Launch of New Blog on Queer Chican@ Theology

Over the past few years I have been shifting my work to have a more theological focus, as my way of approaching how I engage LGBT and Queer activism. It was during my time at Harvard Divinity School that I began to tease out my interests and begin honing in on what I wanted to focus my energy and time toward. I have wrestled with developing a queer theology that moves beyond homonormative thinking, while affirming the multicultural make-up of queers. I've been trying to liberate myself from a liberation theology that does not foreground my queerness as something that deserves to be liberated from the structures in place that oppress me. And I have arrived at a space where I find it necessary to begin having those conversations.

With the rise of jotería studies, an emerging field engaging queerness and Chicana/o studies, I am interested in how using this new language in conversation with my background in theology will open doors to begin looking at how we talk about same-sex desire in Latin American and Chicana/o contexts. What I'm basically getting at is, I started a new blog! One that will be receiving more attention than this, as that's where I feel my heart is at right now.

JOT(E)LOGÍA is an experimental conversation about understanding same-sex desire and queerness on a postcolonial, theological level. In other words, how representations of the sexualized body function as religious and spiritual practice. I endeavor to use an intersectional, intertextual, and intersexual approach to looking into what this new area looks like, making use of texts, images, videos, art, etc. So please make you're way over there to bookmark it and join in on the conversation! I really do look forward to seeing what comes of this project.

While my energy will focused on moving into this next chapter of my writing and thinking, I am still committed to speaking out against the ex-gay movement and affirming safe-spaces within the church and religious institutions for LGBTQ individuals. I look forward to still traveling the country to share my story and the stories of others on how we have found a place of reconciliation within ourselves. For information on booking me to speak at your school, church, or event, please email booking@vincentcervantes.com for more information.

The "Ex-Gay Friend" in Our Lives

Last week a New York Times article shared the personal story of a gay friend turned "ex-gay." As a young man, Michael Glatze seemed very happy and at peace with who he was as a gay-identified individual. Until after some life changing events, he no longer felt that homosexuality was a natural disposition, nor an acceptable identity.

As I read through the article I could see myself in Michael's story. As an ex-gay survivor I once felt and believed the same things he explains as to why he chose to go ex-gay.

Sadly, our stories are not unique and isolated experiences. However, the reasons why Michael chose to go ex-gay and my own reasons do differ quite a bit. But again, even his reasons for going ex-gay is not unique. While religion and theology may play a role in convincing some that homosexuality is a sin and in need of repair, there is usually more at work in the decision to put oneself through reparative therapy.

Border Crosser: Into the Wilderness

In a little less than two weeks I will be joining a group from school to visit the US/Mexico border by way of the Arizona border. Our objective as a study group is to examine the border in a theological perspective (if the task can be done at all). We will be spend a week in the Tucson, Arizona (US) and Nogales, Sonora (MX) areas having conversations with local organizations, churches, and community members. I'm definitely looking forward to blogging about my experiences when I return from my trip.

As I prepare myself logistically for our trip, I'm also spending time preparing myself mentally and spiritually. When I think about borderlands and the idea of borderland theories, liminality, and all that academic jargon, I can't help but wonder if any of it is relevant. Can I expect to put a label on the experiences of border crossers? Why does that space need to be labeled?

Are you REALLY a Christian?

President Obama's identity as a Christian has really been called into question. With his support for the building of a Muslim cultural center near Ground Zero, 1 in 5 Americans believe that Obama is actually a Muslim, and not a Christian. Whether he be a Muslim, Christian, Sikh, or even an atheist altogether doesn't really matter to me. But basically, America is waiting for Obama to prove that he is indeed really a Christian. Welcome to my world, Mr. President!

Church of the Holy Hipsters and Gays

The September 2010 issue of Details Magazine has hit the stands with a Zac Efron cover that little gay boys all of the country are drooling over. Past the cover is a feature article titled "The New Face of Faith," that highlights an up-and-coming church in the Los Angeles: Reality LA. What sets Reality apart from other churches is its young, modern, hipster congregation, which also attracts some of Hollywood's young celebrities, including Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Joe Jonas.

