Jse Williams on playg a gay character 'Take Me Out' |

Contents:

• I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
• IS HOZIER GAY? IRISH SGER’S ‘TAKE ME TO CHURCH’ LEADS SOME TO MAKE ASSUMPTNS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY
• TAKE ME OUT REVIEW. A GAY LOVE LETTER TO BASEBALL
• TAKE ME TO CHURCHA FORMER HOMOPHOBE’S FIRST GAY RELATNSHIPMACIE SNOW·FOLLOWPUBLISHED THK QUEERLY·9 M READ·MAR 12, 2019--LISTENSHAREAND I’LL WORSHIP LIKE A DOG AT THE SHRE OF YOUR LI. I’LL TELL YOU MY SS SO YOU N SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE. OFFER ME THAT ATHLS ATH, AND GOOD GOD, LET ME GIVE YOU MY LIFE.EVERYONE TAK ON MULTIPLE INTI. TWO OF ME STAND ABOVE THE RT AS THE MOST FLUENTIAL AND MEANGFUL. I’M CHRISTIAN AND I’M A TRANSGENR LBIAN. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THIS MAY APPEAR NTRADICTORY. THE LGBTQ MUNY AND CHRISTIANY DON’T MIX. THEY’RE DICHOTOMO; OPPOSG SIS THAT NNOT EVER RENCILE. STATISTICS SHOW, HOWEVER, FORTY-SIX PERCENT OF LGBTQ DIVIDUALS INTIFY AS CHRISTIAN. AS A QUEER CHRISTIAN MYSELF HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY TO REACH THIS POT OF NOT ONLY A PLETE ACCEPTANCE, BUT A RENCILIATN OF THE TWO ASPECTS OF MY LIFE. IT WASN’T EASY. IN FACT EVEN AS SOMEONE WHO ACCEPTED HER QUEER INTY AT AGE TWELVE; I STILL SPENT MOST OF MY ADOLCENCE A HOMOPHOBIC STATE OF MD.THE LYRICS ABOVE ARE OM A SONG BY HOZIER LLED “TAKE ME TO CHURCH.” THE SONG IS ALSO THE NAMAKE OF THIS POST. AS SOMEONE VOLVED THE QUEER CHRISTIAN MUNY, THE SONG’S SUBJECT WAS CLEAR, PECIALLY AFTER WATCHG THE MIC VIO. IT SPEAKS OUT AGAST HOMOPHOBIA, SEX-SHAMG, AND LEGALISTIC CHURCH. NOW THAT THIS FORMER FUNDAMENTALIST HOMOPHOBE FDS HERSELF HER FIRST GAY RELATNSHIP FEELS AS IF I UNRSTAND THE MSAGE, NOT JT KNOW .THE BACKSTORY (SKIP IF YOU WANT).TEN YEARS AGO NOW, I WAS A JUNR HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDG A FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. OBAMA WAS A MONTH TO HIS PRINCY, AND I GENUELY THOUGHT WAS THE END OF AMERI. NO MORE ELECTNS, EEDOM, AND CHRISTIANS WOULD BEE BROADLY PERSECUTED AS THE LIBERALS TOOK OVER OUR UNTRY. LGB DIVIDUALS WERE PRAVED, DISGTG, SEX-CRAZED PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO ERADITE GOD’S SIGN FOR THE FAY. THEY WERE THE ENEMY. I’M NOT EXAGGERATG; I BELIEVED THAT.MY SENR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, I ASKED TO CHANGE SPEECH TEACHERS SOLELY BEE ME WAS GAY. AFTER HEARG OF THE REQUT, MY TEACHER SAT DOWN WH ME AND RPECTFULLY TOLD ME HURT HIM, BUT HE WOULDN’T FORCE ME TO REMA HIS CLASS. HE NTUED TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT I ULD NOT REMA MY CHRISTIAN BUBBLE FOREVER. I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO GET ALONG WH PEOPLE DIFFERENT OM ME; EVEN IF I STRONGLY DISAGREED WH THEM.IN LLEGE, I READ A PUBLITN OF STORI OM LGB STUNTS AT MY UNIVERSY. I REMEMBER BEG SHOCKED THAT A MUNY WHICH HAD SHOWN ME NOTHG BUT LOVE ULD ALSO ACT SO HATEFUL TOWARDS SOMEONE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I REGNIZED HOW FORTUNATE I WAS TO BE MASCULE ENOUGH TO BLEND WH OTHER GUYS. LATER THAT SEMTER, I HEARD ONE WRER SPEAK AT AN EVENT ON MP. THROUGH THAT EVENT, I MET OTHER QUEER DIVIDUALS AT MY SCHOOL. THEY WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO ACCEPT ME AS TRANS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THAT WAS MY FIRST GROUP OF QUEER IENDS.THROUGH THAT GROUP, LLED VOICE, I FIRST LEARNED YOU N BE BOTH LGB AND CHRISTIAN. IN VOICE, I MET JT LEE, THE FOUNR OF THE GAY CHRISTIAN NETWORK, NOW