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Posted in Amish Lesbians: Do They Exist
While it is not an age-old question, the question of lesbians (or gays) inside the Amish community does come to mind (my mind at least) with the recent news coverage on GLBT inside the Muslim community. Honestly, what got me thinking was Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s recent comment that there were no lesbians/gays in Iran. I thought to myself, how can this be true. Lesbianism isn’t restricted by nationality, religion, heritage, or race.
At first thought, the obvious answer would be yes, there are lesbians (and gays) inside the Amish community, but after a thorough look at their belief system, this writer isn’t so sure after all.
Mose, one of the Amish men transplanted from the religious community and placed in L.A. for the television program Amish in the City (Australia’s Arena Network) says, “Probably the biggest culture shock for me was gay people. I didn’t even know there was anything like gay people existing in the world.” In contrast, however, there is 87 year old ex-Amish, Isaac Stolzfuts, who identifies himself as “an 87 year old gay X-Amish artist.” Herein lays the dilemma. Is the Amish community, at least in this regard, just like every other walk of life?
My answer is a resounding, firm, I don’t know. If they are openly lesbian (or gay), then I think it is a fairly safe bet that they aren’t inside the community any more, or if they still live inside, they haven’t come out and probably won’t.
Here is what I do know. The Amish claim to live by the Bible. According to the Bible, Christians are to sincerely follow the scriptures’ command to be “in the world but not of the world” meaning, they are to avoid following the daily path that the rest of the world takes.
The Amish are a sect of a very strict Christian Mennonite group who takes this particular command literally and lives as though they were still back in the 18th-century. The Bible also says that homosexuality is “an abomination before the Lord.” Thus, one could glean that it is “worldly”, and so no one is (openly) lesbian (or gay).
But yet, I question it. How does one’s preferred style of living affect their sexual orientation? I’m not at all certain it has any bearing on sexual preferences because these preferences aren’t a choice; they are in the hard wiring. Living as an Amish is a choice, being lesbian or gay isn’t. I do wonder, though, if they are brought up with these strict religious teachings, and they have these conflicting feelings inside, how then do they settle the internal discord?
I think, perhaps, that their wild time would address this nicely. The Amish call it “rumspringa.” This is Pennsylvania Dutch term meaning “running wild”. The Amish don’t believe children can make an informed decision about their religious faith, so baptism is delayed until adulthood. Before their baptism comes rumspringa, a period when young Amish adults (generally ages 16 – 21, give or take a couple of years) can sample the temptations normally banned within their religious communities. It is each person’s choice to return and be baptized into the community forever, or to be forever shunned. I would imagine that during this rumspringa that a young person with lesbian (or gay) tendencies would explore them at this time. Oddly enough, this is about the same time that most people really begin to explore their sexuality, be it straight or lesbian/gay.
Further more, according to recent survey results; approximately 5-10% of the population is lesbian/gay. If this is taken into consideration, along with 2006 records of close to 200,000 Amish compared to a total US population of approximately 300 million in 2006, this means that there is a ratio of 2 Amish for every 3000 US citizens. Further, if 5-10% of the U.S. population is lesbian/gay that would mean that statistically speaking, 1000 – 2000 of the 200,000 (or 1-2 of every 200 Amish) are probably lesbians/gays.
This then leads me to the next question; do religious beliefs override hard, statistical facts? Again, I come to the same conclusion, I just don’t know. I am a devout Christian myself, and I personally know other Christians who have children who were raised in church, who believe in God, who profess to be Christians, and who just happen to prefer same-sex partners instead of opposite-sex partner. They align themselves with the GLBT community more than the mainstream community. I honestly have a hard time believing that because two people have sound biblical beliefs that it would somehow prevent them from giving birth to a child who is born lesbian (or gay).
Because I’m not thoroughly convinced that the answer I’ve come to is the final word on the topic, I’m going to try to make contact with Isaac Stolzfuts, the ex-Amish gay artist. I will invite him to post replies to this article here on the site as well as engage in a personal dialogue with me.
At this point, I’m leaning towards believing that while there are lesbians and gays in the Amish community, their orientation is such a deep, dark, secret that it has yet to hit the MSM (main stream media) or, due to their lack of education (Amish are only formally educated until 8th grade) that they are like Mose and have never heard of lesbian (or gay) people. This would also lead me to conclude that they are very much in the dark about the disharmony they experience within.
Please accept this invitation to keep checking back to see what I learn from Mr. Stolzfuts and anyone else I can find to speak with on this intriguing and mystifying topic.
~~~~~~Sierra St. James
You can read more of my writing at either of the links below.
http://sierra-stjames.blogspot.com/
http://www.amishlesbians.com/
Tags: Getting headaches, blurry vision and tired eyes after a day of working on a computer? There’s an easy answer: Computer glasses!
The strain on your eyes from working on a computer is a real condition, and it even has a name: computer vision syndrome (CVS). Experts say that looking at computers simply requires your eyes to work in ways that other activities don’t.
Wait a minute, you say. I already wear glasses. And I still get blurry, tired eyes.
There are reasons for that. Ergonomics experts – the folks who measure how your body performs tasks – note that most computer screens sit 20 to 26 inches from your eyes. Your eye doctor calls this range the intermediate zone of vision – closer than distance vision (like when you drive), but farther away than reading (your “near” vision).
Without computer glasses, people often lean forward or backward to compensate for the visual range. So you get to the end of your day not only with the symptoms of CVS, but you get sore shoulders, a backache or a sore neck as well!
Most people under age 40 who wear glasses get them to correct their distance vision. Those of us over age 40 often get eyeglasses to correct the onset of a condition known as presbyopia – the loss of focusing ability that’s normal as we age.
The problem is, eyeglasses made to correct either of these conditions don’t address what’s happening in the intermediate zone of vision – that space between you and your computer screen! Even bifocals, trifocals and progressive lenses aren’t made for computer-range vision.
Recent research has supported the use of computer glasses. The University of Alabama School of Optometry studied the vision of computer users ages 19 to 30. Study participants were chosen randomly to wear either computer glasses or non-corrective eyeglasses. The researchers found that even when CVS symptoms weren’t reported, workers clearly showed differences in their productivity and accuracy.
So you can just pick up a $20 pair of computer glasses at the local office supply store, right? Well, maybe. The advantage to buying off the rack is clearly price, but if you have other vision problems, those single-lens glasses might not be the best for you. Experts say the trick to getting that $20 off-the-rack pair is to test them by reading something that’s the same distance from your eyes as the computer screen — 20 to 26 inches.
Glasses from eye doctors come in what’s known as “multifocal” styles. These can be bifocals, trifocals or occupational progressive lenses. The advantage to these more expensive styles is that you’ll be able to see clearly whether you’re looking at your computer, reading notes on your desk or winking at that cute co-worker across the cubicle from you. The drawbacks, of course, are that these styles require a visit to your eye doctor and usually cost around $300 or more.
Either way, be sure to check out your new glasses by working on your computer. If the blurries don’t go away, get another pair!