I am an out gay man. Ask me anything.

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Nelka said:
This is true, my mother was told she could have either Catholicism or adoption of a child, she chose the first.

I know gays (mm or ff) that have easily adopted children.

Why do gays still march? They want to convert us to their perversion. It is no longer illegal (in UK and USA) so why march for rights?
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I’ve actually never been to a march or pride parade. I don’t really feel qualified to talk about them. I do build a house with Habitat for Humanity’s GLBT group every year, though. That’s about the only GLBT community event that I participate in.
 
Elizabeth502 said:
I knew that in fact there was an Agenda. 😉

(Right.)
:rolleyes:
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Its the truth that I’m not here to advance any agenda, or convert anyone. I was asked about my opinion on the adoption issue, and I gave it. Expressing an opinion when asked and proselytizing are not the same thing.
 
Exalt said:
Regarding the issue with catholic adoption agencies, my position is this: The children being adopted deserve an especially high level of protection. It’s not the kid’s fault or choice that he or she happened to end up at a Catholic adoption agency. And it’s not fair to the kid that an entire pool of well-qualified applicants is excluded from consideration.
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Who gets to decide what ‘well-qualified’ means? According to the Catholic Church one of the requirements of a well-qualified applicant is that the home includes a married man and woman to fulfill the function of mother and father since every child is entitled to a mom and dad. Catholic adoption agencies have had no problem placing children with these ‘well-qualified’ applicants.
 
OK, I just looked up secular humanism…now I know!
How do you think humans came to be? Since you don’t believe the Bible was written by church fathers, you obviously don’t believe in “The Bible” How do you know right from wrong? Were you always gay or did you find out as an adult?
I am praying for you right now! We all need prayers 😃
 
Here’s a question for you.

Why would an “out” gay male join a specifically Catholic forum? I don’t buy your benign-sounding “curiosity” response.

Other than that, your choices are not interesting to me.
 
Exalt said:
Curiosity! Christianity – conservative Catholicism in particular – fascinates me. I majored in religious studies in college. I constantly read books about religion. It’s something of a passion for me. Some people are interested in 17th century french poetry, others in plate tectonics, and for me, it’s conservative contemporary Catholicism.
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Wouldn’t it be easier to satisfy your stated objective if you ask us questions rather than the reverse?
 
Exalt said:
I like being gay, actually. It’s not just that I don’t think is wrong, it’s something that I feel thankful for. Even if I could choose to be attracted to women, I wouldn’t. I am totally comfortable and happy to be into other men.
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It appears that you disagree with the idea that anyone would actually choose to be gay because you don’t feel that way at all apparently. That is interesting.

So, you don’t feel oppressed at all? Don’t feel you are denied rights and are discriminated against, you don’t feel rejected, don’t feel the need to have laws changed to embrace that lifestyle or anything like that? I ask because so often the claim is made regarding homosexuals that they would never choose their life because it is so rough. But, you disagree.

Other than those above, I don’t think I have other questions because I’m not curious about the lifestyle you’ve chosen.
 
Soldier_Of_God said:
Wouldn’t it be easier to satisfy your objective if you ask us questions rather than the reverse?
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Good question, since he says he’s “curious.”

To paraphrase Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music, “It seems that we’re suffering from a deplorable lack of curiosity.”

😉
 
Nancita2009 said:
OK, I just looked up secular humanism…now I know!
How do you think humans came to be? Since you don’t believe the Bible was written by church fathers, you obviously don’t believe in “The Bible” How do you know right from wrong? Were you always gay or did you find out as an adult?
I am praying for you right now! We all need prayers 😃
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  1. Evolution by natural selection seems to be the way all life came to it’s present state, humans included.
  2. You’re right, I don’t believe the Bible is especially true or insightful. I do like some bits in it, though. What John’s gospel says about truth is one of the most profound insights ever thought, in my opinion. I just disagree with St. John on what the truth is. 😉
  3. I don’t know precisely why I believe in right and wrong. It’s something I think about often. I have a few beginning thoughts on the matter though, the first of which is this: What is right is that which encourages cooperation, exploration, and happiness, and I’m okay with accepting those things for thier own sake.
  4. I realized I was mostly attracted to other males when I hit puberty. I didn’t use the word gay until I was 14. (There’s a long story about what happened after that, which I can go into if you like, but I didn’t actually come out until age 20. I’m almost 25 now.)
 
