So for my entire life i have been living within the orthodox community. Over the years i have been a part of several different faction within orthodox society, chasidish, litvish, modern orthodox etc. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that there is no room for gay people within them. Now this may seem harsh and biased, but in all honesty if someone can show me a specific community where they have no problem with me being gay, i would love to see it.
Now the way i see orthodoxy is that is simply a social setting which practices traditional Judaism. I think the fact that people automatically associate "orthodoxy" with anybody that practices traditional Judaism is wrong. First off you have many people who identify themselves as orthodox, and barely keep to anything within Judaism. So i dont think being orthodox means you are completely religious or vice versa.
Now the social community that identifies themselves as orthodox does not accept or recognize homosexuality. Yes some leaders within the communities have expressed some sympathy for people "struggling" with homosexuality, but the general consensus is "you are not wanted, there is something wrong with you, stay away from me".
Some people defend the orthodox community and say that they are accepting and sympathetic as a whole (up to a point). So for arguments sake lets say the community is accepting, there is another big problem, where does someone who is gay fit into the social chain within the community? The entire system is set up from the day we are born to the day we die, to follow a path that surrounds a man marrying a woman, and until you do so, you are not a success, nor are you respected as an adult. So where does this leave anyone that is gay and wants to remain within the orthodox framework? At best he can be pitied, and sympathized with, and he will forever be the guy who gets "galilah" in shul...
A depressing thought, but sadly true...
