There were approximately 40 people of all ages and the majority were gay and lesbians. The panel consisted of:
- 40+ year old, gay man who was in a committed relationship for 10+years
- 30+ year old, lesbian who was not currently in a relationship
- straight, 30+ year old woman was felt called to work within the GLBT community
- 40+ year old, gay man who lived a celibate lifestyle because he believes in the Catholic Church's view of human sexuality.
Each person talked for 10 minutes about their faith, their search for a safe worshipping community and how their sexuality has changed their lives and perspective of God. I could easily have listened to them for another hour. Many struggled with their sexuality and the ramifications of 'coming out.' Each had a powerful story and showed a strength of faith which can only come from God.
We broke into small groups and with a facilitator talked about our reactions to the panel presentation and also our own feelings.
Some thoughts:
- People do not choose to be gay or lesbian. (Who in their right mind would ask for the blatant discrimination and hated?) It is how they were biochemically designed.
- A woman my age spoke of the desire to form a committed relationship; values which are not different than my own.
- One participant talked about her marriage and how she 'came out' two years ago. Her husband is supporting her and they are raising their children together. (That is truly a reflection of God's love).
- I have a responsibility to welcome and support those who seek to worship in community.
p.s. I learned to use the acronym GLBT to talk about the group as a whole. :-)
1 comment:
You write very well.
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