LLED QCHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. DURG THAT TIME, I STUDIED THE FAMO “GREAT DEBATE” ON HOMOSEXUALY. JT’S “SI-A” SAY WAS THE FIRST ARGUMENT I EVER READ WHICH CLAIMED THE BIBLE DON’T NMN SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS. UNTIL THEN, I THOUGHT TRANSNG GUARANTEED CELIBACY BEE I DIDN’T UNRSTAND HOW RELATED TO THE S OF HOMOSEXUALY. IN OTHER WORDS, I DIDN’T KNOW IF BEG WH A MAN OR A WOMAN WAS GAY SO I STAYED AWAY. AT A TIME MY LIFE WHEN I WAS LEARNG MORE ABOUT SCRIPTURE, LOVE, AND WHAT MEANS TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF, JT’S ARGUMENTS MA SENSE. PL, F WH WHAT MY IENDS SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS EXPLAED. NOTHG WAS HERENTLY MORE SELFISH OR HARMFUL TO ANYONE; WAS LOVE.AFTER LLEGE, ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR THGS I DID WH MY NEW WORLDVIEW WAS NVERT TO THE EPISPAL CHURCH. WHILE I MISS THE HYMNS AND MIC OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, I HAVE FOUND MY HOME HERE. IT’S TRADNAL AND PROGRSIVE, LIKE ME. MY PARISH IS ANGLO-CATHOLIC, MEANG OUR BELIEFS AND PRACTIC ALIGN MORE WH ANGLINISM’S ROMAN CATHOLIC HERAGE THAN S PROTTANT. YET WE CELEBRATED WH GREAT JOY AT THE PASSG OF B012* AT LAST YEAR’S GENERAL CONVENTN.(*B012 WAS A MOTN PASSED BY THE EPISPAL CHURCH 2018 WHICH ALLOWED SAME-SEX MARRIAG TO BE PERFORMED AT PRIT DISCRETN.)NOW, SCE Y’ALL HAVE THE BACKSTORY, BACK TO THE SONG…I FIRST HEARD “TAKE ME TO CHURCH” MAY 2014. I EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I WAS DOG BEE ’S THE FIRST SONG I LISTENED TO THAT I UNRSTOOD RIGHT AWAY ON A EP LEVEL. THE FIRST SONG I EVER LISTENED TO ABOUT BEG GAY AND CHRISTIAN. ITS LYRICS AND VIO SPOKE TO ME, AND I LISTENED TO THE SONG SO MUCH THAT SUMMER AND FALL UNTIL I HATED .WHEN I WAS TWENTY-FIVE, I REACHED THE BREAKG POT AND TRANSNED.I TOOK A HIAT OM DATG FOR ABOUT A YEAR; A MOOT POT SCE MY DATG LIFE WAS AD WHEN I STARTED. FAST-FORWARD TO THIS PAST DECEMBER (2018) WHEN I MEET A GIRL AND VED HER TO A PARTY. THAT NIGHT, WE HAD OUR FIRST KISS AND I FELL HARD. I ALWAYS DID, BUT ON TROGEN, WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALLGAME.THE SAME WEEK AT MY SEND JOB AS A SERVER, “TAKE ME TO CHURCH” PLAYED. WHILE I’VE LISTENED TO A FEW TIM OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, WAS AS IF I UNRSTOOD THE SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME. I GOT . THE POETIC L SCRIBED MY LIFE, MY STORY, MY EXPERIENCE. LATER, I DISVERED THE LYRICS ONCE MORE AFTER DOG SOMETHG I ONCE NSIRED A HORRIBLE ABOMATN. FULL DISCLOSURE, I AM A BIG BELIEVER THE HOLY SPIR AND SAW AS A REAL POSSIBILY I’D WAKE UP THE FOLLOWG MORNG FEELG GUILTY (WHICH HAS OCCURRED.) HOWEVER, THAT NVICTN NEVER HAPPENED.INSTEAD, THAT MORNG DURG MASS, A STRANGE AWARENS OF MYSELF, OF HOW FAR I’VE E THE LAST , OVERME ME. I SPOKE THROUGH TIME AT THE HOMOPHOBIC MSAG I RECEIVED AND BELIEVED SAYG “FUCK YOU, THIS IS RIGHT.” DURG THE EUCHARIST, THE LE “THE ONLY HEAVEN I’LL BE SENT TO IS WHEN I’M ALONE WH YOU” REPEATED MY HEAD. A DOUBLE MEANG APPEARED. WHEN I STEP FOOT THE SANCTUARY AND PARTICIPATE THE LURGY, I’M TRANSPORTED. TIME STOPS, THE OUTSI WORLD CEAS TO EXIST, ’S ONLY GOD AND ME. LIKEWISE, WHEN I’M WH MY GIRLIEND, THE SAME PHENOMENON HAPPENS, EXCEPT ’S SHE AND I. THE TWO EXPERIENC SHOULD EXIST SO FAR APART, THE PRAVED AND RNAL, AND THE SACRED AND DIVE. HOWEVER, THEY DON’T. BOTH DO THE SAME THG: THEY EXPRS LOVE.LOVE — THERE ARE SEVERAL VARIATNS OF EXPRSED A MULTU OF WAYS.I ULD MAKE A PHILOSOPHIL AND PSYCHOLOGIL ARGUMENT ON