Side A, Side B, Side X, Side Y (theological views)

Sides A, B, X and Y are names for theological positions on homosexuality, which are used by some Christian churches and communities. In general, those who affirm same-sex marriage as valid fall under "Side A," while those who do not affirm it fall under "Side B," "Side X," or "Side Y". (Several posit that the letters A and B likely allude to the sides of a phonograph record.)
Although differing on approaches to same-sex marriage, all four groups generally care about problems that affect those who identify as LGBT, have LGBTQ+ experiences, or struggle with same-sex attraction, like mental health, loneliness, and homelessness. In particular, Side A and Side B are generally opposed to conversion therapy and accept LGBT identification (namely, accepting the term "gay Christian"), while Side X tends to affirm the desire to attain exclusive heterosexuality and uses the term "ex-gay". Side Y is generally opposed to all identity politics and affirms Christian regeneration as the only meaningful transformation.
Despite these general characteristics, there is no official set of definitions for the four groups. For this reason and for others, individuals may not always formalize themselves as "Side insert letter here Christians." Some, especially Side Y Christians, may even favor more biblically based language, like "Bible-believing Christian" or "eunuch for the kingdom of God."
Many LGBT-affirming churches align with the views of Side A and may describe themselves with terms like "affirming" or "welcoming." Generally, they believe that monogamous same-sex relationships are just as valid in God's sight as heterosexual ones. Proponents of Side A may interpret the Bible through various lenses such as those of queer theology, Liberal Christianity, and Progressive Christianity. Therefore, those on Side A often see passages that seem to condemn homosexuality (such as the story of Sodom and Gomorrah) as being misapplied to modern-day same-sex committed relationships.
Out of the four sides, Side A is unique in that it fully endorses same-sex monogamy without qualifications. People who align with Side A tend to believe that it's harmful for same-sex attracted people to keep themselves from living out their sexualities and may even argue that homosexual attractions are God-given and therefore should be celebrated. In this view, same-sex marriages in the appropriate context are blessed by God. In an interview, Rob Bell, the author of Love Wins, stated
Instead of "Side A," some people may instead identify themselves as "progressive Christians." Along with this Liberalistic leaning, they tend to have syncretistic frameworks and often reject theologically conservative Christian beliefs, such as penal substitution, the eternity of hell, and Christian exclusivism. Some on Side A also embrace deconstruction as a helpful practice or have a preference to subscribing to truth claims loosely. When it comes to the person of Christ or the role of scripture, they often place emphasis on their humanitarian elements rather than their historicity. In One Faith No Longer, authors George Yancey and Ashlee Quosigk write,
Those on Side A include Matthew Vines, Justin Lee, and Randy Thomas.
Unlike Side A, the Side B position sees marriage as reserved for one man and one woman. Yet, Side B recognizes that Christians who experience same-sex attraction cannot have a "vocation of no", but must instead have a positive vocation for their life. Thus, those on Side B advocate that all Christians are called to chaste vocations (a specific form of sexual faithfulness and integrity), namely to either maintain celibacy or be faithful to a spouse of the opposite sex. Some Side B Christians marry a spouse of the opposite sex despite having a sexual orientation towards the same-sex (mixed-orientation marriage). Of those who are celibate, some may have a committed same-sex celibate partnership, in which the two parties covenant or make promises with one another. Still others dedicate themselves to living in intentional community.
The Side B position was first explicitly outlined in 2010, by an Episcopal priest named Wesley Hill. Prominent voices within Side B include Wesley Hill, David Bennett, and Josh Proctor.
In response to the strong belief that marriage and sex are the primary or exclusive forms of deep commitment, some Side B Christians point to the example of the love between David and Jonathan as an example of a nonmarital and nonsexual form of deep commitment between two people of the same sex. While spiritual friendship is also viable for straight Christians, spiritual friendship is considered a spiritually fruitful path for cultivating deep relational bonds by those with exclusive sexual attraction towards the same-sex, rather than pursuing a same-sex marriage. For example, Wesley Hill, in his book Spiritual Friendship, writes
Those on Side B tend to be on a broad spectrum when it comes to their comfort level with using the language of sexual orientation for identity markers. For example, TJ Espinoza and David Frank of the Communion & Shalom Podcast identify as "queer" and "non-straight," respectively, granted that the former makes it a point to differentiate the queerness of his sexuality from that of his own person:
On the other hand, some, like Rachel Gilson, author of Born Again This Way, may accept terms like "gay and lesbian people," while still being wary of full-fledged LGBT identification. She writes the following:
In the book Costly Obedience, Mark Yarhouse and Olya Zaporozhets identify "the simplicity and clarity related to using the common vernacular" as one of the main reasons why those who identify as celibate gay Christian use the name gay Christian as a shorthand for various experiences. Likewise, various Side B-ers show a preference for using identity labels loosely, considering them a matter of pragmatics, allowing Christians with LGBTQ+ experiences to describe their sexualities based on subjective or contextual wisdom. Josh Proctor, the creator of "The Life on Side B" Podcast, describes that for Side B, queer identity can be seen as "a healthy way of communicating one's experience and desires."