In addition to the young Los Angeles hipster crowd, Reality has also attracted the gays, well the "ex-gays" that is. My perception of Reality after reading this article is that the congregation is full of a bunch of young, healthy, celibate, Hollywood fashionistas, socialistas, homosexuals, etc.

Why is religion important?

My friend Brian Gerald wrote a blog post that responded to the ever popular question, "What do you do?," in which he responds with a better question: "What are you doing with your life?" These questions got me to thinking about how often I am asked these very questions when I meet new people, or even when I'm catching up with old friends. When I respond that I work with religious communities and that my research in school is focused on religion, I'm often met with puzzling looks. I am then asked another question: "Why religion?"

Through different cases I end up encountering this question a lot in many different variations such as, Why do people care so much about religion?, Why are people religious?, Why do you talk about religion?, and so on. I am determined then to answer the pressing question, Why is religion important?

My Reasons for Going Ex-Gay

As I am keeping up with blogs and posts about Bryce Faulkner and how his parents coerced him into an ex-gay program, I am beginning to reflect back on the reasons I had when I chose to enter into reparative therapy.

I am certainly around the same age as Bryce, except I in no way think that our stories are the same. But I do understand the pressures of being a dependent college student and being faced with difficult decisions.

I came to recognize my same-sex attractions during my first year of college at Azusa Pacific University. It was very confusing, and at times frightening, to recognize my same-sex attractions will being a student at Christian university. I remember having a lot of fear. Fear of being "figured out" and then kicked out of school for being gay. Fear of my parents finding out and disowning me. Fear that I would some how end up with AIDS, die, and be eternally damned to hell.

I made the decision myself to go through reparative therapy because I thought it was the best choice to make at that time; yet it was a choice nonetheless. I also made the choice to not tell my parents that I was receiving "help" for my sexual orientation. My choice lead me down a path of even more confusion, spiritual abuse, and shame. My choice to get"help" did me more harm than good.

Several years later, I am "out" and live my life as an openly gay person. But I am still asked all the time, "Why would you choose to go ex-gay?" Back then, my answer would have been something like, "Well, because I'm a Christian." Soon after that answer became, "I believed that it was sinful." After spending a lot of time processing my life experiences I have come to realize that that answer is a really "bad" answer; I might even go as far to say that it's the "wrong" answer.

Peterson Toscano wrote a blog last year titled, "The MANY reasons I went Ex-Gay." After reading his blog I began to start listing why I truly let myself make the choice to go through reparative therapy:

- I thought I would be kicked out school.
- I feared that my parents would disown me and cut me off from the rest of the family.
- Negative portrayals of LGBT people in the media and in the church.
- Fear of getting AIDS and other STDs I would get if I came out as gay.
- Wanted to get married and have a family.
- Fear of becoming promiscuous, yet lonely.
- Fear of physical violence against LGBT people.

Choices come with consequences. I've faced the consequences of making both decisions: to be ex-gay and to be ex-ex-gay. Both were not easy decisions to make. Ultimately though, I realized that my decision to go ex-gay was not because I thought it was sinful to be gay. Instead it was because of fear of the outcomes that would arise had I not chosen to do something about it. Alas, several years later I have come to realize the outcomes.

My heart does go out to Bryce and those supporting him. His decision to listen to his parents clearly was not an easy one, but a choice he did in theory make. It is unfortunate the levels of manipulation people will use to control and affect the lives of people.

Young man forced into ex-gay program

By now, many have begun to hear the story of Bryce Faulker, a college-aged young adult that was forced into an ex-gay program by his parents.

Since there is already a lot of coverage of this story, I am reposting from other blogs that have already begun discussions around this topic.

According to Waymon Hudson over at the Bilerico Project,

The request to join a new group came through my Facebook page. The group was called “Friends of Bryce“, which could have been anything, but had a note attached that said “Please Help.”

When I clicked over to the group, an all too familiar tale unfolded. Bryce Faulkner, a young gay man from Arkansas, had gone missing after his parents had discovered he was gay. They had gotten into their college-aged son’s email account and discovered messages between Bryce and his boyfriend.

