The reason I have not commented on the the recent issues of homosexuality is that I learned the tractates on "Women" too long ago to remember much that could add any clarity. I would think that anyone who wants to understand the issues ought to open up any of the major tractates on Women (note 2) like Ketuboth or Yevamoth?
I thought it should be needless to say that it is a יהרג ואל יעבור (Do not do it even at the cost of your own life) kind of prohibition.(note 2) But for some reason it seems a lot of people have forgotten this. (That is it is in the category of the three kinds of things one must not do even at the expense of losing one's life.) גילוי עריות שפיכות דמים עבודה זרה. they are idolatry, murder, and the sexual relations brought down in Leviticus 18 and 20. [the reason for two chapters on sexual sin is you need a verse for prohibition and another for punishment. most of the sexual sins there are about close relatives and all those get the death penalty including homosexuality. an exception is sex with a woman during her period up until even days and then she goes into a natural body of water. the punishment there is not death but 39 lashes. ]
Perhaps the confusion about these issues is a result of people not learning enough Gemara [Talmud].
But to some degree I can understand why people avoid the religious world where Talmud is learned. There is simply too much idolatry there.
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note 1 a sixth of the Mishna deals with marriage and sexual issues and it is called "Women".
note 2. An example of this kind of prohibition is murder. That means that if someone tells you to murder someone else, or else be killed yourself, you must not murder -even if it costs you your own life. This applies also to idolatry. If you are being forced to do idolatry, or sacrifice your own life, you must not do idolatry even at that ultimate cost. This applies also to the sexual relations of Leviticus 18 and 20. So in our example if someone says to you, "You must have homosexual sex or we will kill you," you must allow yourself to be killed because that is in the category of עריות.
I thought it should be needless to say that it is a יהרג ואל יעבור (Do not do it even at the cost of your own life) kind of prohibition.(note 2) But for some reason it seems a lot of people have forgotten this. (That is it is in the category of the three kinds of things one must not do even at the expense of losing one's life.) גילוי עריות שפיכות דמים עבודה זרה. they are idolatry, murder, and the sexual relations brought down in Leviticus 18 and 20. [the reason for two chapters on sexual sin is you need a verse for prohibition and another for punishment. most of the sexual sins there are about close relatives and all those get the death penalty including homosexuality. an exception is sex with a woman during her period up until even days and then she goes into a natural body of water. the punishment there is not death but 39 lashes. ]
Perhaps the confusion about these issues is a result of people not learning enough Gemara [Talmud].
But to some degree I can understand why people avoid the religious world where Talmud is learned. There is simply too much idolatry there.
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note 1 a sixth of the Mishna deals with marriage and sexual issues and it is called "Women".
note 2. An example of this kind of prohibition is murder. That means that if someone tells you to murder someone else, or else be killed yourself, you must not murder -even if it costs you your own life. This applies also to idolatry. If you are being forced to do idolatry, or sacrifice your own life, you must not do idolatry even at that ultimate cost. This applies also to the sexual relations of Leviticus 18 and 20. So in our example if someone says to you, "You must have homosexual sex or we will kill you," you must allow yourself to be killed because that is in the category of עריות.