Some celibate Christians who identify as LGBT have criticized the term "Side B," saying it doesn't allow for more expansive experiences of the interactions between sex, sexuality, gender, and marriage, and that it divides LGBT-identifying Christians in an unhelpful way. Proponents of the Side B position say the term is needed to allow for Christians with LGBTQ+ experiences to distinguish themselves from the "ex-gay" position (Side X).
Other Christians criticize the Side B movement for acknowledging and allowing LGBT identification at all, fearing it could be a slippery slope to full affirmation of LGBT identities and relationships. Proponents of the movement argue that it is important to demonstrate alternatives to progressive sexual ethics and to bring visibility for gay Christians who are stewarding their sexuality faithfully.
Side X derives its name from "ex-gay". Those on Side X often see sexual orientation change as the ideal (or a positive) outcome for those who experience attraction to the same sex. Some of those on Side X may view the development of same-sex attraction as a result of having unmet needs from early childhood, such as experiences of shame from one's parent of the same sex, an overidentification with the parent of the opposite sex, or a temperamental predisposition to disidentify with one's parent of the same sex.
Those on Side X include Joseph Nicolosi and Joe Dallas. Among the four Sides, Side X is unique in that its beliefs are informed by Christian convictions in conjunction with therapeutic interests and heteronormativity. Similar positions have also been advocated by organizations claiming Islamic (StraightWay Foundation) and Orthodox Jewish (JONAH) identities.
Those who champion reintegrative therapy often contend that their method is trauma treatment, which allegedly may or may not lead to a change in sexuality. Such models operate on techniques based on principles such as attraction fluidity, neuroplasticity, and EMDR.
One frequent criticism of reintegrative therapy is that ideological motivation is too large a factor in those who seek and/or offer the treatment. However, proponents of reintegrative therapy counter that this criticism is itself often ideologically motivated and assert that measurements in mainstream psychology favor secular agendas and contain biases against religious patients and therapists.
Reintegrative therapists often contrast themselves from the more controversial "conversion therapy", pointing to statistical analyses that underscore their own treatment philosophy.
Proponents of reintegrative therapy include Joseph Nicolosi Jr. and Michael Gasparro.
Christians with theologically conservative beliefs often fall under the Side X position, and therefore often share many beliefs that are associated with Side Y. For this reason, many Side X-ers simultaneously count as Side Y (and vice versa).
Common traits shared by many on Sides X and Y include the following:
Like Side B and Side X, Side Y holds that marriage is reserved for one man and one woman. Those who align with Side Y hold that all Christians, regardless of their attractional patterns, should repent of their sin and live by a "holy sexuality," leading chaste lives until marriage.
Those who may fall under Side Y include Rosaria Butterfield, Christopher Yuan, Becket Cook, Sam Allberry, and Jackie Hill Perry. Butterfield states that sexual orientation "defines selfhood as the sum total of our fallen human desires" and therefore is, "at best… a category of the flesh" that "simply will not survive to the New Jerusalem." She states that in the resurrection, God's people will inherit their "souls reunited with [their] bodies walking at liberty and free from all vestiges of sin; and the Word of God that will be flourishing before [them] in a way that [they] can't even imagine."
This theology is found in many theologically conservative Christian traditions, which hold to biblical patriarchy and federal headship. Resources that teach such views include The New Reformation Catechism on Human Sexuality, authored by Christopher Gordon (a Reformed pastor), and The Holy Sexuality Project (a video curriculum), launched by Christopher Yuan.
One of the earliest use of the term "Side Y" was in 2016, by Gabriel Blanchard, a blogger who also writes as "Mudblood Catholic." Blanchard alleges to have coined the term himself to denote a position that, unlike his own (i.e. Side B), emphasizes "being a new person in Christ" and renouncing one's former identity based on one's sexual orientation.