The parents then gave Bryce an ultimatum- enter an extensive and severe “therapy” program or lose all their support for college and living expenses. For a young man from a conservative small town whose entire life, including his job, was tied to his parents, who had nowhere to go and no one to turn to, there really was no choice.

Bryce was sent to 14 week long conversion therapy camp and has not been heard from again.

Peterson Toscano wrote a blog post soon after that compares and contrasts Bryce's story with the similar story of Zach Stark, the young man that was forced into the Love In Action program when he was 16 years old. Zach's story caught national attention and will be shared in the upcoming documentary, "This Is What Love in Action Looks Like."

Peterson hit hard on something that I think is very important

In these cases of ex-gay coercion once someone is no longer a minor, they no longer become pure victims. Although it is difficult and terrifying to resist, if someone is over 18, they can legally say “NO! you cannot make me do this!” and as an adult, they can then live with the consequences. I understand that the financial impact of this can be huge, but not impossible to overcome, especially with the assistance of a boyfriend’s affirming parents and a community committed to taking care of each other (which I know doesn’t always happen.)

I encourage everyone to read Peterson's post, because I think he raises some great points regarding the decisions parents make and the decisions we make regarding the well-being of our lives.

Gay ≠ Christian?

It's one thing that a lot of anti-gay Christians seem to think that I cannot be gay and be a Christian.  But lately I've gotten a lot of resistance from the gay community!  It really feels like reverse discrimination.  Here are the responses and questions I get on a regular basis:

"Why are you a religious studies major?  But you're gay...."

"Why would you go to church, you're gay?"

"You want to be a pastor?  You're gay though..."

It's so disheartening that I meet so many gay and lesbian people that tell me I can't be gay and be a Christian.  The irony is that they are saying the EXACT same thing that anti-gay Christians are saying, that there is no such thing as gay Christians.  So what is makes them any different from one another?  Both groups are sending a negative message.  Both groups are not helping closeted, questioning, and confused people that are trying to understand their identity within the context of their faith.

But what does this mean for us gay Christians?  We are forced into this third category, like we're special cases or something.  A binary system has been set up between being gay and being a Christian.  That is not inclusion.

You can be gay and be a Christian.  If you don't think so then you clearly don't understand the definition of being a Christian or being gay.  Neither one cancels the other out.  So lets stop this exclusion, because all it does is confuse those people that are trying to reconcile their faith and their sexuality, and they can't because there are uneducated people relaying false information that causes harm and confusion.

Leviticus: Holiness Code

I have wanted to avoid discussing the Leviticus passage, only because I find it to be an outdated argument (along with Sodom and Gomorrah) that you only see on the signs of the Westboro Baptist Church, but recently, it's been appearing in emails and messages to me more frequently than has in the past.  I received a video response on YouTube to my "Bible and Marriage" video that decided to focus entirely on Leviticus 18 (click here to watch the response), so I decided that I would finally write on Leviticus and share what my own thoughts and perceptions are of the text.

Let's start with a background of Leviticus and the Torah:  sorta of a historical, local, and cultural contextual analysis.

• Covenant with Abraham:  There were 3 parts (Genesis 15:5, 18; 17:11)

* Progeny, promised land, circumcision as symbol

• Genealogy:  Abraham - Isaac - Jacob (Israel)

• Captivity, liberation and exodus - 10 weeks to Mount Sinai, where they commit idolatry

• The Israelites were made to wander for 40 years post-exodus
  

* formation of spiritual identity

* desert culture, importance of reproduction

* Carthaginian culture (Phoenicia and Canaan)

- Amorites, Hittites, Jebusites, Girgashites, Perizzites, Amalckites

* Distinguish: Moabites and Ammonites

• Composition of Leviticus

* Priestly Code: 1-16, 27 (ritual/ceremonial purity)

- 1-7, sacrificial regulations

- 8-10, consecration, practical application

- 11-16, purity laws

- 27, commutation of vows

* Holiness Code (Leviticus 19:2):  17-26 (miscellany of laws)

- idolatry, sexual conduct, celebration rites

- information about familiars, strangers, promises, penalties

Now, I know these are just some very basic notes about the background, but really, there is so much information out there about the Torah and the background of the Google culture that I don't really need to go too much into depth about, only because it's all only a search away. Basically though, the Israelites has been slaves in Egypt; they had wandered in the desert for a long long time.  They needed cohesiveness, cleanliness, and order in every aspect of their lives.  they needed a establish a social contract that would give them their own identity; they needed a code for living.  In response, they developed a Holiness Code to define their religious, civic, and cultural identity.