HOW MY ATTRACTN IS THE SAME NOW AS BEFORE, OR HOW TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE EVINCE THAT SEXUALY IS FIXED. ON THE OTHER HAND, I ULD EXPLA HOW MY EXPERIENCE SHOWS THERE’S NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY RELATNSHIP AND STRAIGHT ON. EXCEPT, STRAIGHT UPL HAVE PRIVILEG GAY UPL DON’T (I MISS SHOWG AFFECTN PUBLIC AND BEG ALLOWED TO BE OPEN ABOUT HAVG A GIRLIEND). I ULD ARGUE NOTHG HAS CHANGED, AND YET I’VE LOST SO MUCH PRIVILEGE GOG OM LIVG AS A HETEROSEXUAL MALE TO A LBIAN WOMAN. I ULD DISCS KNOWG WHAT ’S LIKE NOT BEG ABLE TO MARRY YOUR OWN CHURCH SPE S AFFIRMG BELIEFS. NO, ARGUG IS POTLS AND ONLY DIVIS.IT’S STILL AN EXPRSN OF LOVE. SEE, THAT’S SOMETHG I DIDN’T GET WHEN I WAS HOMOPHOBIC. I FAILED TO GRASP WHAT LOVE IS. WHEN I MENTNED MY DYSPHORIA TO A YOUTH PASTOR HIGH SCHOOL, HE TOLD ME I WAS NFED AND SENTIALLY NEED TO REPENT AND BEE “THE MAN GOD MA ME TO BE.” THAT WAS A LIE, AND I KNEW THEN, I WASN’T NFED. HE DIDN’T LOVE ME AS WHO I WAS, BUT WHO HE PREFERRED ME TO BE. HE MAND TO SCULPT ME TO A MOLD.I’LL WORSHIP LIKE A DOG AT THE SHRE OF YOUR LI. I’LL TELL YOU MY S AND YOU N SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE.DOGS BLDLY FOLLOW. THEY DON’T UNRSTAND, DON’T ASK QUTNS, ONLY ACCEPT WHAT THEY’RE STCTED. THAT IS WHAT MEN LIKE MY OLD YOUTH PASTOR WANT, UNQUTNG, BLD FOLLOWERS. I OFTEN SAY I WAS A TERRIBLE FUNDAMENTALIST BEE I ASKED TOO MANY QUTNS AND KNOW FOR A FACT KEPT ME OM LEARSHIP POSNS. REGARDLS, I BELIEVED THEIR LI. THEN I TOLD THEM MY S AND THEY SHARPENED THEIR KNIFE. YOU N’T F AN OBJECT TO A MOLD WHOUT CUTTG , EVEN CLAY OR PLAYDOUGH. IT CUT ME TRYG TO F TO THEIR MOLD; THEY WOUND ME, WH MY PERMISSN. TO THIS DAY, I STILL BEAR THE SRS, AS DO MANY OF MY LGBTQ BROTHERS, SISTERS, AND SIBLGS.OFFER ME THAT ATHLS ATH AND GOOD GOD, LET ME GIVE YOU MY LIFE.WHILE ORIGALLY, HOZIER THE CHRISTIAN AFTERLIFE TO SHOW HOW FUNDAMENTALISTS MISE THEM TO JTIFY THEIR ACTNS, I DON’T HEAR THE LE THAT WAY. I HEAR AS WORSHIPPG, IT SOUNDS TO ME AS A GAY CHRISTIAN SAYG “I’VE BEEN HURT SO MUCH BY PEOPLE YOUR NAME, BUT I WILL STILL WORSHIP YOU.” THE SONG IS A PRAYER, A THANKSGIVG, AND A LAMENT LOPED TO ONE. IT’S A SONG, A LOVE SONG, OUR LOVE SONG. THOSE OF WHO HAVE SUFFERED THE HEARTBREAK OF THOSE WHO CLAIM TO LOVE YOU UNNDNALLY REJECTG YOU ONLY BEE OF YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY. THE LOVE SONG OF WHO BEAR THE SRS OF OM CUTS TO HETERONORMATIVE MOLDS BEE OF RELIGN. LGBT CHRISTIANS LOVE GOD AND OUR SIGNIFINT OTHER. I PRAY FOR ME, RE FOR HER WELL-BEG, AND WISH HER HAPPS.THERE’S AN IMAGE SCRIPTURE JT LEE DISCS HIS SAY. “BAD TRE NNOT BEAR GOOD U,” MEANG S ALWAYS EXPOS SELF. S IS TEMPTG BEE WE SEE THE GOOD WE ASSUME WE WILL GET OM , BUT NEVER ENDS WELL. YET, I SEE NO MORE OR LS BAD U G OUT OF SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS THAN STRAIGHT ON. WHEN I PARE THE GAY UPL AND THE STRAIGHT ON I KNOW, CLUDG , THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS ONE PARTNER’S SEX. IT’S THE SAME LOVE.ALL OF THE YEARS STUDYG SCRIPTURE, THEOLOGY, HEARG STORI, BEG RELATNSHIP WH OTHERS, AND I’VE LEARNED ONE FACT: LOVE IS LOVE. FUNNY, ’S SUCH A STRAIGHTFORWARD NCEPT, AND SADNS ME SO MANY PEOPLE DON’T UNRSTAND . THE LIE NS EP, AND HUMANS HEAR WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO HEAR.WORLD-VIEWS TAKE YEARS TO CHANGE
• STT ELLIS TALKS ABOUT THE BROADWAY GAY-THEMED BASEBALL PLAY 'TAKE ME OUT'
• JSE WILLIAMS WEIGHS ON BEG A STRAIGHT MAN PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER BROADWAY'S TAKE ME OUT

