Gay, Catholic and Celibate

I like it! There is a small but significant movement of people coming out publicly as gay, Catholic (or Christian) and celibate. This could be a novel, distinctive witness to truth. It confounds my categories. Up to now, "gay" for me has meant public acknowledgement of same-sex attraction but most significantly the affirmation that one's self-identity is defined by the desire and the profession of the moral goodness of sterile, non-unitive sexual acts. By this definition, to self-identify as Catholic and gay would be a contradiction. So I may need to change my understanding of "gay" or adapt new terminology. (Shall we speak of "ccay" or of "homocelosexual"?)  This public profession implies important assertions: that sexuality is a significant aspect of identity but not essential, definitive or fundamental; that sex is a desire and not a need; that abstinence, chastity and celibacy are all wholesome and normal; and that sexual expression is properly ordered and fruitful within traditional marriage. The profession also dispels the falsehood that the Church hates gays. It leaves open the fascinating questions about the origin and the fluidity of the attraction. It seems to allow (with the Church) that the tendency itself is not sinful, but it is disordered in that it can lead to sin. It seems to allow also (against a dogmatic gay movement) that the tendency is often associated with other disorders including male insecurity, a wound from the father, difficulty with authority and fear of women. The unembarrassed, positive profession also implies appreciation of the many good qualities that so frequently accompany the disposition: enhanced sensitivity to the beautiful and the spiritual; higher emotional intelligence; generosity and tenderness of heart. It implies a sound psychology and spirituality of emotion and desire which must be acknowledged, owned and accepted and then directed by intelligence and will in a good direction. Such a profession was unthinkable in previous generations when sex was private, sacred, and not spoken about so publicly. But in this age that is so saturated with the erotic, a fresh, transparent, unashamed and expressive witness is needed: and that is just what this is. Our Church and our society are enriched by the courageous testimony of our ccay, homocelosxual and catholesbian brothers and sisters!