The Holiness Code's purpose was to help this community achieve the "holy purity" that they were seeking.  So how would they try to achieve this holy purity?

1.  Israel's worship practices had to be different from their neighbors.
   
2. There could not be an mixing of any kind with other groups, because they were to maintain and preserve the purity of their community.
3. Male gender superiority had to be maintained

Number 3 is what is going to bring us to the infamous, "Thou shall not lay with mankind as with womankind it is an abomination" verse found in Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13.  But lets focus on why this was an issue.  Why condemn men that were having sex with other men?  Well, first of all, engaging in homosexual acts was punishable by death, because that would mean that man was assuming a "passive' role and was being penetrated, which was a role that was only to be assigned to women.  This was a culture that valued machismo ideologies and subjugated women because they were viewed as "less than."  Thus, the issue with men having sex with men was really a result of their oppression towards women.

But what about this word "abomination" that appears in the text?  The Hebrew word toevah, that is being used for "abomination," actually refers to something that is ritually impure, such as pork or having sex with a woman while she is menstruating.  So, "abomination" is synonymous with unclean.

There are other ways of addressing these texts.  One could even bring up the issue and contrasts of the old and new covenants.  But this is a could jumping board for addressing Leviticus.  There are many great resources out there if you want to read more on Leviticus.  I personally recommend, "Jesus, the Bible, and Homosexuality" by Jack Rogers, which has received excellent reviews for his scholarship.  I welcome conversation on this text.  I know I gave a very basic opinion and that was intentional, only because there are other resources out there for those that are more interested in this part of the Bible.

This Is What Love In Action Looks Like

June 6, 2009 is the official release date for the DVD of the documentary "This Is What Love In Action Looks Like."  The documentary recalls the story of Zach Stark, a young man whose parents forced him to attend the Love In Action residential program when he was 16 years old (in the summer of 2005).

Below is an extended preview of the documentary:

From the film's official blog:

The documentary chronicles the personal stories of those involved and their relationships with God, the world around them and themselves as this agonizingly divisive and polarizing issue unfolds. It also features an extremely surprising, and highly unlikely friendship that developed over this time period, which no one could have predicted would form.

It follows the events that led up to and sparked this story, the ongoing protests and the events that have continued since, including state investigations into LIA’s practices, a lawsuit filed by LIA against the State of Tennessee, as well as the story of the return of a former teen client of Refuge a year later to speak out against the program in a “one year anniversary protest.”

In the years since it began, with all the media coverage and investigations, Zach had declined to tell his story. Until now. The teenager whose MySpace blogs began it all gives an exclusive interview for the documentary.

Meeting With United Methodist Bishops

Bishop Weaver, Bishop Arichea, Bishop Dyck, Bishop Carcaño, Bishop Lowery, along with several representative from the Reconciling Ministries Network, and representatives from the Methodist Federation for Social Action and Affirmation, met with a facilitator from Just Peace on  Monday, March 9th at an airport hotel in Chicago to follow up on the conversations begun in Ft. Worth at General Conference after the Reconciling witness on the plenary floor. Bishops Machado and Pennel were unable to attend.

My expectations going into the meeting were to have open, honest, and authentic conversations with active listening.  For everyone to hear one another authentically, in the spirit of all being one in Christ.

We began with lunch in small groups as a way to introduce ourselves to one another and to engage in small group conversations.

Our meeting time with the bishops was for two hours, although two hours was definitely not an adequate amount of time for discussion.

The meeting opened with introductions from Troy Plummer and Bishop Dyck about how we got to this meeting; referencing back to General Conference 2008.