I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN

Hozier’s Mic Vio: An AnalysisThe mic vio for ‘Take Me To Church, ’ a song by Hozier, featur a narrative based on the Catholic Church’s discrimatn agast homosexualy. The purpose of this mic vio is to rm the dience of homosexualy and discrimatn— an issue that is still unrolved many parts of the world.

The vio follows nventns by addrsg the ntroversial issue of attacks lead on homosexuals, and was filmed as a rponse to Rsia’s antipathy towards homosexualy and genr variance. The pace of the edg and transns is nsistent throughout the mic vio, which may be a reprentatn of how nothg seems to change when to society acceptg homosexualy and eedom of song is a has a slow pace — nventnal beg part of the die-rock genre of mic. Due to the strong and emotnal theme of homophobia, the song was ed to stand up agast discrimatn certa parts of the world, such as Rsia and Ireland — Hozier’s untry of orig.

It’s later revealed that the character that the box belongs to is homosexual, so therefore the box uld reprent the secrecy of his sexualy, and the character buryg and lockg away his feelgs. Furthermore, the birds uld reprent the two ma characters, who ignore the discrimatn agast homosexualy, and they exprs their love for each other. This may be a dystopian sight as to how homosexuals react to discrimatn— attemptg not to stand out, to rema unnoticed.

IS HOZIER GAY? IRISH SGER’S ‘TAKE ME TO CHURCH’ LEADS SOME TO MAKE ASSUMPTNS ABOUT HIS SEXUALY

This juxtaposn of genre nventns uld be to show how is a hybrid-genre mic lyrics, which often seem unrelated and nfg, were wrten wh ep and subtle meang related to the mic vio's narrative; homosexualy Rsia. Hozier wanted to draw the past to the mic, to rm the dience of how long the discrimatn agast homosexualy has been around, orr to make the dience thk about the tragedy and emotn referred to the a summary of my analysis, the mic vio and lyrics of ‘Take Me To Church’ addrs discrimatn agast sexualy through means of buildg an emotnal nnectn wh the two ma characters, stripped-back by the lack of nam, speech, and lour, creatg a clear, simplified msage. IS Hozier Gay?

