The Purple or the Pink Triangle? : My Choice, My Story (page 3)

LeedsBradfordEngland

I see no-one has posted on this topic for a month but I've only just worked out how to get on here - being technologically-challenged - and I'd like to say just:

I'm gay and xjw;

I didn''t leave because of sexuality (at least not consciously, anyway) but for reasons of conflicting interpretations of scripture which never got satisfactorily resolved for me; ensuing questions about whether or not I really believed the bible and in the existence of God;

I didn't really get free (inside) from JW religion until a few years ago until I read Ray Franz's books

I remain an unsatisfied, sometimes uncomfortable agnostic, but am not helped to embrace any kind of Christianity because of various issues in the Bible, yet I continue to be drawn to issues of "spirituality", and attend Quaker meetings

I'd welcome anybody to contact.

Best wishes

Clive

Sunspot

My hubby has a brother who is gay. He and I had gotten along with each other just fine until I became a JW. After that, I curtailed our association with him until the day came when he and his partner said they wanted to come by with boxes of vegetables from their garden for us. (How unseemly of them! How DARE they!) We lived about three hours away from them at the time, and he politely asked if staying overnight would present any problems here. I said I didn't think it would be a good idea to do so, even though I knew my words were cutting through him like a knife, no matter how sweetly I said them. We only saw him briefly at family funerals after that.

He was another person that deserved an apology for my abhorrent behavior as an obedient JW. One of many. I always considered myself to be a warm and caring person that would never purposely hurt anyone......but the WTS dictates a different type of behavior. I didn't (but I did) realize what I was doing to others.....and looking back---I was such a self-righteous bitch for the WTS.

He was kind enough to accept my apology, and we email each other often. He lives near the coast of southern CT and I'm up here by Lake Ontario, so we don't see one another very often. He is a funny, warm and sensitive individual and I love him dearly. (Always have, actually) I think I'll write to him tonight, now that I think of it!

It's terrible to feel you have to stifle love and caring for those that the evil WTS says that are "undesirables" no matter how they couch their slimy words of hatred.

One thing that I have definetly learned since my exit from the CULT, is that I have become a more well-rounded person, and the prejudices I wasn't even aware that I had developed as a JW, are now completely gone, thank God. It's so nice to have clear thinking again. May God kick me square in the butt if I ever intentionally hurt anyone ever again...............'cept maybe those few certain JWs on a discussion board----I can be pretty brutal!

So......having said that......cheers to all of you who have suffered at the hands of this prejudice!

My sincerest love to you all who have been so hurt by this unforgivable and hate-filled behavior.

hugs,

Annie

Pole

Hi Clive. Welcome to the board!

Pole

Gretchen956

Dorayakii, thanks for sharing your story. Its so much harder to realize you are gay in a religion that has convinced you that you will pay for being born that way with your life. I chose the path of shoving it so far back into the back of my mind that I wouldn't think about it for the next 30 years. I was supposed to be a wife and mother so thats what I damm well did. Never mind that I was miserable. But I came out at the age of 42 and I am out and proud now.

I tell you one thing, my friend, the hell for gay youth is pretty much right here on earth. My nephew committed suicide rather than face it or come out to his parents. So many of our gay youth choose that route. My brother was beaten bloody for being gay when he was a teenager and endured constant harrassment. These days it isn't usually as bad, but when you go to the gay pride parade and there are people there with placards that read "God Hates Fags" and "Aids Cures Homos", you realize that there are still so many people that have that hatred and fear. Its so sad.

I work for the State of Washington in the US. We have a committee that encourages embracing diversity. So on the months where different cultures are honored (federal government names a month to honor different races and cultures, etc.), we have a display up in one of our office buildings. For the first time this year they took the month of June, which is GLBT month, and put up a display, very tasteful, mainly a timeline of what has happened with our struggle for equal rights here in the US. For a change they did NOT zero in on the aids side of it. They also had pictures of different gay couples that work for the state. Well it didn't go over so well and people wrote in complaining, filed grievances with the union, and generally said some hateful things. Not surprisingly those that did (without exception) claimed to be Christian.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for the post and congratulate you on being such a strong person. And, I also wanted to welcome Clive, who came out on his first post!

We have some awesome gays, lesbians, and bi's on this board.

Sherry