I'M NOT BUYING IT

                           I’M NOT BUYING IT

    The passion to become a teacher started, for me, in early childhood. My playhouse consisted of a make-believe classroom where I taught make-believe students the things I learned in school. I graduated from high school, worked my way through college, and obtained the necessary degree to pursue a teaching profession.

    In early adolescence, I realized I had what society labeled as a problem. According to the voices from the pulpits of Southern Baptist churches, a gay man would never be allowed to teach in an American public school.  So I turned to religion to solve my problem. Religious instructors said if I prayed long enough, and if my faith was strong enough, God would transform me into a straight man, because it was not God’s will for anyone to be gay.  After putting up a personal fight and spending several years in dedicated studies of the Bible, it became evident that the transformation was not going to occur. Nevertheless, I spent years struggling with a guilt complex. Finally, I came to a conclusion: I did not fail religion—religion failed me. 

   The Christian religion has failed thousands of American citizens.  According to statistics, at least one-tenth of the population is born with a homosexual orientation. Therefore, it is a disgrace for a sick society to bring such severe condemnation upon this group that many will commit suicide. Each year hundreds of America’s smartest students take their own lives because they are gay.  

    I taught in America’s public schools for thirty-two years fearing that at any time I could be fired if it was discovered that I was gay.  In order to secure a stable financial future I had to develop a sideline profession in which no one had the authority to fire me. My solution was to own a business. After years of hard work, I retired from teaching and sold the business.  

    The moment of change in my life came when I took the opportunity to travel.  It was necessary to experience how other people worship and to learn how other societies deal with the so-called problem of homosexuality. So I traveled.  I ended up in Southeast Asia where alternative lifestyles are fully accepted. Every day I meet people who practice universal love and have no religious restraints on who they can love.  I have learned that restrictions on love diminish happiness.

   If I’m going to hell because I want to experience true love or because I want to live as a first class citizen, then hell, here I come. If I want my life to mean more than the Southern Bible Belt allows, the evils that befall that choice rest on my shoulders. You can preach all you want about the sins of a gay lifestyle, but I believe they are less significant than the evils of a pulpit that brainwashes people. They are taught that it is all right to hate and such hate is even approved in the eyes of God.  I’m not buying it.

WITHOUT A HOME

WITHOUT A HOME

      When I was a schoolteacher I had direct knowledge of situations where teenagers were forced out of their homes for reasons of sexual identity. It was hard to believe then, and it is even harder to believe now, that in a modern society a parent would deny a child the privilege   of living at home for some insignificant reason.  It is a serious matter when a child is forced to live on the streets when the foundation for that enforcement is based on a few words that some man wrote in a book several hundred years ago. It is an absolute outdated doctrine that serves no worthwhile purpose in a diverse society.

   When parents force a child to live on the streets they are basically signing the child’s death certificate.  It is impossible for a teenager to live homeless on the streets of any American city without being physically, sexually, and mentally abused.  As a result, many teenagers commit suicide. I have listened to the confessions of guilt from many parents and on some occasions supplied a shoulder for their tears after the death of their teenage gay child. Nevertheless, this is not a classic case of confusion, but a case of unadulterated ignorance based on false

information.    

    Contemporary Christian religion maintains a leadership position as being one of the major causes for confusion in American society. Something is bad wrong with the religion when it becomes the problem rather than the problem solver. According to a recent HUD report, nearly 50,000 teenagers live on the streets of US cities.  50% of them identify as LGBT and have been told by their parents to leave home because of their sexual orientation. One of the main purposes of any religion should be to strengthen family ties. Christian leadership is wrong to advise parents to put children on the streets for something as simple as sexual orientation. Many Americans already recognize this, and some outspoken religious leaders are saying that it is time for Christianity to get its act together. 

    The problem of sexual identify far exceeds the implications of morality. Scientific data proves that gender identification is established at conception. Therefore, when religion attempts to place immorality charges against a lifestyle in which the individual has no choice, the individual rebukes the religious doctrine.  

   Many parents listen to and depend upon religious leaders for guidance. However, it has been proven time and time again that many religious leaders make mistakes. They have been mistaken about their own sexuality and for decades have been mistaken concerning individuals of different sexual orientations.  Parents should never allow a religious leader to drive a wedge between them and their child. Parents should never have to live with years of guilt after something serious has happened to a child because of a misunderstanding about his or her sexuality.

   The proper approach for any society is to encourage the contributions of the LGBT individuals. Several governments around the world have   recognized these talents and good things are happening. Their economies are booming, tourism is on the rise, and good paying jobs are increasing.  But most of all—their people are HAPPY.