Wdy Cy Tim News - When Jt Massey entered Wheaton College almost four years ago he never imaged beg out as a gay man while on mp much ls takg on a learship role wh the llege's LGBT muny. Massey, a
Contents:
- HOW A LEADG CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TURNED AGAST ITS GAY LEAR
- WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE GAY AT WHEATON COLLEGE
- WHEATON COLLEGE’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHAPLA DO 180 ON GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
- THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985
HOW A LEADG CHRISTIAN COLLEGE TURNED AGAST ITS GAY LEAR
I had been a gay Christian blogger for several years when Wheaton College reached out to me June of 2014.
They wanted to hire someone who was gay, but they need the kd of gay who uld sign Wheaton’s Communy Covenant—a of nduct that says marriage is between a man and a woman and sexual exprsn is rerved for that relatnship alone.
WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE GAY AT WHEATON COLLEGE
This meant that gay and lbian stunts uldn’t date or marry, which a growg number of stunts volly opposed, and Wheaton thought maybe I uld help. Anx but earnt, I agreed to sign after a transparent round of terviews where I highlighted all the reasons that I, an openly gay blogger, might not be the bt f for Wheaton. The blog post qutn asked Christians to lm the scty when to gay people—a pot that was lost on nservative alumni like Eric Teetsel, Director of Fah Outreach for the Mar Rub mpaign, who was outraged by my hire and relentlsly monored my social media activy.
At a time when Evangelils are supremely anx about all thgs LGBT, they hired an openly gay wrer to work their Chapla’s office as a spirual lear. Even though I uld sign the Communy Covenant at that time, I was a risk—a risk they took bee they re about their gay stunts and know they need an advote. They’re not alone their sire to show support: Evangelil lears approach me often wh whispers to say they love gay people.
WHEATON COLLEGE’S FIRST OPENLY GAY CHAPLA DO 180 ON GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
Even though they had known I referred to myself as “gay” prr to hirg me, they enuraged me not to refer to myself as gay any longer.
I had fally e to believe was good to be gay, that God actually lights those of who are gay. The article, never published, offered a posive narrative for gay Christians and enuraged the church to celebrate the prence of LGBT people. Wheaton’s admistratn had always phed back agast my attempt to create a posive narrative around beg gay rather than one of “brokenns” and the need for healg.
The Covenant don’t explicly talk about the badns of a gay orientatn, however, so I felt the article would have been le wh the school’s statement of fah. The llege had hired me precisely bee I was gay and they need someone to re for LGBT stunts. And we did that as women, one black and one gay.
THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985
If gays m to never date or marry, if they keep their stori quiet, if they rema theologilly nservative and they war agast their gayns, then maybe they n kd of stick around. They asked that referrg to herself as gay, Ms.
Were you active your high school’s Gay-Straight Alliance? Through tn, programmg, and activism, is the missn of the Safe Zone program to strive to heighten mp awarens of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, tersex, qutng, queer, and ally (LGBTQ+) ncerns and foster a mp of cln, affirmatn, equaly, and rpect for all LGBTQ+ stunts, faculty, staff, and admistrators of Wheaton College.
Wheaton’s Safe Zone program began 2004 through the Office of Stunt Life when Area Coordator Pl Hugh brought the ia of a lbian, gay bisexual, transgenr, queer/qutng (LGBTQ) trag to Wheaton. Lavenr Graduatn was created 1995 by Ronnie Sanlo, who currently serv as the direr of the UCLA Lbian Gay Bisexual Transgenr Center. Lately, I’ve asked myself how I uld do more to improve the atmosphere at Wheaton for other gay stunts like myself.