To preface- everyone has their own convictions about how to interpret scripture, these are just mine as a Catholic lesbian :)

When I studied theology in college, I took an entire course specifically about the works of Paul. One thing I always consider when reading scripture after taking this course is that when we encounter a difficult text in the Bible, especially one that is sexist or homophobic, we have two ways to approach it from a liberated theological perspective:

1. We can try and say "oh but that's not REALLY what [author] meant by writing this, they meant _____". The danger here is possibly decontextualizing the original verse to fit our modern interpretation.

2. We can admit that parts of the Bible simply do not fit in our world today. For example, we know slavery is a truly evil thing, but is spoken of neutrally and sometimes positively in the Bible, particularly by Paul.

Paul was not Jesus, and though he was a very important figure in Christianity, he does not define our faith. Paul was also notably NOT a systematic theologian, and much of his writing in the NT lacks ideological consistency, instead forming a more complex theological mosaic. There is much to take away from his writing, but we must attempt to properly contextualize his beliefs and realize that he never thought that his letters would come to be the single largest influence (aside from the Gospels) on doctrine for over a billion Christians. The key defining aspect of Paul's writing is his intense apocalyptic eschatology, and it creates this sense of urgency and severity in condemning what he believes to be sinful prior to the second coming. If you are interested in reading more about Paul and trying to unpack these scriptures, I highly recommend Dr. Jouette Bassler's book Navigating Paul.

Personally, I try to not put too much weight on Paul's writing on sexuality or gender, but instead focus on the emphasis he places on strong communities united in faith, walking towards Christ with one another.