LGBTQ+ LESSONS

 WHEN THE CHURCH IS SILENT: 

How Gen Z’s Queerness Is Crying Out for Truth, Tenderness, and a Home

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> “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”

— Psalm 118:22

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🕊️ INTRODUCTION: 

A Generation Searching for Wholeness

In the past, those who did not fit into narrowly defined categories of identity were silenced, marginalized, or shamed. 1

But Generation Z—today’s youth and young adults—has grown up in an often self-made world that, values authenticity, inclusion, and representation. 

Their open embrace of queerness as a "lifestyle," while marked by error and delusion, is not merely a rebellion against tradition, but often a search for safety, self-understanding, and love.

These are the same qualities we all seek.

Therefore, The Church, called to be “a field hospital after battle” (Pope Francis), must ask itself: 

Are we healing or harming? 

Are we guiding or ghosting this generation? 

In this cultural moment, silence is not neutral. 

The Church must respond—not by diluting its truth, but by embodying its mercy more fully.

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📊 THE CULTURAL WAVE: Gen Z’s Openness and Visibility

Recent studies reveal what is already visible in many schools, homes, and parishes:

Globally, around 17% of Gen Z self-identify as part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum. 

And while much in these "labels" is concocted to be self-gratifying, in the U.S., this figure rises to over 20%, nearly four times the rate of previous generations.

In the Philippines, though less documented statistically, there is widespread representation of queer youth in media, schools, and even Church volunteer groups.

Its clear that much of this increase is part of a overall moral decline, yet, it may sometimes reflect honesty that was historically punished. 

The idea is that these young people are not “becoming” more queer; they are simply less afraid to say who they have told themselves they are.

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🔍 CATHOLIC ANTHROPOLOGY: Dignity, Desire, and Direction

Every person is made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). 

This core truth of Catholic anthropology demands that the Church approach all persons—including LGBTQ+ individuals—with respect, clarity, and compassion.

🧭 Identity and Dignity

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC §2358) states:

> “They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.”

Sexual orientation is a deeply rooted experience. While the Church teaches that same-sex sexual acts are sinful and not ordered toward procreation and unity, it does not define people by their temptations. 

The same call to holiness applies to all—heterosexual or otherwise.

🌿 Chastity and Vocation

Whether single, married, gay, or straight, all Christians are called to chastity—which is not the suppression of desire, but the integration of sexuality with Gods love and truth (CCC §2337). 

The Church affirms that God’s plan includes everyone, but it ALSO calls everyone to conversion of heart.

> “You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

— 1 Corinthians 6:20

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🎭 REPRESENTATION: Seeing the Whole Person

Why does representation matter to Gen Gen Z? Because its a permutation of the old, "I'm okay, you're okay," concept. It tells people, “You exist. You matter. You’re not alone.” 

Historically, queer persons were often portrayed as villains, clowns, or cautionary tales. But in recent years:

Films like Die Beautiful and series like Gameboys portray LGBTQ+ people with depth and dignity.

Online creators share testimonies of faith and queerness, sometimes as practicing Catholics, sometimes as exiles of the Church.

Gen Z platforms (YouTube, TikTok, etc.) give space to raw, honest storytelling that builds empathy.

These portrayals do not necessarily affirm all actions as morally good - NOR SHOULD THEY - but they humanize. And that is the beginning of any true evangelization.

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🛐 SAFE SPACES: Why They Matter (and What They’re Not)

A safe space is not a zone of moral compromise. It is an environment of respectful listening, spiritual accompaniment, and honest conversation.

> “Let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.”

— 1 John 3:18

✝️ What Safe Spaces Look Like in the Church

1. Listening Ministries:

Parishes can host evenings of dialogue where LGBTQ+ persons share their experiences while pastoral leaders simply listen without interrupting or correcting.

2. Formation for Clergy:

Seminaries must train future priests not only in doctrine but also in pastoral sensitivity, psychological maturity, and cultural literacy.

3. Support Groups:

Programs like Courage (for Catholics with same-sex attraction) and EnCourage (for their families) offer a bridge between doctrine and personal struggle.

4. Youth Formation:

Catechists should be equipped to teach Catholic teaching on sexuality without shaming or fear-based language, but with beauty, truth, and hope.

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 TRUTH + TENDERNESS: 

A Double Mandate

The Church’s dilemma is not whether to affirm or condemn but how to walk with people whose journeys are messy, beautiful, and sacred.

> “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

— John 1:17

🕯️ Balancing Points

TRUTH & TENDERNESS

▪︎ Calls all people to holiness and chachastityacknowledges the personal struggles and suffering involved

▪︎ Upholds sacramental marriage as between man and woman andoffers belonging and friendship to those not called to marry

▪︎ Affirms biological sex as part of God’s design & respects individual experiences of dysphoria, confusion, and transition

To stand for truth without love is cruelty. To offer love without truth is sentimentality. But when truth and tenderness meet, we find Jesus.

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🩸 HEALING WOUNDS: 

The Church’s Past Failures

The Church has often wounded LGBTQ+ persons—not always by doctrine, but by tone, silence, and harshness:

Families told to disown children.

Teachers fired for same-sex relationships, even as heterosexual cohabiting teachers are ignored.

Pulpits where LGBTQ+ people are referenced only as problems, never as parishioners.

> “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!”

— Jeremiah 23:1

The first healing step is repentance—acknowledging that even good theology can become harmful when poorly applied.

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🕯️ EXAMPLES OF PASTORAL COURAGE

1. St. Charles Borromeo Parish, San Francisco

Held a memorial Mass for victims of AIDS in the 1990s when few churches dared.

2. Fr. James Martin, SJ

Though controversial in some circles, he’s brought the conversation into the open and modeled dialogue, even meeting with Pope Francis.

3. Courage and Encourage Apostolates

Faithful to Catholic teaching while creating spiritual homes for LGBTQ+ Catholics and their families.

These are not solutions to, “the problem of queerness,” because LGBTQ+ persons are not problems. They are souls.

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📜 BIBLICAL VISION: Christ’s Table Is Wide

> “The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.”

— Luke 15:1

Jesus was accused of associating with the impure. He dined with the outcast. He did not condone sin, but He called people to Himself.

We must ask ourselves:

Would Jesus’ Church today make room for the Samaritan woman? 

For Zacchaeus? 

For the man possessed by Legion?

Or would we whisper about their past and block them from the sacraments?

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🧭 CALL TO ACTION: What the Church Must Do Now

1. Preach With Both Clarity and Compassion

Truth should liberate, not crush (John 8:32). Catechism classes and homilies must reflect both the moral vision and the merciful face of Christ.

2. Listen More Than We Speak

Gen Z is not asking the Church to change its doctrine. They’re asking us to afford them godly dignity and walk with them through their questions.

3. Stop Scapegoating LGBTQ+ Youth

Blaming them for cultural decline is lazy. Instead, see them as theological frontier-bearers, forcing the Church to rediscover its mission to love radically.

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🌅 CONCLUSION: 

The Church That Loves Well Will Evangelize Deeply

Gen Z’s visibility around queerness is not a threat to the Church’s identity. 

It’s an invitation. 

An invitation to listen. 

To repent. 

To clarify. 

To become more like Christ.

We must stop asking, “How do we deal with them?” and start asking,...

“How do we love them well enough that they see Christ?”

> “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

— John 13:35

The world is watching. More importantly, Christ is watching.

Thanks to Clive Fernandez.