Have you read what the Catechism has to say on homosexuality? I feel like it’s a very different approach to homosexuality that people like to sweep under the rug, so to speak. The media seems to only highlight Christians who are cruel towards the dignity of homosexual people, so I think it might shock some people that the Catholic church regards homosexual people as equally dignified and precious as every other human being, and homosexual temptations and feelings as ok… But not acting upon those tendancies, of course. 😉
In your personal experience, how many homosexual people know the Catholic church’s position as described above?
 
Exalt said:
That’s a good place to start. When I say ‘out’, I mean ‘out of the closet.’ It means my sexuality – the fact that I am interested in men and not women – isn’t a secret. It’s part of my identity and something that I embrace.
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In your case, without the Catholic perspective on why the gay life style is sinful, I can understand your accepting your feelings and acting on them. However, the Catholic who feels drawn to same sex attraction knows before he’s out of the closet that this life style is sinful. Therefore, if he deliberately and freely chooses to live that life style anyway, he knows that he is committing a serious sin. He must choose to live his life without sex, just as a man whose wife is not able to satisy his sexual needs, or a widower who has not remarried. Difficult, yes, but not impossible, and well worth the sacrifice that pleases the Lord. Many, many people live a celibate, but fulfilling life. I wish you well, but I would pray that in your religious studies you will be blessed with the overwhelming desire to do God’s will rather than your own.
 
Exalt said:
Hey everyone.

I’ve been thinking about doing this type of thread around here for a while, and I happen to have a few days free to post here.

A few notes:
  • AMA, or “Ask Me Anything” threads are common on forums around the internet. It’s an opportunity for a group of participants to get to know someone from a novel background, and ask them all kinds of interesting questions. It’s a chance to dialogue, to learn from one another.
  • I’m not here to press any agenda. The only reason I’m here is that I am curious and interested in religion and religious people – conservative Catholicism in particular. I don’t particularly care about persuading anyone of anything; evangelism is not my concern here. That being said, even though I’m not here to persuade anyone, you are totally free to attempt to persuade me or press any agenda you want. Remember, I’m here because I’m curious about you!
  • I will answer every question completely honestly, and no question is off limits so long as it’s allowed by the forum rules.
Why am I here? Essentially, I’m curious about what actual conservative Catholics think about gay people generally. I know many of you believe that homosexuality is immoral, or that gays should not be allowed to adopt children or get married legally, or that homosexuality was caused by some early psychological trauma and might be able to be healed. But I don’t know what you would actually ask an out gay person if given the chance. Are you as curious as I am?

Let’s find out! I am an openly gay man. Ask me anything.
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Welcome, Exalt !

Some of the teachings of the Catholic Church :

Chastity and homosexuality

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered."142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Catholic Catechism on line a wealth of info. usccb.org/catechism/text

Opinion ! I think you can liken it to a child that is facinated by fire, if not taught correctly ouch !

God Bless
 
Elizabeth502 said:
Good question, since he says he’s “curious.”

To paraphrase Captain Von Trapp in the Sound of Music, “It seems that we’re suffering from a deplorable lack of curiosity.”

😉
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Considering he has over 1200 posts I don’t think this is really a fair question. He obviously has spent a good deal of time on here prior to this topic, so why criticize him for trying something new?
 
Exalt,

As you see from the responses, you are not speaking to a homogeneous group any more than one gay man represents the opinions of all gay men. (BTW for those educationally challenged readers, “homogeneous” means of the same or similar nature. It has nothing to do with being gay).

I find it amusing that some are so threatened by your presence and what you motives may be.
 
Exalt said:
I like being gay, actually. It’s not just that I don’t think is wrong, it’s something that I feel thankful for. Even if I could choose to be attracted to women, I wouldn’t. I am totally comfortable and happy to be into other men.
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But do you ever wish that you were attracted to girls, at least enough so that you could marry and have children of your own (as opposed to have them through a surrogate mother or adoption)?
 
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