Comments on: Corvino: Coming out advice

By: Iterociter

Iterociter — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:18:03 +0000

I think she made a great point (as did you). I guess in a way…it’s very reassuring, well, I’m only 15, a gay as of 2 years now. It’s tough going through high school like this. but I can say that one of my teachers has helped very much, he is also gay, and always gives me advice.

By: Kittinz Merlin

Kittinz Merlin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:05:21 +0000

John,
You told a story that explained the revelation that I had a few months ago. I have been out almost as long as you describe. I am about the same age.
The youth of today have a better chance than we did at their age and we had it better than those that came before us.
Thankfully there were a few good people like that for you.
Hopefully we can be there for those that continue to come after us.

By: 5thidaho

5thidaho — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:34:10 +0000

I feel the same way about my coming out experience, John. I feel I never got to go through that vital, developmental, emotional stage of in adolescence. I didn’t come out until I was 24 years old. I’m 27 now, so all of those lessons, I’ve had to learn myself. Brutally at times. There’s still so much I have to learn as well. Having a support system sure helps, though. Without that, I’d be up the creek! Thanks for your post, it helps me feel not as alone in my experience

By: SCVMalcolm

SCVMalcolm — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:19:18 +0000

You admit that you owe Sister Julie a thank you, but did you send it?
A Roman Catholic nun, Sister Rita, moved me from being anti-abortion to pro-choice. She also counseled struggling Catholics to accept their Sexuality as a gift from their Creator. She was 89 yesterday, is as alert as can be, but her body is having severe difficulties with Parkinsons Disease. It’s sad that women like these 2 Sisters are not running the Church, but are being oppressed and harassed by those homophobic men who do run it!

By: footwork61

footwork61 — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:16:27 +0000

Two days ago I was lying on the sofa with my boyfriend watching Bewitched and inexplicably sucking his thumb [Dr. Freud, please, Dr. Freud] while still coming out of the haze of general anesthesia from some medical tests (all results negative, yea). I said something to him about wishing I could be more secure in what I was doing in our relationship.

He said, “You may be older than I am, but remember, in ‘gay years’ you are only two and I’m 16. Go easy on yourself.”

I thought he was being insulting at first, but it’s true that one’s age in “gay years,” that is, years out of the closet, seems to have a stronger correlation to behavior than one’s chronological age. I’m still a toddler. I’ll probably be bald by the time I’m a teenager in gay years. Crap.

By: Abigail Clemente

Abigail Clemente — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:34:54 +0000

Watch Beatific Vision. This is a gay spiritual comedy about getting what you need as opposed to what you think you want. What does Michael do when his lover of fourteen years, Chad, dies from brain cancer? Michael does not have much time to grieve when Chad as an angel immediately comes back to him. Chad has seen Michael’s future and now takes it upon himself to guide and nudge Michael along his path. Chad’s psychiatrist, Damien, has agreed to support Michael in this process but as hard as Damien tries he cannot deny his infatuation with Michael. The seemingly unrelated “coincidences” begin to fall into steps of Michael’s path when cute boy toy Bryan arrives on the scene the night after scattering Chad’s ashes. Damien’s x-wife, Pat and Michael’s best friend, Barbra add to the mix and are also guided by Angel Chad to their destiny. Like a board game, Angel Chad provides just the right amount of clues to Michael to begrudgingly move him towards his ideal future.

http://www.ariztical.com/filmsAZ/beatific_vision.html

By: Facebook User

Facebook User — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 19:04:03 +0000

What I think is great for a person like me, is that not all people who believe in a deity are bad people. I was raised a catholic. And to me catholic is the locality rather than the hierarchy. A priest gave me the first non negative understanding of being gay. He told our class that homosexuality is when a person falls in love with a person of his or her own gender. Nothing about sex. Nothing about perversity. Nothing about damnation. A simple statement about how a person loves. And that has stuck with me all my life.

By: Robert Katz

Robert Katz — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:03:07 +0000

It doesn’t surprise me at all that you received such wonderful advice. I am by no means Catholic, nor am I likely to become one in the future. But for all of the stories I’ve heard–both the ones in the media about abusive priests and the horror stories from my friends who were subjected to the petty tyrants of parochial education as kids–most of the priests and nuns I have ever had dealings with in the course of my life have proven to be decent, sympathetic, and humane individuals. In short they embodied what a person of faith really ought to be. They have a profound understanding of the fact that dogma is far less important than spirituality.

By: asca06

asca06 — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:24:07 +0000

Another great article John, Thank you.

The “climb every mountain” comment was great.

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 16:05:15 +0000

Thanks for such a good column. I found this statement especially insightful: “The priests, nuns and brothers I knew in college were sensitive, humane individuals. It saddens me that, in the minds of the public, their humanity is often eclipsed by the misdeeds of the hierarchy.” I think that is true, though I wonder if a lot of these sensitive, humane individuals might have left their orders because of the misdeeds of the hierarchy and the ones who are left are mostly people quite comfortable with the hierarchy? It is a question and I do not know the answer. But I do know that a lot of the priests and brothers and nuns I knew years ago were indeed humane and sensitive individuals and that a lot of them have left their orders. (A couple still soldier on in order to fulfill a pastoral mission at odds with the official pronouncement of the Church.)