“It’s people rryg out terrible acts through the jtifitn of far-right tradnalism, and also a long mpaign to make homosexualy equivalent wh thgs like pedophilia and btialy, which is absolutely appallg. While Hozier thks ’s an important subject, ’s not bee he’s gay – he’s said multiple terviews that he’s not – nor is bee there are a lot of people close to him who’ve experienced homophobia.

“To me, ’s not even a gay issue or a civil rights issue, ’s a human rights issue, and should offend all. You have to regnize yourself, and challenge yourself, that if you see racism or homophobia or misogyny a secular society, as a member of that society, you should challenge .

TAKE ME OUT REVIEW. A GAY LOVE LETTER TO BASEBALL

In this first and first-rate Broadway revival of Richard Greenberg’s 2003 Tony-wng edy, which is a gay man’s love letter to baseball, Jse Williams portrays Darren Lemmg, a star player who is so good at the game – so universally worshipped his entire life for his grace and skill — that he n’t image any repercsns to his g out publicly as a homosexual. The ht layer embedd the tle is the story of Mason Marzac (Jse Tyler Fergon), a moy gay guy wh great fancial acumen who has been assigned by his firm to be Darren’s new bs manager. That kicks off bee of a teammate, a barely verbal pcher om the boondocks named Shane Mungt (Michael Oberholtzer), who racist and homophobic language.

