Chapter 2: Sexuality and Religion


In today's world, especially in America, religion is beginning to take a significant role in our lives. However, whether or not one is a religious person does not matter. Because of the fact that the majority of those living in the western and southern states practice some form of Christianity, our government is controlled by those who focus mainly on "moral values" rather than serious internal problems in the country.

The one item which appears to be the top priority of many Christian groups today is homosexuality. Recently, many people have been claiming that the Bible condemns gays and lesbians, due to a few lines of text scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments. I shall cite a few stories or passages where the Bible does in fact, make a reference to homosexuality, but does not explicitly condemn it (click on the link to view the text):

( The Story of Sodom and Gomorrah )

( The Issue of Adultery )

( Romans 1:26 - 27 )

( Leviticus )

However, just because some sects of Christianity condemn us does not mean that all of them do. There are several sects which are very accepting and supportive of homosexuals. And not every member of these un-accepting sects hates homosexuals. Making generalizations about religion is just as unfair as society making generalizations about us.
We must make an effort to sit down and discuss our differences with these people, rather than going on angry rants about them. We must first accept them before they can accept us.

[Note: All information is from Wikipedia]

Chapter 1: An Introduction To The Life Of Pat


Before you begin reading the words of some seemingly random person, perhaps it would be best to know a bit about the writer, so that you might understand what my life is and was like.

Well, to start, my name is Patrick, but everyone calls me Pat. I'm 16 years old, and will be turning 17 late this August, so you could say I know a little about what it's like to be young and queer.

I live in a somewhat suburban, somewhat rural area in upstate New York, and I have for about 7 years now. The atmosphere around here is generally positive, but of course, you're going to have assholes in any place you go in life, so things aren't necessarily perfect for me.

As far as outness goes, I am completely out to all my friends and family (and numerous other people whom I may or may not know about). My coming out story is a bit confusing, and I'll save it for another entry sometime in the future.

For now though, my main focus is to try and give as much helpful advice to gay, bisexual, and questioning youth as I possibly can. If you are reading this and you feel like you really need someone to talk to about your sexuality, don't hesitate to e-mail me.

My e-mail address is: pjbrown88@lycos.com

I will try to update this blog on a weekly basis, so check back every week for a new story or article.

Introduction: The Meaning of "Gay"


Homosexual
ho·mo·sex·u·al (hm-sksh-l, -m-)
adj.
Of, relating to, or having a sexual orientation to persons of the same sex.


Dictionaries are so cold, aren't they? They give you the meaning of a word, but only its meaning. They don't give the word any kind of connotation or depth. They don't tell you about the people or experiences that lie beyond the word.

It is this gap - this void of tangible information - which I seek to fill, at least partially, in writing this. Of course, I can't give you the experiences of every gay person who's ever lived, but I can give you a small piece of it.

And hopefully, sometime within our lives, we will finally be able to fill the void left by world, and discover what it truly means to be homosexual.