I really think it is more nuanced than that. If you look at the church broadly; there are outlets for many shortcomings of man that plague Christians. There are meetings for addicts, like Celebrate Recovery; there are specific Bible Studies for married couples where marital issues are discussed, there are groups for Parents, Teens, College Students and counseling for all the troubles within those genres. There are Prison and Jail ministries. There are Abortion ministries. There are ministries for the Poor and Homeless. Yet, for all this, even in 2023, there are very few ministries that deal specifically with homosexuality.
Maybe I think about this differently because I lived in San Diego, specifically Downtown for sometime; and an entire town (Hillcrest) basically identified as LGBTQ. So it was not uncommon for those struggling with such issues to be in the church, seeking to turn from the lifestyle, and the seeming orientation they have embraced for so long. While we would all like to believe that when a gay converts, all of a sudden they are attracted to the opposite sex, in reality, this mainly only happens progressively, or not at all. It may be, because like us all, it was their "chief sin." That one sin that can never be cured (meaning we may always be tempted by it,) but can only be mortified (put to death and overcome by not consenting to its temptations. notice Pauls regulation for celibacy was not absence, but self-control.) And while God does quickly change the sinful orientation of some people who struggle with same-sex attraction, for others, they instead live as eunuchs, resisting temptations; considering the Kingdom more valuable than sexual gratification or sinful romantic companionship as they wait for the grace to seek hetero relatioships genuinly.
This then brings in a slew of issues that quite frankly many in the church are unprepared to handle. Even many Pastors. Because homosexuality is not a "common sin" in the same way that perpetual celibacy is not a "common gift," people that struggle with it really have no choice but to create a sub-genre for no other reason than to seek support. No one bats an eye when addicts do this. No one bats an eye when the homeless do this; but when those who struggle with homosexuality do it, it is all of a sudden an issue.
And I dont think many understand really how easy it is for a gay to gratify themselves, at least in metropolitan areas. In San Diego, what are known as "bathhouses" were still run, and all someone has to do is pay $10 to get in, the price of the temple prostitute. This is not to mention the various local sex-lines, internet chats, hook-up sites; consider, in San Diego, there was a section of Balboa Park (the back side) which was known as "Queens Circle" where the gays literally just hang-out to hook-up. Saying all this is not to be sexually grotesque, but to say in many ways LGBTQ have temptation coming from different directs. 1. Ostracization from many in the church, treating them like their sin makes them more sinful than a congregation full of sinners. 2. Often times loneliness; not only because they choose to be alone rather than sin, but also because they are treated differently by the family they are giving up sin for. 3. Simply the sheer amount of legal, and socially accepted avenues to fulfill their lusts that they constantly have to fight.
Now I am not saying people should identify with their sin. A Christian should be a Christian, period. But if Christians are going to consider the sin of homosexuality as "more sinful" that hetero sexual immorality, then logically it should take greater steps to combat it. This then means pinpointing and particularly targeting those that struggle with it. And the only way to identify that you need help in that issue, is to identify with the issue. Regardless of what we like to think, for many Christians that struggle with same-sex attraction; it may be their life-long cross to bear. And before one gets to hasty to just say marry; consider, would you want your daughter to marry a man who didnt find them attractive? Like all sins, the Spirit moves as it desires. We can no more change our hearts than a leopard can change its spots. We can seek the Lord by prayer, fasting, reading the Word, hearing the Word exposited, fellowship, etc. We can also refrain from the works of the flesh, by the Spirit; and not gratify the lusts there-of. But to act as if we can flip a switch, and do only as God can do is fool-hardy. Because there isnt a Christian on this site who wouldnt flip that switch, or sign their "right to sin" over this second if it meant the opportunity not to offend God again. But we cannot. This is because graces are gifts. We can beg, we can plead, we can wish, we can pray; but until God bestows the grace; we can only resist what we wish we didnt have to. In this way, many "gay" Christians will have to do so until they meet the Lord.
Again, while I do not agree with people identifying with their sins or their struggles: I would rather they identify with their struggle than give into the temptations of that struggle and sin. Just like we may pin-point and isolate a Christian who struggles with p0rn, to get filters, counseling, and accountability; most Christians who struggle with SSA are only seeking the same. But, like I mentioned earlier, not every Pastor, nor every church is equipped to offer support, counseling, or understand the issues they face. Thus they have to create specific avenues of support, for the specific issues they face.