TAKE ME TO CHURCHA FORMER HOMOPHOBE’S FIRST GAY RELATNSHIPMACIE SNOW·FOLLOWPUBLISHED THK QUEERLY·9 M READ·MAR 12, 2019--LISTENSHAREAND I’LL WORSHIP LIKE A DOG AT THE SHRE OF YOUR LI. I’LL TELL YOU MY SS SO YOU N SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE. OFFER ME THAT ATHLS ATH, AND GOOD GOD, LET ME GIVE YOU MY LIFE.EVERYONE TAK ON MULTIPLE INTI. TWO OF ME STAND ABOVE THE RT AS THE MOST FLUENTIAL AND MEANGFUL. I’M CHRISTIAN AND I’M A TRANSGENR LBIAN. FOR MANY PEOPLE, THIS MAY APPEAR NTRADICTORY. THE LGBTQ MUNY AND CHRISTIANY DON’T MIX. THEY’RE DICHOTOMO; OPPOSG SIS THAT NNOT EVER RENCILE. STATISTICS SHOW, HOWEVER, FORTY-SIX PERCENT OF LGBTQ DIVIDUALS INTIFY AS CHRISTIAN. AS A QUEER CHRISTIAN MYSELF HAS BEEN A LONG JOURNEY TO REACH THIS POT OF NOT ONLY A PLETE ACCEPTANCE, BUT A RENCILIATN OF THE TWO ASPECTS OF MY LIFE. IT WASN’T EASY. IN FACT EVEN AS SOMEONE WHO ACCEPTED HER QUEER INTY AT AGE TWELVE; I STILL SPENT MOST OF MY ADOLCENCE A HOMOPHOBIC STATE OF MD.THE LYRICS ABOVE ARE OM A SONG BY HOZIER LLED “TAKE ME TO CHURCH.” THE SONG IS ALSO THE NAMAKE OF THIS POST. AS SOMEONE VOLVED THE QUEER CHRISTIAN MUNY, THE SONG’S SUBJECT WAS CLEAR, PECIALLY AFTER WATCHG THE MIC VIO. IT SPEAKS OUT AGAST HOMOPHOBIA, SEX-SHAMG, AND LEGALISTIC CHURCH. NOW THAT THIS FORMER FUNDAMENTALIST HOMOPHOBE FDS HERSELF HER FIRST GAY RELATNSHIP FEELS AS IF I UNRSTAND THE MSAGE, NOT JT KNOW .THE BACKSTORY (SKIP IF YOU WANT).TEN YEARS AGO NOW, I WAS A JUNR HIGH SCHOOL ATTENDG A FUNDAMENTALIST CHRISTIAN SCHOOL. OBAMA WAS A MONTH TO HIS PRINCY, AND I GENUELY THOUGHT WAS THE END OF AMERI. NO MORE ELECTNS, EEDOM, AND CHRISTIANS WOULD BEE BROADLY PERSECUTED AS THE LIBERALS TOOK OVER OUR UNTRY. LGB DIVIDUALS WERE PRAVED, DISGTG, SEX-CRAZED PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO ERADITE GOD’S SIGN FOR THE FAY. THEY WERE THE ENEMY. I’M NOT EXAGGERATG; I BELIEVED THAT.MY SENR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL, I ASKED TO CHANGE SPEECH TEACHERS SOLELY BEE ME WAS GAY. AFTER HEARG OF THE REQUT, MY TEACHER SAT DOWN WH ME AND RPECTFULLY TOLD ME HURT HIM, BUT HE WOULDN’T FORCE ME TO REMA HIS CLASS. HE NTUED TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT I ULD NOT REMA MY CHRISTIAN BUBBLE FOREVER. I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO GET ALONG WH PEOPLE DIFFERENT OM ME; EVEN IF I STRONGLY DISAGREED WH THEM.IN LLEGE, I READ A PUBLITN OF STORI OM LGB STUNTS AT MY UNIVERSY. I REMEMBER BEG SHOCKED THAT A MUNY WHICH HAD SHOWN ME NOTHG BUT LOVE ULD ALSO ACT SO HATEFUL TOWARDS SOMEONE. ON THE OTHER HAND, I REGNIZED HOW FORTUNATE I WAS TO BE MASCULE ENOUGH TO BLEND WH OTHER GUYS. LATER THAT SEMTER, I HEARD ONE WRER SPEAK AT AN EVENT ON MP. THROUGH THAT EVENT, I MET OTHER QUEER DIVIDUALS AT MY SCHOOL. THEY WERE THE FIRST PEOPLE TO ACCEPT ME AS TRANS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THAT WAS MY FIRST GROUP OF QUEER IENDS.THROUGH THAT GROUP, LLED VOICE, I FIRST LEARNED YOU N BE BOTH LGB AND CHRISTIAN. IN VOICE, I MET JT LEE, THE FOUNR OF THE GAY CHRISTIAN NETWORK, NOW LLED QCHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP. DURG THAT TIME, I STUDIED THE FAMO “GREAT DEBATE” ON HOMOSEXUALY. JT’S “SI-A” SAY WAS THE FIRST ARGUMENT I EVER READ WHICH CLAIMED THE BIBLE DON’T NMN SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS. UNTIL THEN, I THOUGHT TRANSNG GUARANTEED CELIBACY BEE I DIDN’T UNRSTAND HOW RELATED TO THE S OF HOMOSEXUALY. IN OTHER WORDS, I DIDN’T KNOW IF BEG WH A MAN OR A WOMAN WAS GAY SO I STAYED AWAY. AT A TIME MY LIFE WHEN I WAS LEARNG MORE ABOUT SCRIPTURE, LOVE, AND WHAT MEANS TO LOVE GOD AND LOVE MY NEIGHBOR AS MYSELF, JT’S ARGUMENTS