I assume by lavender marriages, you mean same-sex marriages. There are several variants that I know of. Church-sanctioned marriages, blessings conducted by a priest, I believe, are quite rare. But since there are no official statistics, it is very difficult to say. There are also couples that are very loyal to each other and have decided that their marriage be Christ-centric, whether or not both parties are orthodox. There are also marriages where only one partner is Orthodox and faithful to the Church, and the other is not. They may or may not have a civil marriage, where the government allows such unions.

Sorry to be so vague, but that is all that I can offer. On my website is the wedding that the husband and I used, adapted from the “rite of brotherhood’. It is under the resources tab. We were blessed to be married by an Orthodox priest.

Astro,
Please email me privately about the online group. Orthodoxandgay@yahoo.com

hi it’s astro again and i’d actually love to know where i can join these groups because the only ones i know of are defunct

Thank you for your help, Christian.

I don’t know if this is too late of a reply. But I know some LGBTQ tolerant Orthodox in Melbourne

Hello Maria,
Thank you so much for your comments. It is very true that the Earthly Church has many faults and is in need of repentance, as we all do. However, we must never forget that Christ is perfect and His love for us immeasurable and through Him we are perfected. For those of us who love the Orthodox Church, we know that we must remain vigilant and hope in God for change. The Earthly Church has faced many horrendous times, and we know that this also will be temporary.
Thank you for your prayers, love, and support for the LGBTQ Orthodox community. May our Lord hear your fervent prayer. Andriy

It’s so good to see/know there are places, however small, for lgbtq+ people in the Orthodox Church. It’s a horrifying thing and weighs heavy on my heart that the church and religion I love so dearly can be discriminatory towards anyone.
While not outwardly hateful like the extremist groups evangelical Protestants, I am disheartened by the church’s actions or lack thereof on issues facing our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters.
I continue to pray to the Theotokos to intercede for us to Christ our lord and savior, to guide the church towards understanding and kindness and clear the minds of church leaders when it comes to accepting all unconditionally.
Sincerely,
A straight ally in the Greek Orthodox Church who cares deeply for my brothers/sisters/siblings in Christ.

Michel,
The Lord God made you who you are, including your sexual orientation. Just as the Creator made you tall, or left-handed, or blue-eyed, or Asian, He gave you your sexuality as a gift. Like all gifts, it can also be abused. Unfortunately, the Orthodox Church, in general, is not affirming, although there are some priests that are much more understanding of LGBTQ individuals and relationships.

Now to your questions:
1) Inclusive Orthodoxy was a website that I inherited from a priest (now Episcopalian). I believe that he wanted to simply be open, as Christ is, to all people.
2) Same-sex marriage is not allowed in the Orthodox Church, although some priests have given blessings to same-sex couples, very discreetly.
3) This question would take several books to answer. Simply stated, the Orthodox Church believes that it, as the original Church of Christ, has kept the faith for over 2,000 years based on Scripture and Tradition.
4) There are several excellent books – I am particularly to the books by Timothy (Kallistos) Ware, a recently departed Orthodox bishop who converted from the Anglican Church. Two of his best works are “The Orthodox Church” and “The Orthodox Way”

Please stay in touch,
I bid you peace,
Andriy

Hello and God bless you. I am writing this during a pretty anxious time right now in my life. I have developed a very bad case of religious scrupulosity. I am in a relationship with my partner who is a biological male and I love them so vary much. I want to take care of them and one day marry them. Recently I wanted to start getting back into my faith more which lead me to consume more religious content. I kept seeing videos about how being gay is a sin and I will go to hell. It makes me feel like I have to choose one or the other. I looked for affirming arguments and outlets and saw many of the churches that are affirming feel like they are a social justice rally rather than talking about the good work of the Lord.

So when I stumbled on this site I was so curious because I was raised Catholic and I never really learned much about Orthodoxy or what it really entails. So I have a few questions if you would be kind enough to answer this may be the answer to my questions.

What is inclusive Orthodoxy?
What are the beleifs about same-sex marriage
What sets Orthodoxy apart from other denominations (Catholicism/Lutheran/Methodist/etc…)
Where can I learn more information?

Thank you a lot.
Godbless