Gays for Jesus
Ever have that fear of walking into a place of worship and BOOM! you burst into flames? Well one of my best friends thinks that if he were to step into a church, he would burst into flames. As he stepped into one, one winter morning, he was surprised to learn that this wasn’t so true. I feel that this sentiment is shared among many in our community.
I grew up in a very religious household, and was very involved in my church. Coming to terms with my sexuality, I had two options. I could leave the Church in the past, or I could find a way to make the two coexist.
Religion for me, as with other things in life, is fluid. I view it as a spectrum. If one claims to be religious, this doesn’t mean that he/she has to abide by everything in the Bible, Torah, Koran, etc. My mother and I have had this conversation quite often, always with new examples. Why can’t a guy be gay and religious?
In my group of friends (and even among most of my cousins my age), I would consider myself the most religious. Now this is based solely off the exterior, what we allow people to see, because one never knows the individual relationship a person has with God. I try and attend church weekly, and I do have religious artifacts within my apartment. In my experience dating, I’ve been viewed as hypocritical or plain out weird for this. I remember asking the question on my Grindr profile “Does anyone go to church regularly?” I was often met with criticism, but from time to time there would be general interest.
At times like this where being openly gay is more accepted, and being gay should not stop us from being whatever it is we would like to be, I can’t help but ask “What if I want to be more religious?”