We then went around the room twice for each person to share what their hopes were for the meeting and even in the bigger picture.  I expressed, along with several others, the importance of including young people in this conversation.  Young people are at a different place on issues relating to sexuality.  Furthermore, young people need a church to call home and if the church is constantly condemning people, what home does that leave them?  I also shared that I joined the United Methodist Church because I was hurt by my own church many, many times; I don't want to see myself get hurt again, nor do I want to see other people being hurt by the church.

After a summation of common threads, we broke off into small groups to discuss methods and ways of going forward.  Then we reconvened in our large group to share our ideas and to gather around common themes.  There was a lot of consensus around committing to/having public conversation grounded in our Methodist way of relating to each other and beliefs.

The last part of the meeting was rather awkward and confusing as we attempted to figure out if we were done or if we would all meet again.  There was also confusion on what "public conversation" looked like and how that would be achieved.  There was also confusion and differences among the bishops in terms of their own personal visions, goals, and expectations.

After closing the meeting, the Reconciling advocates gathered to debrief about the meeting.  There was clear dissatisfaction with some of the aspects of the meeting.  I expressed my own confusion and frustration over the differences in ideas over what "public conversation" meant and whether we would meet again with the bishops.

During the awkward closing of the meeting, there was some discussion over the possibility of "widening the table" to include representatives from Good News and Confessing Movement.  For myself and several others, we were very uncomfortable with that idea.  As one person said during our debriefing, if we were having a conversation about how to achieve racial reconciliation, we wouldn't invite the Ku Klux Klan or a white supremacy group to show us how.  That was definitely my own sentiment towards that idea of inviting opposing groups into this discussion about how we are going to bring the church to a point of reconciliation over gender and sexual diversity.

The agenda is definitely left unfinished!  Both sides were encouraged to map out our ideas of how we can implement open and public conversation.  In the end, I felt the the meeting ended unclear and incomplete.  I know we will be working hard to make sure this meeting happens again and to make sure we are moving forward and not just taking one step forward just to stay there or to take steps back.

True Love Waits

I am currently finishing up a book by Heather Hendershot titled, Shaking The World For Jesus: Media and Conservative Evangelical Culture.  In this book Hendershot looks at the "center" of conservative evangelical culture, primarily though the white middle-class.  This is an excellent book to read especially if you've grown up in an evangelical setting like I have.  The book is divided into three sections; the first section discusses the "commodification" part of evangelical culture, such as Christian cultural products, films, shows, and contemporary Christian music.  The second section discusses sexuality, a very interesting that I want to talk about.  In the first chapter of this section, Hendershot discusses the chastity movement within evangelical culture, such as the True Love Waits campaign.  And the second chapter of the section examines the Cathedral of Hope, the world's largest LGBTQ church, as well as focusing on ex-gay survivors that are still Christians and how they have reconciled their faith with their sexual orientation after having experienced reparative therapy.

Hendershot raises a very important issue through this section of her book: sexuality, when discussed in evangelical media, is very one-sided.  Discussions about marriage, chastity, and sexual control remain reserved only for heterosexual Christians, while mainstream Christian videos, books, and magazines reject LGBTQ Christians.

During my high school years, I remember reading the upcoming topics in the bulletin that would be coming up in youth group.  The topic of "Sex" would usually catch my eye, as it did for the other hormonal teenagers.  It was always an interesting topic and it was addressed in different ways throughout my four years of high school.  Sometimes they would separate the boys and girls, other times we would remain together by on different sides of the room, and I think one time we were able to intermingle.  We were reminded that our bodies are temples and they are sacred, etc.  Also that sex is a beautiful, wonderful, amazing thing, that God gives us so we can experience it ONLY when we are married.  High school did a better job talking about sex than college did for me--in college the guys were they were out of control horny pigs and women fear us for that reason.

One year, if I remember correctly it was my junior year, we were presented with True Love Wait commitment cards!  These cards were a contract between us and God that committed us to abstinence until marriage.  The direct lines on the card were:

Believing that true love waits, I make a commitment to God, myself, my family, my friends, my future mate, and my future children to a lifetime of purity including sexual abstinence from this day until the day I enter a biblical marriage relationship.

