It should surprise no on that Gay people attend Seminary ... become Priests ... Firemen ... or Policemen ... get elected to office ... or much anything else for that matter.
"We're everywhere! We're everywhere!" Jack Kersy, a good friend of mine once explained.
In Seminary though, in a study group late one nigh, drinking multiple cups of coffee, wrestling while translating Greek into English, Mary takes a moment to tell us she is a Lesbian.
Everyone seems to take it in stride ... until the next day when Mary's viciously talked about behind her back.
Complicating matters is Mary attends the Church where I'm, inexplicably, the Pastor.
"Hey Mary, you know they're talking about you," I recall saying.
"I can't live a lie," she fires back.
And at that precise moment, one I'll never forget, something moves in my heart, and I know I'm on her side ... no matter what.
So at the Church we let it be known Gay People are welcome and ... believing in God as much as the rest do or don't ... they come.
Then AIDS comes and I find myself in the forefront of a tiny group ... half gay and half straight ... trying to figure out what to do.
People hate us.
We're called lots of names, rotten things are written in the Newspaper, so we meet in secret ... in the back rooms of Gay Bars or the rectory of the Catholic Church.
When the time's right we go public ... in a big way ... announcing housing and services for people with AIDS ... which leads to more people calling us names, new rotten articles in the Newspaper but ... we're out of the closet and not going back inside.
Baptist Corporate Headquarters calls me in for an Inquisition.
"YOU ARE CONDONING HOMOSEXUALITY!" they scream in love.
"I'm part of a group helping people who have AIDS," I remember saying. "You ever die with AIDS? It's horrible."
"YOU ARE CONDOING HOMOSEXUALITY!" they reply in more love.
"I guess," I answer.
My relationship with the Baptists ends shortly afterwards.
The wonderful friendships I have with many Gay and Lesbian friends have grown through the years.
Weekly we have movie night in our house and last night Sarah, the girls and I cuddle together on the sofa and watch "PRIDE" ... about Gay and Lesbians helping striking miners in England in 1984 ... resulting in, among other things, understanding that people are people.
There's lots of discussion during the movie but most questions were, "Why are they being so mean?"
"Yeah right?" is my explanation, because I still don't understand such things when the Bible's pretty clear that "God is Love."
Why are people so mean to people who are merely trying to live without lying?
I don't know.
But we are.
Maybe admitting it is the first step to overcoming it.
I don't know.
But that's how we're going to live in our house.
