Why Me
I was the first openly gay member of a United Methodist Church in Lancaster, PA. I didn't come marching in on my first Sunday waving a banner which proclaimed my sexual orientation. That's not why I was there. I was there to worship God and to be a part of a community of believers.
But over time, as I began to become friends with other members and started participating in the life of the church (Bible studies, Sunday School), people eventually found out I was gay. And nothing changed in regards to how they related to me and how I was treated. Perhaps because by the time someone realized I was gay they already knew so many of the other aspects of who I was and they liked me.
If there was anyone there who objected to my being there I didn't know it. I was never personally confronted by anyone. I never had words of judgment or condemnation directed towards me by anyone. I might not have known a person's individual viewpoint on the issue of homosexuality, but I was treated with respect and love by all the church members I knew personally.
But over time, as I began to become friends with other members and started participating in the life of the church (Bible studies, Sunday School), people eventually found out I was gay. And nothing changed in regards to how they related to me and how I was treated. Perhaps because by the time someone realized I was gay they already knew so many of the other aspects of who I was and they liked me.
If there was anyone there who objected to my being there I didn't know it. I was never personally confronted by anyone. I never had words of judgment or condemnation directed towards me by anyone. I might not have known a person's individual viewpoint on the issue of homosexuality, but I was treated with respect and love by all the church members I knew personally.
A Church Member Named John
There was a senior citizen, John, who was a member of the church. One day he said something which was quite significant to me. He told me that I was the first gay person he had ever met (at least that he was aware of; the emphasis is mine). By knowing me, and liking me, his preconceived assumptions of gay people were rattled; causing him to reexamine what he had always been told, and believed, about anyone who was gay (all of it unfavorable of course).
I can't speak for John and tell you how, or even if, any of his views or opinions on gay people is now different. But I am confident that knowing me has made a difference in his life. And all because he took the time to get to know me; to ask me questions; and to simply listen to what I shared with him.
I can't speak for John and tell you how, or even if, any of his views or opinions on gay people is now different. But I am confident that knowing me has made a difference in his life. And all because he took the time to get to know me; to ask me questions; and to simply listen to what I shared with him.
Because of my experience with John and others like him I have come to believe that there may be other Christians who, like John, may never have had any direct contact with someone gay; or to hear that person's story. And, perhaps by sharing my story I can become a part of the solution between the "us" versus "them." See Sharing My Story.