Bringing Religious Intolerance to an END!!!
From Todaycollegetour
Sitting here I am frustrated thinking about the movie I just watched (thinking) called Prayers for Bobby. The movie was about a boy who took his life because of his mother's religious intolerance and inability to accept the fact that he was gay. This movie really hit home for me and got me thinking back to last year, when my guidance councilor told me to apply to a different school because Regis was not going to except my “sexuality”. (Pause). Life has not been easy being a devoted GAY CATHOLIC! It took me so long to come out that I was homosexual (can interchange) in the first place because of the religious intolerance of society. I would love to think that I have more faith than anyone you have ever met but yet when someone sees me all they see is my sexuality and not my holiness and devotion to God (disappointed). For years I thought that God was testing me and wanted me to prove my loyalty to him but I know now that God does not test us. He has uniquely created me just like everyone else. For years I have considered joining the convent because I love God so much that I felt like I was obligated to because of my sexuality. I thought that if I truly loved God I would only think of doing his work and not going against it according to the bible. Because of the religious intolerance I thought that I didn’t deserve Gods mercy and grace unless I decided not to live in sin and join the convent. The church tells me I am living in sin and can’t get married. It frustrates me that we only focus on a few scriptures and say that homosexuality is wrong. The bible also says to stone your child if they disobey but yet we don’t enforce those, Whys is that? Are we not all one body???(BOLD) (Pause).I sit here like everyone else wondering where God is calling me. Wondering if I am on the right path, I fill pulled in all different directions (confused) each one feeling as if it is the right one. I have been putting a lot of thought and prayer into my religious vocation… I am called to the convent? I am called to have my own ministry? I am called to live an openly gay relationship? There are so many other thoughts as well… Being a GAY CATHOLIC is not easy. All I want to do is serve the LORD but how can I do that if the church can’t even support how GOD uniquely created me. Is it possible that I thought my sexuality was a hindrance all my life or is it possible that I was allowing it to be when really God has had a unique purpose for it in my life? I don’t believe in accidents, I believe that God has a purpose for everything in our lives. (Pause). Awhile ago my professor told me about this Catholic Church that supports the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) community and thought that it be good for me to check out. Well she was right (emphasize)! For the first time since I have been openly gay, I have felt the presence of God well attending mass. I finally realized that I don’t have to choose between God and my sexuality, I can be PROUD of both. (pause).
Recalling back to my high school councilor who told me I was not going to be accepted at Regis because I was Gay, she asked me why put yourself through the hardship? The truth is I hope to be a light for those homosexual out there that are scared because of the religious intolerance that we can all be proud of our relationship with God as well as the gift of our sexuality that He as given us. Not everyone is going to accept me as a Gay Catholic but as long as I know that God accepts me for who I am I can accept myself for who I can become. We are all in need of Gods love and mercy, heterosexuals and homosexuals, blacks, whites and tans☺ we are all deserving of Gods love. So I guess recalling all these questions I brought up throughout my session I believe I have found my vocation and it just took me to tell you to see my frustration and passion to see where God was calling me to serve Him. My frustration is this religious intolerance that the LGBT have to face day in and day out for something that they can not control. Are we not all “one body” (emphasize) in Christ, and made in his very image? I see the importance to stop this religious intolerance so that other students out there like BILLY and I myself do not have to resort to suicide because of the religious intolerance. Thank you!!!
