Mennonite group who takes this particular command literally and lives as though they were still back in the 18th-century. The Bible also says that homosexuality is “an abomination before the Lord. ” Thus, one could glean that it is “worldly”, and so no one is (openly) lesbian (or gay).

But yet, I question it. How does one’s preferred style of living affect their sexual orientation? I’m not at all certain it has any bearing on sexual preferences because these preferences aren’t a choice; they are in the hard wiring. Living as an Amish is a choice, being lesbian or gay isn’t. I do wonder, though, if they are brought up with these strict religious teachings, and they have these conflicting feelings inside, how then do they settle the internal discord?

I think, perhaps, that their wild time would address this nicely. The Amish call it “rumspringa. ” This is Pennsylvania Dutch term meaning “running wild”. The Amish don’t believe children can make an informed decision about their religious faith, so baptism is delayed until adulthood. Before their baptism comes rumspringa, a period when young Amish adults (generally ages 16 – 21, give or take a couple of years) can sample the temptations normally banned within their religious communities. It is each person’s choice to return and be baptized into the community forever, or to be forever shunned. I would imagine that during this rumspringa that a young person with lesbian (or gay) tendencies would explore them at this time. Oddly enough, this is about the same time that most people really begin to explore their sexuality, be it straight or lesbian/gay.

Further more, according to recent survey results; approximately 5-10% of the population is lesbian/gay. If this is taken into consideration, along with 2006 records of close to 200,000 Amish compared to a total US population of approximately 300 million in 2006, this means that there is a ratio of 2 Amish for every 3000 US citizens. Further, if 5-10% of the U. S. population is lesbian/gay that would mean that statistically speaking, 1000 – 2000 of the 200,000 (or 1-2 of every 200 Amish) are probably lesbians/gays.

This then leads me to the next question; do religious beliefs override hard, statistical facts? Again, I come to the same conclusion, I just don’t know. I am a devout Christian myself, and I personally know other Christians who have children who were raised in church, who believe in God, who profess to be Christians, and who just happen to prefer same-sex partners instead of opposite-sex partner. They align themselves with the GLBT community more than the mainstream community. I honestly have a hard time believing that because two people have sound biblical beliefs that it would somehow prevent them from giving birth to a child who is born lesbian (or gay).

Because I’m not thoroughly convinced that the answer I’ve come to is the final word on the topic, I’m going to try to make contact with Isaac Stolzfuts, the ex-Amish gay artist. I will invite him to post replies to this article here on the site as well as engage in a personal dialogue with me.

At this point, I’m leaning towards believing that while there are lesbians and gays in the Amish community, their orientation is such a deep, dark, secret that it has yet to hit the MSM (main stream media) or, due to their lack of education (Amish are only formally educated until 8th grade) that they are like Mose and have never heard of lesbian (or gay) people. This would also lead me to conclude that they are very much in the dark about the disharmony they experience within.

Please accept this invitation to keep checking back to see what I learn from Mr. Stolzfuts and anyone else I can find to speak with on this intriguing and mystifying topic.

~~~~~~Sierra St. James

You can read more of my writing at either of the links below.

http://sierra-stjames. blogspot. com/

http://www. amishlesbians. com/

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! News

Steelers say they must change to save season
They didn’t shift practice to early morning or early evening. They didn’t tear up their depth chart and start anew. They didn’t drag their uniforms to the middle of their practice field and burn them in an attempt to rid themselves of the bad karma that has dogged them for weeks. Regardless, the Pittsburgh Steelers are promising to be a changed team as they try to stop the four-game…

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