MA SENSE. PL, F WH WHAT MY IENDS SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS EXPLAED. NOTHG WAS HERENTLY MORE SELFISH OR HARMFUL TO ANYONE; WAS LOVE.AFTER LLEGE, ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR THGS I DID WH MY NEW WORLDVIEW WAS NVERT TO THE EPISPAL CHURCH. WHILE I MISS THE HYMNS AND MIC OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, I HAVE FOUND MY HOME HERE. IT’S TRADNAL AND PROGRSIVE, LIKE ME. MY PARISH IS ANGLO-CATHOLIC, MEANG OUR BELIEFS AND PRACTIC ALIGN MORE WH ANGLINISM’S ROMAN CATHOLIC HERAGE THAN S PROTTANT. YET WE CELEBRATED WH GREAT JOY AT THE PASSG OF B012* AT LAST YEAR’S GENERAL CONVENTN.(*B012 WAS A MOTN PASSED BY THE EPISPAL CHURCH 2018 WHICH ALLOWED SAME-SEX MARRIAG TO BE PERFORMED AT PRIT DISCRETN.)NOW, SCE Y’ALL HAVE THE BACKSTORY, BACK TO THE SONG…I FIRST HEARD “TAKE ME TO CHURCH” MAY 2014. I EVEN REMEMBER WHAT I WAS DOG BEE ’S THE FIRST SONG I LISTENED TO THAT I UNRSTOOD RIGHT AWAY ON A EP LEVEL. THE FIRST SONG I EVER LISTENED TO ABOUT BEG GAY AND CHRISTIAN. ITS LYRICS AND VIO SPOKE TO ME, AND I LISTENED TO THE SONG SO MUCH THAT SUMMER AND FALL UNTIL I HATED .WHEN I WAS TWENTY-FIVE, I REACHED THE BREAKG POT AND TRANSNED.I TOOK A HIAT OM DATG FOR ABOUT A YEAR; A MOOT POT SCE MY DATG LIFE WAS AD WHEN I STARTED. FAST-FORWARD TO THIS PAST DECEMBER (2018) WHEN I MEET A GIRL AND VED HER TO A PARTY. THAT NIGHT, WE HAD OUR FIRST KISS AND I FELL HARD. I ALWAYS DID, BUT ON TROGEN, WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT BALLGAME.THE SAME WEEK AT MY SEND JOB AS A SERVER, “TAKE ME TO CHURCH” PLAYED. WHILE I’VE LISTENED TO A FEW TIM OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, WAS AS IF I UNRSTOOD THE SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME. I GOT . THE POETIC L SCRIBED MY LIFE, MY STORY, MY EXPERIENCE. LATER, I DISVERED THE LYRICS ONCE MORE AFTER DOG SOMETHG I ONCE NSIRED A HORRIBLE ABOMATN. FULL DISCLOSURE, I AM A BIG BELIEVER THE HOLY SPIR AND SAW AS A REAL POSSIBILY I’D WAKE UP THE FOLLOWG MORNG FEELG GUILTY (WHICH HAS OCCURRED.) HOWEVER, THAT NVICTN NEVER HAPPENED.INSTEAD, THAT MORNG DURG MASS, A STRANGE AWARENS OF MYSELF, OF HOW FAR I’VE E THE LAST , OVERME ME. I SPOKE THROUGH TIME AT THE HOMOPHOBIC MSAG I RECEIVED AND BELIEVED SAYG “FUCK YOU, THIS IS RIGHT.” DURG THE EUCHARIST, THE LE “THE ONLY HEAVEN I’LL BE SENT TO IS WHEN I’M ALONE WH YOU” REPEATED MY HEAD. A DOUBLE MEANG APPEARED. WHEN I STEP FOOT THE SANCTUARY AND PARTICIPATE THE LURGY, I’M TRANSPORTED. TIME STOPS, THE OUTSI WORLD CEAS TO EXIST, ’S ONLY GOD AND ME. LIKEWISE, WHEN I’M WH MY GIRLIEND, THE SAME PHENOMENON HAPPENS, EXCEPT ’S SHE AND I. THE TWO EXPERIENC SHOULD EXIST SO FAR APART, THE PRAVED AND RNAL, AND THE SACRED AND DIVE. HOWEVER, THEY DON’T. BOTH DO THE SAME THG: THEY EXPRS LOVE.LOVE — THERE ARE SEVERAL VARIATNS OF EXPRSED A MULTU OF WAYS.I ULD MAKE A PHILOSOPHIL AND PSYCHOLOGIL ARGUMENT ON HOW MY ATTRACTN IS THE SAME NOW AS BEFORE, OR HOW TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE EVINCE THAT SEXUALY IS FIXED. ON THE OTHER HAND, I ULD EXPLA HOW MY EXPERIENCE SHOWS THERE’S NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY RELATNSHIP AND STRAIGHT ON. EXCEPT, STRAIGHT UPL HAVE PRIVILEG GAY UPL DON’T (I MISS SHOWG AFFECTN PUBLIC AND BEG ALLOWED TO BE OPEN ABOUT HAVG A GIRLIEND). I ULD ARGUE NOTHG HAS CHANGED, AND YET I’VE LOST SO MUCH PRIVILEGE GOG OM LIVG AS A HETEROSEXUAL MALE TO A LBIAN WOMAN. I ULD DISCS KNOWG WHAT ’S LIKE NOT BEG ABLE TO MARRY YOUR OWN CHURCH SPE S AFFIRMG BELIEFS. NO, ARGUG IS POTLS AND ONLY DIVIS.IT’S STILL AN EXPRSN OF LOVE. SEE, THAT’S SOMETHG I DIDN’T GET WHEN I WAS HOMOPHOBIC. I