Side Y also generally maintains that the Bible is a unique text that is divinely inspired and preserved by God and therefore without error. For this reason, Side Y Christians often stipulate the precise use of language and object to vocabulary that compromises a biblical anthropology. Rosaria Butterfield, a former lesbian professor and LGBT rights activist, states,
Thus, Side Y Christians also generally forego the use of words that reinforce a secular paradigm of ontology, such as "straight Christian" and "sexual minority".
Side Y tends to view same-sex attraction as a vestige of original sin and a type of indwelling sin. Many Side Y-ers adopt the Augustinian view that concupiscence (desiring something God calls sin) is in itself sinful, no matter how involuntary.
Former gay rights activist Rosaria Butterfield describes unchosen sin this way:
This position largely comes from the belief that Adam's first sin was imputed to the human race, which makes every human being guilty of original sin since conception (Adam having failed as a representative for all of humanity). For many Side-Y-ers, this fallenness of man is closely tied to the Calvinistic idea of Total Depravity and the belief that Christ must do the work of regeneration in a sinner before he or she can come to saving faith. In this, Side Y holds that all those who repent and trust in Christ (the second Adam) has his righteousness imputed to them.
In contrast to the Roman Catholic view, which holds that unchosen disinclination toward God's law is not inherently sinful, Side Y claims that though one may not have actively willed to sin, one can still be guilty of the internal pull toward the sin. Therefore, they believe that Christians, by being rooted in scripture, must resist their original sin (in whatever form it manifests itself) and starve their indwelling sin, such as the romantic desire for the same sex.
Because Side Y does not see marriage as a biblical mandate for every single Christian, Side Y Christians do not believe that all people must become heterosexual upon conversion. At the same time, many also see complementarian marriage as a calling and option for some, and may, in those instances, positively affirm such individuals' desires to enter into a heterosexual marriage. Side Y also sees lifelong singleness as an equally valuable calling, citing the examples of biblical chastity, including that of Jesus and the Apostle Paul.
Despite such an acknowledgement, many theologically conservative Christians simultaneously maintain that lifelong singleness is not the normative path for the majority. They cite the three exchanges in Romans 1 to assert that a culture increasingly barren and deficient of heteronormativity is a sign of divine judgment, and that its concomitant promotion of singleness and childlessness stands in direct opposition to God's design for procreative flourishing. In particular, Rosaria Butterfield states,
Mindful of the modern perception that singleness dooms one to loneliness and obscurity, those on Side Y often stress that Christians who do not struggle with same-sex attraction have a responsibility to become the new family promised by Christ to those who leave their LGBT family. Side Y Christians also often seek to dignify the calling of singleness. In his book 7 Myths About Singleness, Sam Allberry writes,
Rosaria Butterfield emphasizes that Christians who do not struggle with same-sex attraction should not pressure individuals to get married and clarifies that "the solution for all sin is repentance." In 2016, she spoke at Liberty University, saying that although God does not promise to take away temptation in this life, God "pledges to you His kind company and power in the midst of this struggle" and will carry "the heavier part of the cross". Butterfield describes each person who battles unchosen same-sex attraction in "God's way" as "a hero of the faith". At the same time, she also warns that the false expectation that same-sex desires always fade away completely can make people blame God and become bitter.
People on Side Y tend to practice intentionality in their word choice and thus reject words like "gay," "queer," and "LGBT," as identity markers. If they are same-sex attracted, they may opt for descriptors like "Christian who struggles with (unwanted) same-sex attractions." To describe their pre-Christian selves, they may allow for phrases like "gay identity" or "life as a lesbian," but then use explicitly biblical terms like "born again," "eunuch for the kingdom of God," or simply "Christian single," to characterize their current selves. Side Y's insistence on such terms comes from a commitment to a biblical anthropology and ontology, which they deem inconsistent with the worldview implications that, according to them, come with identifying as gay.
Unlike Side B, which provides room for a nonmarital commitment in same-sex friendships (sometimes called "Spiritual Friendship"), Side Y tends to see such unions as an appropriation of marriage and misuse of friendship. Christopher Yuan, the author of Holy Sexuality and the Gospel, states, "[Lifelong same-sex partnership] is a ceremony: [The participants] covenant together, they live together, they own property together; it's from every other [angle], same-sex marriage". Some also fault Side B for being informed by a Darwinian and atheistic view of humanity, rather than by that of the Bible and Christianity. Others have also spoken against the Revoice movement for denying homoerotic desire as a fallen desire and presenting it as morally neutral and presupposing an intersectional identitarianism and "gender ideology". Because of these worldview differences, there is a growing movement among Side Y Christians toward viewing gay Christianity as a different religion altogether.