The other way around? How freedom of religion may protect LGBT rights

While LGBT people are generally protected by a number of basic human rights, such as the right to privacy, freedom of expression and association, and the right not to be discriminated against, LGBT rights are repeatedly presented as contrary to freedom of religion. However, taking into account how religion has always been both condemning and embracing various forms of same-sex sexuality and transgenderism, and how an increasing number of religious people and whole denominations consider LGBT equality in accordance with their beliefs, one finds that freedom of religion relates just as much to LGBT people who live according to their own religious pro-LGBT convictions and to other people with pro-LGBT beliefs, as to those with anti-LGBT beliefs. As freedom of religion also protects the right not to believe and not to be forced to live according to other people’s religious beliefs, the general claim that LGBT rights must be limited because of the religious freedom of those with anti-LGBT beliefs also represents a direct attack on the negative freedom of religion of LGBT people. The awareness of this may in various ways affect both the legal and more general discussion on both LGBT rights and freedom of religion.

本研究探讨了LGBT权利与宗教自由之间的冲突，分析了这种冲突如何被广泛接受为一种本质对立，尤其是在立法和司法实践中。尽管LGBT权利受到隐私权和非歧视权的保护，但一些国家和团体以宗教自由为由，限制LGBT权利，甚至将其视为宗教自由的核心。这种趋势不仅体现在美国的“宗教自由法案”中，也反映在欧洲和北美的法庭案件中，其中宗教自由被用于为拒绝向LGBT群体提供服务的商家辩护。研究还指出，尽管国际人权机构（如联合国人权委员会和欧洲人权法院）已将性取向和性别认同纳入隐私权和非歧视权的保护范围，但在婚姻等领域，LGBT权利仍面临限制。

本研究采用文献分析和理论探讨的方法，结合历史、宗教和法律视角，分析LGBT权利与宗教自由之间的关系。研究通过梳理宗教对同性性行为和跨性别现象的态度演变，探讨了支持LGBT的宗教信念与反对LGBT的宗教信念之间的张力。研究还结合宗教自由的法律定义，特别是消极宗教自由（即不被强迫遵循他人宗教信仰的权利），分析了限制LGBT权利对LGBT人群宗教自由的直接侵犯。通过理论推导和案例引用，研究揭示了LGBT权利与宗教自由之间的复杂互动，并提出了对法律和社会讨论的潜在影响。

研究发现，LGBT权利与宗教自由的冲突实际上是不同宗教自由之间的对立，而非本质矛盾。强调LGBT人群和支持LGBT的宗教信仰者的宗教自由，有助于打破LGBT权利与宗教自由对立的错觉。隐私权和非歧视权已保护LGBT群体，但强调这些权利也受宗教自由保护，对全球范围内拒绝承认LGBT权利的国家尤为重要。在涉及反LGBT信仰者的案件中，宗教自由常被用于限制LGBT群体的权利，尤其是在公共服务领域。未来法律和社会讨论需平衡各方宗教自由，避免将LGBT权利与宗教自由对立化。