“Accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.” Romans 15:7. Paul definitely spoke these words from inspiration. It seems like today many Christians and non-Christians need to see this scripture and apply it into their daily lives. I like guys and to many Christians and non-Christians that is considered a horrible sin. But yet, Christ accepts me and loves me as I am. Troy Perry said it best, “The Lord is my Shepherd and he knows I’m gay.” So, who really is committing a horrible sin? It would appear that those who are judging and taking on the role of God are, for they’re acting like they know His will and have the right to pass judgment. But really they should just be accepting and know that we are all loved by God. He is the only judge and He doesn’t think lesbians, gays, or bisexuals are evil.
Being in the closet is not fun. Having to fight and try to maintain your natural feelings is not noble. But yet many religions preach just that. “Homosexual behavior is of particular concern because it violates God’s commandments and blocks your eternal progress.” They also spout lies like this, “Yes, this is an alterable condition. However, people must desire to move away from it and receive appropriate help. The condition has two aspects: feelings and behaviors. We believe homosexual behaviors are out of harmony with God’s intentions for men and women. Those who wish to stop their homosexual behavior can do so. The feelings associated with same-sex attraction can be diminished.” I love this quote by Harvey Fierstein, “Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life; define yourself.”
Sadly, many lesbian, gay, and bisexual people end up committing suicide each year because of all of the discrimination and hate they receive. Stuart Matis, a gay LDS man, had a lot of trouble reconciling his sexuality to his religion. Deep inside he knew his sexuality was a part of who he was but on the other hand his religion meant a lot to him as well and he believed in it. So, he soon tried to teach others to be more accepting, to his fellow students at BYU he said: "I implore the students at BYU [Brigham Young University] to re-assess their homophobic feelings. Seek to understand first before you make comments. We have the same needs as you. We desire to love and be loved. We desire to live our lives with happiness. We are not a threat to you or your families. We are your sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, neighbors, co-workers and friends, and most importantly, we are all children of God."
Unfortunately, on February 25, 2000 Stuart Matis drove to the LDS chapel in Los Altos, California, and took his life. He was 32 years old. His final words were found on his suicide note: “The church has no idea that as I type this letter, there are surely boys and girls on their callused hands and knees imploring God to free them of their pain. They hate themselves. They retire to bed with their fingers pointed to their heads in the form of a gun. I am now free. I am no longer in pain and I no longer hate myself. As it turns out, God never intended me to be straight. Hopefully, my death might be a catalyst for some good.”
How can anyone say that love is wrong? Stuart Matis was an amazing guy who, sadly, was torn down by unaccepting peers. But yet, I hear people constantly say that homosexuality is a disease and that God abhors anyone who embraces it. I must’ve missed the lesson where Jesus said to hate gay people. Hate should have no place within anyone’s heart—let alone someone who preaches love.
For years, I battled my feelings. “It’s wrong and evil.” “Homosexuality is a perversion.” “God hates gay people.” But yet, I had trouble accepting that any of that was true. I have a lesbian sister and when I seen her I didn’t see someone who was wrong or evil, a pervert, or anyone God would hate. I saw someone who was like anyone else—with just one difference in that she preferred women over men. Still, though, I could not accept that I was like that.
Of course, if you try hard enough you can run away from the truth—but don’t be fooled, eventually it catches up and when it does it smacks you hard in the face. That’s what it did to me. So, at last, I decided to embrace my sexuality, a process that took a long while before I felt secure enough to announce publicly.
James Baldwin said, “Everybody’s journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does homosexuality.” Once I accepted me for me I felt the greatest peace and contentment—something I’d been searching for forever. The best part of it all was that I finally learned that God and Christ accepted me this way because they made me this way!
Francis Maude said, “It always seemed to me a tad bit pointless to disapprove of homosexuality. It’s like disapproving of rain.” But still, many people make it their life’s goal to make everyone understand that homosexuality is “bad,” a “sin,” and an “abomination.” Well, to those people I simply say, “Get a life!” If my sexuality is honestly the best thing you have to talk about then you really need to get out more. Why not just love and accept each other for our differences instead of attack each other because of them?
To close this article I want to use a great quote by Lucille Ball, “It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.” I finally admitted that I liked guys…and suddenly I started feeling truly happy. No longer was I living in a lie, I was living the life I was meant to live. But the journey doesn’t end here—it has only just begun.
Life is Beautiful.
