LIST: Stories, reflections on how religion affects LGBTQ+ lives

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Members of the LGBTQ+ community from different religions and denominations have felt as if their identities are incompatible with their faith

MANILA, Philippines – In a predominantly Catholic country like the Philippines, those who do not fit into rigid gender and sexuality norms have long been ostracized for showing their true colors.

Many LGBTQ+ Filipinos experience hate, ridicule, and exclusion, solely because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE). Those in religious communities have repeatedly been asked to “pray the gay away,” forced to stay with unaccepting family members, or are consumed by guilt brought by the disconnect between their identity and their faith. 

The Catholic Church, through the late pope Francis, extended more support towards the LGBTQ+ community in recent years. In December 2023, the then-pontiff approved blessings for same-sex couples administered by Catholic priests through a landmark ruling called Fiducia Supplicans  (Supplicating Trust) — one that didn’t sit well with many religious folks.

Francis said the Church is open to everyone regardless of their SOGIE, although “there are laws that regulate life inside the church.”

But even as the Church claims to open its doors to people whose identities or relationships don’t fit traditional norms, many still feel the weight of long-standing religious judgment. By showing only “conditional acceptance,” the religious still do not recognize or address the fact that discrimination is an everyday reality for those part of the LGBTQ+ community.

The tension between faith and LGBTQ+ acceptance isn’t unique to the Catholic Church. Some LGBTQ+ members of other religions and denominations, such as Islam and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have also felt as if their identities are incompatible with their faith.

Read these stories on Rappler to learn more about how religion affects LGBTQ+ lives:

There is still no law protecting the LGBTQ+ from attacks and discrimination as of 2025. It has been around 25 years since the late senator Miriam Defensor Santiago and then-Akbayan representative Etta Rosales introduced the SOGIE bill in 2000 during the 11th Congress, but progressive measures advocating for gender rights have historically been excluded from the government’s priority agenda.

How does your religion approach or support members of the LGBTQ+ community? Let’s talk about it in the faith chat room of the Rappler Communities app. – Patricia Kahanap/Rappler.com