Coming Out From Behind The Badge

Recommended Reading List I've included links to Amazon.com for convenience. Move your mouse over the titles for a brief book review.

In The Eye Of The Storm

If you are a struggling to understand what the Bible really says about homosexuality and same-sex marriage, then this book is perfect for you. Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay man to be consecrated at an Episcopal Bishop, provides an extraordinary look at how to logically interpret the words of the Bible in 2008. His insight makes so much sense. I found this book to be inspiring and rejuvenating. As a Catholic with a strong faith, this book empowered me and gave me confidence about my beliefs.

Why Marriage Matters

This is an ideal book for everyone who has a stake in the same-sex marriage issue. It's perfect for gay and lesbian people as well as straight allies who are still undecided about this civil rights issue. The author, Evan Wolfson, recounts the history of marriage from both an historical and religious perspective. He does a most excellent job of analyzing marriage and demonstrates why this issue is the civil rights issue of our time. If you are interested in the law, you will find detailed case law citations and clear explanations of how the past is linked to the present on the issue of marriage equality.

Losing Matt Shepard

Beth Loffreda was a professor at the University of Wyoming when Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998. She writes about the real story of how the people of Laramie reacted to this horrific crime. This is an excellent book if you want to know more about what happened beyond what was reported by the media. She tells this story from her own unique perspective as local.

Recommended Movies And DVDs. I've included links to Amazon.com for convenience. Move your mouse over the titles for a brief movie review.

One of the most challenging aspects of coming out as gay or lesbian is reconciling religious values in yourself and with your family and friends. This documentary provides powerful insight and perspective into sexuality and the Bible.

"For the Bible Tells Me So is a compassionate and insightful documentary about the contemporary face of an old conflict between Christian fundamentalists and gay and lesbian people. The film looks deep into the hearts of several families--a few of them quite famous--that have struggled with making sense of having a homosexual son or daughter in the fold. At the same time, For the Bible Tells Me So is a deconstruction of thin arguments that the Bible actually condemns homosexuality in a few passages and through the story of Sodom and Gomorrah's destruction. A number of clerics and scholars explain the cultural and historical context for Old Testament quotes routinely referenced as arguments against homosexuality, and point out translation confusion about the real meaning of the Sodom story. Unquestionably, the most compelling part of the film is its focus on various families, including that of former U.S. presidential candidate Dick Gephardt, who has a lesbian daughter for whose safety he worries. Also among the interviewees is Gene Robinson, a gay man who became bishop of New Hampshire’s Episcopal church in 2004, and his parents, as well as a gay teen whose folks joined him on the front line in protest of their church’s negative stance on gays." - Tom Keogh

Coming out is a process shared by family and friends. Although you've probably always known you are gay or lesbian, it's probably very new for your family and friends. This documentary shares the coming out process for several families from across the country. These families discuss how they processed their son or daughter coming out with their own deeply rooted religious values. One Mormon family is particular demonstrates incredible courage and loyalty to their gay son. I think you will find this movie inspiring. It's excellent to share with your family and friends as it demonstrates the common experience shared by others in the coming out process.

"The parents also talk about struggling with the pain of their sons and daughters dealing with not being accepted by relatives or friends, and being ostracized by religious congregations. "It was so evil and so bad that we almost couldn't talk about it... You just had the idea it was so terrible that it was unspeakable," said a Mormon mother in the film. "Having heard all these awful things and what homosexuality was and then having a member of your family, a person that you have seen, a child that you have seen since the child was born, a person that was absolutely wholesome, good, kind, gentle and that put together with the word lesbian didn't add up," said a Hispanic mother. This film is especially important since up to 26% of gay teens who come out to their parents or guardians are told they must leave home. Of the approximately 1.6 million homeless American youth, 20-40% identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender. Nearly 40% of LGBT (GLBT) students report being physically harassed. In a 2001 Department of Health study of youth in Massachusetts, about 40 percent of gay and lesbian students attempted suicide, compared to about 10 percent of their heterosexual peers." - Amazon.com

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