As I mentioned in another post, one of the reasons I think that building a gay community in Napa is so important is because I grew up here and don't feel that Napa is a very open or tolerant town (in general).Coming out--to people who love and care about us or to anyone willing to know our whole selves instead of just our queer identity--can change people's view of what "a gay person" looks or acts like.
One of the blogs I follow online, "Independent Gay Forum" which reports on conservative or "other side of the spectrum" gay news (think log-cabin republicans) posted about:
Azariah Southworth, host of the popular syndicated Christian youth show "The Remix", has publicly announced he is gay. [IGF]I am not sure about how many of The Other Fruit's readers are queer and Christian (or queer and practicing any traditional faith), but as one who has struggled with bringing together my own faith and identity as a gay man, my thoughts, prayers and best wishes go out to him, his family and friends. So much pain has been caused by stereotypes, judgment and division. Maybe more importantly, I hope that his being true to himself helps to open up the hearts and minds of those that watch his Christian TV show. I also hope that our gay community be more open to faith and spirituality and find a healthy blend of the two.
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I say good for him. It's tough business being both, but I hope that he finds a lot of love and support, both from the gay community and the christian one.
ReplyDeleteIt is inspiring to me for a man with such a high profile to be real and vulnerable. Men of all sexual orientations could learn a lesson from him. My prayers are with him and the Christian community for acceptance and nurturing of such a true spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments! It is inspiring, especially his statement on coming out: “This has been a long time coming. I’m in a place where I’m at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself. I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this,” I definitely think that being "open and honest" should go hand-in-hand with being Christian.
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