Anything but Straight

So this weekend I've spent some time catching up on my reading and watching list and it was odd that two of the things that were due up were both related to gays and Christianity. What is odd about that is that I consider myself to be irreligious. I don't have any thoughts about it one way or another, except as it relates to politics.

So, it was odd that a documentary on my list of things to watch was For the Bible Tells Me So. I watched it last night, and was really impressed with the construction of it, the stories that were told, and was especially interested in Mary Lou Wallner. When her daughter came out, it did not go well. When her daughter eventually committed suicide, it led her on a journey of discovery and acceptance that was bittersweet. I found myself wondering how many parent lived to regret the way they reacted to their gay child's coming out. It was wonderful to hear her message today, but it was truly sad to think of the cost associated with her journey. If that story is interesting to you, another movie was recently made on a similar topic called "Prayers for Bobby." You'll likely never hear me say the following phrase again, but I watched it on Lifetime.

I am also now in the middle of reading a book called Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. I'm not through the whole book yet, but damn I wish I would have had this book when I was 20 and deeply in denial about my sexuality. My two biggest concerns back then were what to do about my parents, and what to do about what they would tell me about God if I told them. This book would have given me the answers I needed for the second half of those worries. The book is about the phenomenon of ex-gay ministries, the destruction they cause, and their lack of ability to really turn anyone straight.

Next on my list, and it starts tomorrow, is a look at the job markets in some of the cities we're looking at moving to when our time is up in the US.

-Andy