The Pridelets Files for October 26
On this day in 2005, Olympic gold medalist, and WNBA Houston Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes comes out of the closet in the pages of ESPN Magazine. Says Swoopes, "My reason for coming out isn't to be some sort of hero. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not. I'm tired of having to hide my feelings about the person I care about, about the person I love, (former basketball player and Houston Comets assistant coach Alisa Scott). Discovering I'm gay just sort of happened much later in life. Being intimate with her or any other woman never entered my mind. At the same time, I'm a firm believer that when you fall in love with somebody, you can't control that."
So a female basketball player coming out is supposed to shock us? "The talk about the WNBA being full of lesbians is not true. There are as many straight women in the league as there are gay. What really irritates me is when people talk about football, baseball and the NBA, you don't hear all of this talk about the gay guys playing. But when you talk about the WNBA, then it becomes an issue. Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court."
BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1919 - Reza Shah Pahlavi, shah of Iran
* 1932 - Activist Donn Teal, author of "The Gay Militants: How Gay Liberation Began in America, 1969-1971"
* 1950 - Freelance writer Edward Guthman coiner of the phrase "Castro clones"
* 1954 - Author and critic Adam Mars-Jones
Q.UOTE
"I love Christians who tell me something sweet and Christian, like, 'You're going to hell!' It's not hard for me to picture gay hell. 'The scorching wind from the fiery pit messed up my hair, there's no mousse? No blow-dryer? This is hell! There's nothing on TV but Hee Haw. My furniture is from Levitz! I'm living in a trailer park! Aaaah!'" -- Danny McWilliams
THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"That Undeniable Longing: My Road To And From The Priesthood" by Mark Tedesco
This fascinating memoir begins with the author leaving his home in California at the age of nineteen to enter a seminary on the outskirts of Rome. The seminary has a resident "saint" who is later discovered to be far more human than spiritual. The author struggled to be faithful to his commitment by suppressing his emotional needs, and thought about changing his life, but eventually ended up at the North American College, the premier American seminary at the Vatican. Sexual identity became an issue for him and many other within the seminary walls. This identity crisis reflected a greater conflict between the spiritual and the human: could he be a truly spiritual person while he was at war with himself? Mark Tedesco entered the seminary in 1978, was ordained in 1988 and served in the priesthood until 1994. But he slowly began to realize that in order to be a complete person, he would have to leave the priesthood and find his own way. He finally understood what it meant to embrace all of his past, all of his experiences, both good and bad. He came to accept that the flesh and the spirit do not have to be at war. This is the engrossing story of the one man's struggle with himself and the church, resulting in a redemptive happiness and peace. It deals with such questions as the search for meaning, spirituality versus humanity, faith in God and being gay. It is very timely, especially now that the Vatican has begun to investigate gays in seminaries.
This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.
So a female basketball player coming out is supposed to shock us? "The talk about the WNBA being full of lesbians is not true. There are as many straight women in the league as there are gay. What really irritates me is when people talk about football, baseball and the NBA, you don't hear all of this talk about the gay guys playing. But when you talk about the WNBA, then it becomes an issue. Sexuality and gender don't change anyone's performance on the court."
BIRTHGAYS (and the occasional straights)
* 1919 - Reza Shah Pahlavi, shah of Iran
* 1932 - Activist Donn Teal, author of "The Gay Militants: How Gay Liberation Began in America, 1969-1971"
* 1950 - Freelance writer Edward Guthman coiner of the phrase "Castro clones"
* 1954 - Author and critic Adam Mars-Jones
Q.UOTE
"I love Christians who tell me something sweet and Christian, like, 'You're going to hell!' It's not hard for me to picture gay hell. 'The scorching wind from the fiery pit messed up my hair, there's no mousse? No blow-dryer? This is hell! There's nothing on TV but Hee Haw. My furniture is from Levitz! I'm living in a trailer park! Aaaah!'" -- Danny McWilliams
THE BEDSIDE TABLE
"That Undeniable Longing: My Road To And From The Priesthood" by Mark Tedesco
This fascinating memoir begins with the author leaving his home in California at the age of nineteen to enter a seminary on the outskirts of Rome. The seminary has a resident "saint" who is later discovered to be far more human than spiritual. The author struggled to be faithful to his commitment by suppressing his emotional needs, and thought about changing his life, but eventually ended up at the North American College, the premier American seminary at the Vatican. Sexual identity became an issue for him and many other within the seminary walls. This identity crisis reflected a greater conflict between the spiritual and the human: could he be a truly spiritual person while he was at war with himself? Mark Tedesco entered the seminary in 1978, was ordained in 1988 and served in the priesthood until 1994. But he slowly began to realize that in order to be a complete person, he would have to leave the priesthood and find his own way. He finally understood what it meant to embrace all of his past, all of his experiences, both good and bad. He came to accept that the flesh and the spirit do not have to be at war. This is the engrossing story of the one man's struggle with himself and the church, resulting in a redemptive happiness and peace. It deals with such questions as the search for meaning, spirituality versus humanity, faith in God and being gay. It is very timely, especially now that the Vatican has begun to investigate gays in seminaries.
This work is copyright© 2006 Thomas Allen Heald, all rights reserved. Contact the author at tom@idontgetit.org and the latest column are always available at www.Pridelets.com.
posted by Thomas @ 12:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home