Rita Booke: Sodom, Gomorrah, and the Gays

Resident drag queen and answerer-of-all-questions Rita Booke is asked:

Hi, Rita -
I've heard that the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is not really about homosexuality, but something to do with hospitality. I'd love to use this in an argument with some of my homophobic family members who refer to it, but need elaboration. Can you help?

Honey, this story in the Bible has been used against us time and again. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed not because the inhabitants were gay, but because they were inhospitable to Lot's visitors at a time when it was usual practice to help out travelers and strangers. In the time of Lot, if you had a long journey, people in other towns or cities would easily take you into their house, feed you, even let you sleep the night if need be. This goes back to, "do onto others as you would have others do unto you." It was considered the right thing to do. Not being welcoming to Lot's guests, who were actually angels in disguise, and being downright inhospitable to them, was what did Sodom and Gomorrah in.

Secondly, babycakes, many people make the mistake of believing that whenever the bible says "to know" someone that it means to have sex. Our Puritanical history is such that although many ultra-conservative religious folk have this disgust towards this wonderful thing God has given us, at the same time they have this unnatural fascination with it, especially gay sex. Therefore, any time they see in the Bible sentences like, "and they wanted to know them," they think it means "and they wanted to have sex with them."

Most Biblical authorities believe this is not the case, and that in most instances, when you see the bible saying, "to know," it means just that. So, when the men of Sodom asked Lot to bring out his friends so that they can know them, they were really just wanting to get acquainted with them, and to make sure they weren't spies from some other city-state in the area. However, this doesn't excuse them, and they were still a mob that was being mobbish, inhospitable, and acting very aggressively towards Lot and his guests.

At some point, the mob becomes so unruly, that Lot actually offers his daughter as a sex-toy to them, to save his guests from harm (women were considered property and sex-toys anyway). So, here's your best argument: if Lot had lived in this city for so long, one would think he would have known they were all gay, so why the hell would he offer his daughter to them? Remind your relatives this was the same daughter who he later had sex with...ahem!

Of course, your evil family members will come up with arguments like gays can convert, so it's possible to have sex with a women, but tell them that argument is not good enough, and demand again, if Lot knew he was in a city full of homosexuals, why would he offer them his own daughter? My stars, even Jesus knew it was a story of inhospitality, cited in the Bible when he told his disciples, "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town." Also remember that not once in the Bible did Jesus ever mention anything about homosexuality.

Remember, though, that people like this are never convinced, but at least you may have gotten them to think. As each of us has our own personal religious beliefs, tell them to believe what they want, but that you believe the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is about people who are inhospitable, unwelcoming, and not accepting of others to the table of God, and then ask these relatives which neighborhood in Sodom they're originally from.

Good luck, sweetie, you're going to need it!

Rita