sin - What does Judaism think about homosexuality?

Is being gay a sin? Can one be a Jew and a gay person at the same time? How does the Jewish community think about gays?

Answer

This is a very controversial subject. However, a distinction must be made in terminology between "being gay" (which for the purposes here we could define as being sexually attracted to members of one's own gender) and engaging in homosexual acts (where Male-Male intercourse is an unambiguous violation of a Torah-level prohibition and Female-Female may be a rabbinic prohibition).

So with those definitions, being gay would not be a sin from a Judaism perspective. Engaging in homosexual acts is a sin. One can definitely be a Jew and be Gay at the same time, and one can be Jewish and engage in homosexual acts at the same time, just as one can be Jewish and violate the Sabbath or eat non-Kosher food at the same time - a Jew who sins is still a Jew.

Regarding how the Jewish community thinks about gays - it depends on the community. This can range from being very respectful and welcoming (and for some of the most liberal non-Orthodox denominations, allowing and sanctioning such unions) to don't-ask-don't-tell to downright hostility. It just depends on the community (though the topic is definitely more polarizing than "how does Judaism think about Sabbath violators", or almost any other topic).