We were also to choose an accountability partner that we could turn to if we were feeling tempted; however, my accountability partner did not do a very good job keeping me accountable...

This contract I made with God served many problems for me.  I was to abstain from sexual activity "until the day I enter a biblical marriage."  Although some of my youth pastors never explicitly talked about homosexuality being sinful during youth group services, they certainly placed a lot of emphasis on what the Bible said about marriage.  They always discussed the nuclear model for marriage and there was no other alternative.  Part of my difficulty accepting my queer identity was due to my desire to want to get married and have a family.  Unfortunately the family portrait that was painted for me did not include two dads.

As Valentine's Day is approaching I can only imagine how many youth groups will be having their sex talks with their students.  I can only imagine how many True Love Waits cards will be signed.  In a way, I can support the idea of sexual abstinence until one enters into marriage or a committed partnership--the safest sex is no sex after all.  However, I cannot support a one-sided message.  It is not okay for LGBTQ youth to have feel like they're outsiders when evangelical chastity media comes out.  It is also not okay for LGBTQ youth to not be presented with the option to have a beautiful family with whomever they choose to be their partner.  True love knows no gender.

Prayers For Bobby

This is the story of Mary Griffith, a gay rights crusader whose teenage son committed suicide because of her religious intolerance.  Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons, actress Sigourney Weaver does an amazing job sharing this emotional experience through her character of Mary.

This trailer brought tears to my eyes, I can only imagine how much more powerful the film will be in it's full length.  This movie is such a great resource for parents that don't know how to handle with their LGBT child comes out to them.  The movie airs on Lifetime on January 24th, check your local listings.

First Sermon: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18

"In The Life" focuses on former ex-gays

The ex-gay movement and its survivors become the focus of the latest segment of "In The Life;" the segment draws on the stories of ex-gay survivors and faith leaders.  The Ex-Gay Survivor's Conference that was held in Irvine, California is also featured in this segment; sharing the process that many of us have gone through to begin healing the hurts and wounds that were left through our experiences in ex-gay therapy.

The segment shows a few clips of me sharing parts of my ex-gay experience.  It was recorded at a time that I was just beginning to become comfortable with sharing that part of my life with other people.  My hope was that my story would serve as a witness to the many men and women, young and old, that consider the thought that they are unholy and unworthy of God's love because they are LGBTQ.  Today, that is still my hope and goal of sharing my story, wherever that may be.  Follow the link to view the segment!

Sodom and Gomorrah

The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah has been used and overused to condemn homosexuality in the Church.  It is surprising actually that it still used today by many Christians, when many theologians have agreed that the Story of Sodom and Gomorrah isn't really a story about sexuality.  But it still comes up as an argument against homosexuality, so I decided to share my two cents...

Sodom was not about sex. And if it were, it still really wouldn’t be about sex.

Sodom's sins range from inhospitality and opulence to adultery and strengthening the hand of evil.

Ezekiel 16:48-49 says that the sins of these two cities are said to be excess of wealth, failure to provide for the poor, and inhospitality. The materialistic nature of the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah is exemplified by what happened to Lot’s wife. She looked back at the city, longing for the possessions she had left behind. Consequently, she was petrified, or turned into a pillar of salt as the story goes.

Isaiah 19:13 compares Sodom and Gomorrah to Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, thus making ungodly pride the crux of their immorality.

Deuteronomy 29:23 mentions that Admah and Zeboiim were also destroyed due to God’s wrath. The account of Sodom and Gomorrah is important in that it introduces Israel’s rival relatives from across the Jordan and east of the Dead Sea. The children born of the incestuous rape of Lot are Moab, which means ‘son of my father’, and Ben-Ammi or Ammon, which means son of my kin. The tribes born of them were constantly in conflict with the Israelites. Zephaniah 2:9 compares Moab (Moabites) to Sodom and Ammon (Ammonites) to Gomorrah. Thus, important historical context and genealogical reference was provided by the often misunderstood account of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 14:8-11 – Defeated warring nations included Sodom and Gomorrah.

Genesis 18:33 – Clearly, homosexuals did not comprise two entire towns. God promises Abraham that he would spare the city on account of ten righteous souls – not heterosexual.

