So far, the national debate about religious freedom has been less about religion and more about what religion should do regarding homosexuality. Perhaps this was inevitable as it was shaped by last year's debate on same sex marriage.
In both discussions, being the topic of a national discussion in which LGBT people are implicitly the problem is deeply uncomfortable. But it is also an opportunity to have a more nuanced conversation than is allowed by the current polarity between secularists, who support LGBT rights, and religious, who purportedly do not.
A key problem derives from the way the discussion is framed, because it means that both sides implicitly endorse the premise that homosexuality and Christianity are incompatible. This indicates to LGBT Christians that they are anomalous, at best tolerated within their faith communities, and it renders them invisible to the broader community. It also signals to young people raised in faith traditions, who realise they are same sex attracted, that they must choose between their sexual orientation and their faith.
An example of how the secular side bolsters this is the argument that LGBT teachers should be employed for their teaching skills and that their sexual orientation is irrelevant: 'gay teachers don't teach gay maths', as Labor's Terri Butler put it. This professional/private distinction downplays the fact that teachers are mentors and role models aiding personal development, as much as they are instructors imparting information.
Despite being well intentioned, this argument offers support for the idea that LGBT teachers should compartmentalise aspects of themselves beyond the normal discretion exercised by heterosexual colleagues. One wonders where this leaves teachers who find it difficult to act straight at will.
Importantly, it also obscures the many Christian LGBT teachers working at religious schools who bring their whole selves to work in the service of Christian ethics. They don't see a trade-off between their faith and their sexuality. They bring a unique set of skills, experiences and sensibilities, as LGBT teachers.
The religious side, or at least the views put by the ACL and its supporters, explicitly positions homosexuality as antithetical to Christianity. They call for the othering of LGBT people by either excluding them from faith communities or demanding they repudiate their sexual identities as the price for remaining. Both responses are cruel and based on the misconception that sexual orientation is a choice.
"It is worth remembering another kind of religious freedom is at stake, that of LGBT Christians."
For Christians who support LGBT rights in the secular sphere and want to welcome them into their faith communities, there is work to be done. Part of this is scriptural and is currently led by scholars like Rev. Dr Robyn Whittaker of the Uniting Church, who interprets biblical texts in light of the historical and cultural contexts in which they were written, not to diminish their relevance to contemporary Christians but to elucidate and renew what is essential about the Christian message. Dr Whittaker was a noteworthy supporter of same sex marriage last year, explaining in detail why the New Testament should not be read as condemnatory.
Many Catholics would argue their approach to scripture is less literalist than many protestants, so scripture is perhaps not as great an impediment to Catholic acceptance. However, the Catholic emphasis on natural theology and canon law presents a different sort of obstacle, one that sees the official view of homosexuality as 'intrinsically disordered'.
This is not a view foremost in the minds of most Australian Catholics or that of Pope Francis, but nonetheless as Fr Frank Brennan SJ acknowledged on ABC television last year, it's a rule that's still on the books. The apparently more compassionate view encapsulated in the slogan 'love the sinner, not the sin' is in fact no better, as it seeks to render the intrinsic human sexuality of LGBT people extraneous, and therefore excisable.
Contemporary Australian Catholics are a more diverse group than either the ACL position or the official definition allow. They know LGBT people in their faith communities, their workplaces at Catholic schools and health services, and their families. I was taught at a Catholic school by a number of men whom I later came to know were gay. They were men of great of intellect, faith, sensitivity and culture who gave me access to a spiritual language and a cultural trove that has imbued my life with meaning ever since. This was their unique gift.
In my lifetime Catholics responded to the AIDS crisis with compassion and bravery when there was scarce of either in the mainstream community. And when it came to the question of whether same sex relationships should be regarded as equal before the law, Catholics overwhelmingly voted yes.
Both the same sex marriage discussion and the current religious freedom debate are uncomfortable for LGBT Australians and for some religious people. But it is worth remembering another kind of religious freedom is at stake, that of LGBT Christians, who are created in the image of God, who are imperfectly practising their faith and who have heard that all are one in Christ Jesus and salvation is for all who believe in him.
Sean Slavin is an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW and a part time student of theology at the University of Divinity.