Yes (but)

I was raised in a conservative Jewish household and, although I haven't been practising or observant since my early 20s, I still celebrate Jewish holidays in much the same way as many non-believers celebrate Christmas and Easter with all the pagan trimmings (evergreens, bunnies and eggs have little to do with Jesus' birth or crucifixion, after all). I feel at home in Jewish communities despite finding many of their devout practices superstitious if not vaguely ludicrous. But I've never felt excluded from the goyisher world at large (with the exception of being picked-on by a bunch of Muslim kids at school when I was 11, my response to which got me permanently excluded [and not without justification]). But I digress ... The reason I suggested that a synagogue would make a better refuge for a boylover than a church, however, goes beyond my sentimental affection for Jewish values and culture. Christian teaching is that thoughts, desires and inclinations are themselves sinful (famously encapsulated in Matthew 5:28 where Jesus equates lust for a woman to adultery). Taken to its logical conclusion, this means that non-offending boylovers are, indeed, the hideous monsters that society makes them out to be. Whether or not this is a theologically sound interpretation of scripture, one may assume that those righteous brethren occupying the pews think this way and believe that the only route to forgiveness for such evil, perverted thoughts and feelings is through Christ their Lord. Jewish teaching is in stark contrast to this. Yetzer HaRa (or the "evil inclination") is not seen as inherently sinful. It's an innate, God-given part of human nature that is present from birth. (There is no concept of original sin in Judaism.) It is not an evil to be grappled with, but a double-edged sword to be pointed and channelled productively. So, while it is a potential for sin, it's also an essential self-centered drive for basic human needs and desires. "Were it not for the Yetzer HaRa, a man would never build a house, marry a wife, beget children, or engage in commerce" (Genesis Rabbah 9:7). So in Judaism, sin (chet) is defined by action or speech, not by unchosen thoughts, desires or urges. The virtue lies resisting the urge to act on it inappropriately. Naturally, as a contact-neutral, non offending boylover and non-scriptural deist, I make no value judgements here. I am merely explaining the reasoning behind my assertion.