For any gay person on the forum...

[RevKathyV]

If you are gay and out did you come out when a youth or older in age? If later in age did you reason for not coming out have anything to do with religious beliefs? Explain. If not for those reasos explain your reason.

I personally didn't come out until I was 45. Up to that point I thought it was a stage I was going through and then I thought maybe I was bisexual because I wasn't willing to accept the fact that I was really gay and there must be something I could do to fight it. Wrong!

When Christian I believed I would go to hell if I lived who I was. When Bahai I just knew it was not a sin but not to be accepted but changed. Well I cannot change myself anymore than a heterosexual can...and I do not choose to even try...

I finally accepted and love myself as I was made by the creator knowing that that creator makes no mistakes.

Just interested in others back grounds ....

[wwwdlhow27]

Originally Posted by RevKathyV

I finally accepted and love myself as I was made by the creator knowing that that creator makes no mistakes.

We love you too, just the way you are.

[RevKathyV]

Thanks, Don I love you too!!

[Amergin]

Originally Posted by RevKathyV

If you are gay and out did you come out when a youth or older in age? If later in age did you reason for not coming out have anything to do with religious beliefs? Explain. If not for those reasos explain your reason.

I personally didn't come out until I was 45. Up to that point I thought it was a stage I was going through and then I thought maybe I was bisexual because I wasn't willing to accept the fact that I was really gay and there must be something I could do to fight it. Wrong!

When Christian I believed I would go to hell if I lived who I was. When Bahai I just knew it was not a sin but not to be accepted but changed. Well I cannot change myself anymore than a heterosexual can...and I do not choose to even try...

I finally accepted and love myself as I was made by the creator knowing that that creator makes no mistakes.

Just interested in others back grounds ....

I can't imagine what it is like to grow up homosexual in a society that insultingly calls you a sinner. I am in contact with many American Non-Theists. They tell me horror stories of children and teens being beaten and killed for admitting their non-belief in God. So most of them learned to keep quiet about their Atheism in fear of their lives. Christian extremists hate Atheists more than any other minority. During the McCarthy era, Atheists were arrested or black listed as suspected "Communists." Few were Communists and opposed Communism as much as other defenders of freedom. Now more Non-Theists are coming OUT in America. This may be the reason why their percentage has risen from 5% to 16%.

We can debate the science of homosexuality and not have a sure answer. Your views are worth considering. The important thing is that they must be treated as free citizens in a (former) democracy. I support Homosexual rights no matter what I think it means scientifically or in neuroscience. I am likely far on the opposite end of the line you discussed being as far as I know totally Heterosexual. Perhaps that is why Homosexuality is not seen by me as a threat. Gay marriage does nothing at all to weaken my 40 year marriage to a woman.

I am curious about something I observed. I have not met more than two people who are both Atheist and homosexual. Why are Homosexuals mostly religious theists? Why are so few Homosexuals Non-Theists. Christianity has not been kind to them. Here in the UK we are trying an outreach programme for Non-theists to reach out and welcome Homosexuals. We do not ask them to change or even to become Atheists. We remind them that we are both persecuted minorities. If one adds the 10% Homosexuals to the 16% Non-theists you have a 26% voting block likely to be progressive, pro-democracy, and supportive of restoration of freedom in America.

Post-Democratic America is a bit scary for us. Now we are trapped between America and Russia where freedom is on the retreat.

Amergin

[Amergin]

A man in an American suburb awakens at night screaming, sweating, and trembling. His wife asked him, "Frank, what is wrong?"

"Honey, I just had the most frightening nightmare in my life."

"Tell me about it Frank."

"Honey I dreamed that I was a Gay Atheist Black Woman at the Republican National Convention."

Amergin

[RevKathyV]

It is interesting to me that you say this....Out of all the people I know in Michigan that are gay..personally know...the majority of them are atheist! ...They basically don't even want to hear about religion....I can count on one hand the number that are theist....that leaves a very large amount that aren't....no I don't just know 11 people in Michigan!....I myself do not view god in the traditional way....


I like your joke!!

[wwwdlhow27]

VERY interesting. What do you attribute to the relationship or cohesion between Gay and Atheism? Is it as "simple" as the persecution by every "ism" that a gay's lifestyle is not "normal" so all theism is rejected?

You know as well as I do, there are churches who accept all, regardless of their belief, life-style, or orientation. Unity of course is our favorite.

May I be so bold as to say, imo and experience, homosexuals are on average a great deal more articulate, more educated, more in touch with the compassion necessary to manifest God's Divine Love. Unless I'm mistaken (I'm open to the possibility) this quality makes gays the ideal candidates for care-giving and clergy positions in all walks of life and spiritual paths.

[RevKathyV]

I agree with you Don. I think gay people in general are very compassionate people...and educated..but I think you hit it right on the head...up until recently most theisms have presented a negative view point on homosexualtity..so I think a lot of gays have talked them selves into not believing anything...I also agree there are mnay churches that are accepting of gays now..I also love Unity ....I think a lot of them that come from let say a Christian background feel that the new religions are not legitimate and there fore do not count so they don't consider them...i am trying very hard to orient the community around here to some of the new possibilities...I try to present myself as a spiritual person, nonjudgemental and a part of the community...I have heard before, believe it or not but for the first time in Shirley MacLaines books, that gay people are actually more advanced souls ....I agree that they are great candidates for care givers and the ministry for there ability for compassion..

[Lightkeeper]

Eckhart Tolle confirms this by saying gays have been through so much pain that many experience enlightenment.

[Astreja]

I officially came out in 2004 (age 47), right in the middle of Canada's same-sex marriage debate... On page three of the local paper. (My partner and I had attended a rally the previous day and were interviewed at the scene.)

At that time, Red and I had been living together for nearly three and a half years, and had been hanging out for a year before that.

Religion didn't influence my feelings directly, but religiously motivated anti-GLBT prejudice did turn me into an activist. It also evoked a lot of anger in me, and indirectly led me to explore religion/society interaction on Internet forums such as this one.