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28 January 2009

Ask MeCha: I have a question about people of the Baha'i faith. →[More:] In short- do they tend to be very homophobic, or not?

Wikipedia tells me that the religion "disapproves" of us, but since I've never met anyone from this religion before, I'm wondering if it's more like Catholic disapproval (religion officially disapproves, adherents tend to be live-and-let-live) or more like Baptist/Mormon disapproval (religion officially disapproves, adherents tend to be assholes about it, too).

I know things like this vary from person to person, obviously, but if anyone here has any insight, I'd appreciate it.

I ask because one of my local Flickr contacts (who is Baha'i) has asked me to a Flickr-related meetup, which sounds like it's only going to consist of a half-dozen people or so, most of whom seem to know each other. (The Baha'i guy and one other guy are both cops, who work together). I don't want to put myself in an awkward position by being in this small group and when the inevitable "let's talk about our families" chit-chat comes up, freaking my host out when I tell him I have a hubby and not a wife. I'd really like to go to the meetup, though.

post by: BoringPostcards at: 10:09 | 7 comments

I'm not Baha'i, and my little exposure to them comes from a small religious studies education in college, but this is my understanding:

The Baha'i view homosexuality as a sort of disability. You're not a monster or an evil person, in their view, but you have a condition you must try to control and overcome through counseling and whatnot, if you want to be a good Baha'i.

Being openly gay, IIRC, isn't even a bar to becoming Baha'i, but they don't endorse the lifestyle, and there is community pressure on you getting yourself fixed.

However, the general Baha'i commandment regarding dealing with others is that you always treat everybody with love and respect. I don't believe they have the Baptist fervor of expecting even non-believers to conform to their world view.

I think you'll be fine.

posted by middleclasstool 28 January | 10:20

I'm not an expert on it either, but have the occasional brush with Bahai'i ists because there is a Bahai center in a nearby town. In general they seem to be completely liberal people, so even if the faith disapproves as a matter of dogma, I don't think that all adherents would feel so strongly about it. Again, this is a superficial impression, but I would imagine that Bahais are drawn more to the universal love side of the faith than to any specific teachings on sexuality.

posted by Miko 28 January | 10:26

BP would you like me to email your question to my Baha'i friend? She seems to me one of the most open, liberal, loving and accepting people ever, but she would also probably be pleased to give an insiders perspective.

posted by rainbaby 28 January | 10:49

Oh, excellent. Thanks to all three of y'all. I was hoping something like this would be the case. This puts my mind at ease about attending.

rainbaby, that'd be very cool. I'm really hoping we'll just talk about PHOTOGRAPHY at this meetup... I'm certainly not gonna bring up my family situation unless someone else does. But more insight is always a good thing. Thank you.

posted by BoringPostcards 28 January | 10:56

My main exposure is the beautiful Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, Illinois -- not so much at the personal level. But in general, at least in North America, they seem to be pretty tolerant types. As this is a social occasion and not a religious gathering I would not anticipate any particular issues.

posted by stilicho 28 January | 17:52

I don't know anything about Baha'i but found this following stilicho's link:

Social principles include:
*the abandonment of all forms of prejudice

So, if they do give you a bad time they aren't following the first thing on their own list. I mean, let's acknowledge the chasm between faith and practice for mere mortals but I would expect that these people won't make you uncomfortable.

posted by trinity8-director 28 January | 19:31

I used to attend a Bahai fireside every Wednesday night for about two years, and if I could give up alcohol I would be Bahai (joke! they'd accept me even if I didn't). They are so understanding and welcoming, the vast majority of Bahai's have thought deeply about their religion and their choices, and just as importantly they've studied all the other world religions as well.
I think you'll feel very welcome.

posted by Wilder 29 January | 03:14

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