Genesis 19:1 – Sodom was a gated community.

Genesis 19:3 – Lot presses the Angels strongly to sojourn with him because he saw their staying the night in a public location as a precarious risk.

Genesis 19:8 – “They have come under the shadow of my roof.”
Lot was charged with the protection of the angel messengers.

Matthew 10:13-15 – Jesus referred to Sodom and Gomorrah. His focus, however, was on how to deal with inhospitality. If his disciples were not welcomed as guests, despite being strangers, they were to shake the dust off of their feet. He continued to say that the punishment for those who rejected them would be worse than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah.

Furthermore, there are several linguistic inconsistencies when dealing with the Sodom and Gomorrah story.

Implication of Sexual Sins:

In Jude 1:7, fornication and the desiring of “strange flesh” is mentioned as the sin of Sodom.

With that in mind, there are several important facts to consider:

• The angels with whom the men wanted to fornicate were not human.
• Sexual intimacy between humans and angels was condemned earlier in the Genesis. Prior to the great deluge, spirit creatures took corporeal form to have sexual relations with people. The result was a race of genetic hybrids that terrorized the human population.
• If fornication is implied, the men of the city wanted to forcibly know the angels, or gang-rape them. Rape is a violent crime that has little to do with loving expression and does not reflect sexual orientation or identity. Genesis 19:9
• But fornication clearly was not the core of their iniquity. Lot later had sex with his daughters while intoxicated after being spared by God.
• According to Genesis 19:8, Lot offered his virgin daughters to the crowd, possibly as valuable sacrifices.
• The men of Sodom and Gomorrah believed the angels to be spies. Their greed and their selfish concern with their wealth led to such thoughts. Therefore, their inhospitality and deviant intentions were fueled by greed.
• And finally, the term heterosexual is derived from the term Greek sarkos heteras, which has been translated into strange flesh, perversion, and unnatural lust.

The Men of the City

The word ‘enowsh is used in Genesis 19:4, and is the first reference to the ‘men’ of the city. In actuality, it refers to any mortal in general. The following sentence says ‘even the men of the city’, specifically referring to the masculine gender. In verse 5, Sodom residents ask for the ‘enowsh so that they may know them.

And in verse 8 when describing his daughters as virgins, Lot uses the more definite ‘iysh to refer to men.

Knowing "To Know"

The Hebrew word yada, used to suggest a desire to know the men sexually, appears 943 times in the Hebrew text. All but 11 were used in the sense of literally becoming acquainted with strangers. 10 of those 11 times were used in clear reference to heterosexual sex. The word shakab more vividly and specifically denotes sexual relations.

(Thanks Jarrett)

On the Verge of a Christian State

There is always a bittersweet feeling I get inside when I go visit my parents.  It's not so much a result of my parents, but the city in which I go visit them.  Merced is definitely not a very liberal part of California.  In fact, the county voted 71% in favor of Proposition 8.  So going to Merced is always eventful since I am the one of the most "out" gays in the city--I've been on the front page of their newspaper several times already.  Driving through town with my "No On 8" bumper sticker usually attracts reactions, occasional dirty looks, and of course, the yelling of the word "fag."  All of which I have learned to respond to in a healthy non-violent way.

This past Thanksgiving was no different when I went to Merced to be with my family for the holiday.  People honked at our car, I could see people stop to stare in parking lots, etc.  Well after a very stuffing Thanksgiving dinner my partner and I took a walk.  It was saddening that people stared in disgust as we held hands, but we held ourselves well.  As we continued our walk we found something that had left us speechless.  It wasn't the dirty looks.  It was a fence that had been tagged with spray paint.  In bold white letters, "Romans 1:27" was displayed on the fence.  I was speechless because I was not expecting a fence to have such a verse on it.  The fence didn't belong to a certain house or was facing anything really of significance.  But there it was in plain view for anyone to see who was walking by.  I was filled with many emotions. I was sad, angry, even ashamed.  I wanted to respond to this fence.  I wanted to add affirmation, but I really didn't know how to.  I wanted to spray paint Ephesians 4:2-6 over it, but with my luck I would have gotten busted for vandalism--it would have been worth it in my opinion.  I will actually be sending in an Op-Ed to the local newspaper as a response to the fence though.