FAILED TO GRASP WHAT LOVE IS. WHEN I MENTNED MY DYSPHORIA TO A YOUTH PASTOR HIGH SCHOOL, HE TOLD ME I WAS NFED AND SENTIALLY NEED TO REPENT AND BEE “THE MAN GOD MA ME TO BE.” THAT WAS A LIE, AND I KNEW THEN, I WASN’T NFED. HE DIDN’T LOVE ME AS WHO I WAS, BUT WHO HE PREFERRED ME TO BE. HE MAND TO SCULPT ME TO A MOLD.I’LL WORSHIP LIKE A DOG AT THE SHRE OF YOUR LI. I’LL TELL YOU MY S AND YOU N SHARPEN YOUR KNIFE.DOGS BLDLY FOLLOW. THEY DON’T UNRSTAND, DON’T ASK QUTNS, ONLY ACCEPT WHAT THEY’RE STCTED. THAT IS WHAT MEN LIKE MY OLD YOUTH PASTOR WANT, UNQUTNG, BLD FOLLOWERS. I OFTEN SAY I WAS A TERRIBLE FUNDAMENTALIST BEE I ASKED TOO MANY QUTNS AND KNOW FOR A FACT KEPT ME OM LEARSHIP POSNS. REGARDLS, I BELIEVED THEIR LI. THEN I TOLD THEM MY S AND THEY SHARPENED THEIR KNIFE. YOU N’T F AN OBJECT TO A MOLD WHOUT CUTTG , EVEN CLAY OR PLAYDOUGH. IT CUT ME TRYG TO F TO THEIR MOLD; THEY WOUND ME, WH MY PERMISSN. TO THIS DAY, I STILL BEAR THE SRS, AS DO MANY OF MY LGBTQ BROTHERS, SISTERS, AND SIBLGS.OFFER ME THAT ATHLS ATH AND GOOD GOD, LET ME GIVE YOU MY LIFE.WHILE ORIGALLY, HOZIER THE CHRISTIAN AFTERLIFE TO SHOW HOW FUNDAMENTALISTS MISE THEM TO JTIFY THEIR ACTNS, I DON’T HEAR THE LE THAT WAY. I HEAR AS WORSHIPPG, IT SOUNDS TO ME AS A GAY CHRISTIAN SAYG “I’VE BEEN HURT SO MUCH BY PEOPLE YOUR NAME, BUT I WILL STILL WORSHIP YOU.” THE SONG IS A PRAYER, A THANKSGIVG, AND A LAMENT LOPED TO ONE. IT’S A SONG, A LOVE SONG, OUR LOVE SONG. THOSE OF WHO HAVE SUFFERED THE HEARTBREAK OF THOSE WHO CLAIM TO LOVE YOU UNNDNALLY REJECTG YOU ONLY BEE OF YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY. THE LOVE SONG OF WHO BEAR THE SRS OF OM CUTS TO HETERONORMATIVE MOLDS BEE OF RELIGN. LGBT CHRISTIANS LOVE GOD AND OUR SIGNIFINT OTHER. I PRAY FOR ME, RE FOR HER WELL-BEG, AND WISH HER HAPPS.THERE’S AN IMAGE SCRIPTURE JT LEE DISCS HIS SAY. “BAD TRE NNOT BEAR GOOD U,” MEANG S ALWAYS EXPOS SELF. S IS TEMPTG BEE WE SEE THE GOOD WE ASSUME WE WILL GET OM , BUT NEVER ENDS WELL. YET, I SEE NO MORE OR LS BAD U G OUT OF SAME-SEX RELATNSHIPS THAN STRAIGHT ON. WHEN I PARE THE GAY UPL AND THE STRAIGHT ON I KNOW, CLUDG , THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS ONE PARTNER’S SEX. IT’S THE SAME LOVE.ALL OF THE YEARS STUDYG SCRIPTURE, THEOLOGY, HEARG STORI, BEG RELATNSHIP WH OTHERS, AND I’VE LEARNED ONE FACT: LOVE IS LOVE. FUNNY, ’S SUCH A STRAIGHTFORWARD NCEPT, AND SADNS ME SO MANY PEOPLE DON’T UNRSTAND . THE LIE NS EP, AND HUMANS HEAR WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO HEAR.WORLD-VIEWS TAKE YEARS TO CHANGE

This eventually leads to an out-of-left field (or actually out of the pchers mound) tragedy, which don’t entirely work for me, but at least don’t volve the hoary plot vice of a gay person mtg suici.

When the origal productn of “Take Me Out” ran on Broadway 2003-2004, only two Major League Baseball players had e out as gay to the prs — both only after they retired. A Former Homophobe’s First Gay RelatnshipAnd I’ll worship like a dog at the shre of your li.

STT ELLIS TALKS ABOUT THE BROADWAY GAY-THEMED BASEBALL PLAY 'TAKE ME OUT'

In fact even as someone who accepted her queer inty at age twelve; I still spent most of my adolcence a homophobic state of lyrics above are om a song by Hozier lled “Take Me to Church. It speaks out agast homophobia, sex-shamg, and legalistic church.

JSE WILLIAMS WEIGHS ON BEG A STRAIGHT MAN PLAYG A GAY CHARACTER BROADWAY'S TAKE ME OUT

Now that this former fundamentalist homophobe fds herself her first gay relatnship feels as if I unrstand the msage, not jt know backstory (skip if you want) years ago now, I was a junr high school attendg a fundamentalist Christian school.