Sorry for the double post here, but I feel that this is kind of important.
I'm getting into the local debate on this subject, but I'm taking a much different approach than what I normally take on here. No one wants to discuss the root causes of behavior such as this. No one wants to mention that a homosexual being told that who he is is evil, and therefor hiding his true identity can have long term effects on a person's psyche.
This is what I wrote in to one of the local papers.
" What's happened here is terrible, but it isn't shocking. We're talking about a man who was raised in an environment that taught him to take who he is and crush it down. Make it non-existent. We wonder why there are so many of these situations in the religious community, but the answer is simple. If you are forced to live a lie that lie will weigh on you more and more until it finds an outlet.
I know the environment that he was raised in. I went to the same school and church as Chris did. I was two years older than him, and didn't know him very well, but I can imagine the shame and terror he felt because of who he is. I did not have the same exact experience, but having been an atheist from a very young age, I can tell you that I was not made welcome and I was not allowed to leave. There was no choice for me as a child, but to put up with it. These people stole whatever childhood that I could have had from me.
However, I had the courage to not give in to it. I had the courage to leave as soon as I legally could and never look back. I cut all ties with these people, and my life has since been full of joy and fulfillment. If only he had the courage to do the same, he could be in a loving relationship with a nice man instead of hiding his homosexuality for the sake of his church standing and god. "
I think that this is a very important part of the conversation that is commonly overlooked. And the only reason it gets overlooked so commonly is because of people's ignorance and homophobia. Some of the people in this debate are claiming that homosexuals are pedophiles. Period. No difference between the two. This is disturbing to me.
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My bowels hurt.
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