But why was it written in the first place?  Of all the verses to put up why this one?  I admit it was a better selection than Leviticus 18:22, since Leviticus is often overused.  But are we at a point now in society where we begin to post religious "laws" in public in order to condemn people?  Are we on the verge of a Christian state?  The cult of persecution is dominating in our culture.  Not to go off on a slippery slope fallacy, but what's next?  Curfews, executions of the homosexuals and the artistic, and the subjugation of women again?  It is the messages of untruth and intolerance and persecution that we need to stand up against.  It starts with a fence, but lets make sure lives don't end up ending on a fence.  Let action begin.  The abuse and misuse of scriptures hurt people, so share what these scriptures have done and what they do in your lives.

Straight Allies Supporting Marriage Equality

Today being a very important day in American history (and Californian for that matter), I thought I would share some words and thoughts of a person who is very close to me.  My former youth pastor Jay has been a person that I have been able to come to and share my story with and know that I am going to be embraced with love and grace.  Jay is committed to understanding the love and grace behind spirituality by being a living example of that.  Today Jay voted against Proposition 8, here are some of his words and thoughts from his blog:

Gay marriage is another evolution of this fluid institution. Instead of rejecting a healthy and committed expression of love toward the another (singular), we ought to be embracing the decision and desire of homosexual men and woman to join into and make their own “moral expressions” of commitment to one another. Gay marriage is something to be celebrated and something to give thanks unto God for. I believe it is a beautiful thing for people to make moral commitments to one another, and for the Church to embrace, through active grace, those decisions.

That’s why I voted NO on PROPOSITION 8.  Read Jay's blog here.

I love you brother!

Somehow I'll Make a Man Out of You

How many of you have heard that song from the Disney movie Mulan, "I'll Make a Man Out of You?" I feel like that song represents an interesting part of my ex-gay experience. I've been visiting San Diego State University for the past two weeks (my husband is a student here) and they've been having Greek Week, which is a time for students to find out about the fraternities and sororities on campus and then perhaps rush for them. There was one fraternity that really caught my eye, Alpha Gamma Omega, SDSU's only Christ-centered fraternity. So I decided to check out some of the things they do. They do: Worship Night, Wakeboarding, Beach Football, Broomball, and then "Bigger or Better" (I'm not sure what that means exactly).

Their activities they have planned really got me thinking about gender roles and how they could possibly be trying to re-assert their masculinity by these activities. I was taught through my reparative therapy counseling sessions that men engage in these activities not to necessarily "butch" ourselves up, but because sports are a natural way for guys to connect with another.

Because I was told that my father did an inadequate job raising me to be a "man of God," I was assigned to male mentor in the church.

For us guys in the program they partner us up with straight male mentors, particularly men who are a little older, overweight, and balding. Well, the therapeutic theory behind this is that they believe that these guys will serve as less of temptation for us. But I have a little confession to make. I find those guys kinda hot. --Chad, Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House

My male mentor's job was to pretty much be the good Christian example that my father wasn't. We went out to play catch at the lake, we went to go see action flicks at the cinema, and like every good Christian "dad" he took me to a Promise Keepers convention where I was supposed to learn how to become a "man of integrity." From my mentor I was supposed to receive constant reaffirmation for the good things I did that were representative of an authentic "man of God."

However, through my attempts to "reconnect with my masculinity" I ironically began to feel like less of a man through the activities that I was doing. I felt like masculinity was being defined for me. I always knew that I was a feminine guy. I had heard that since I was a small boy and I had learned to accept it. But my male mentor didn't know how to respond to that. He had 2 sons that were older than me and I'm sure he was just doing what he done with his sons when he raised them. Eventually he had starting feeling like he was doing something wrong as a leader, but then changed his mind to the belief that there was just more that was wrong with me.

So as these fraternity brothers play their beach football and tackle one another with no shirts on, I wonder if they do so because they too believe that sports are just the natural way for men to connect with one another.