Dear editor,
I’ve been in a relationship with my husband for 22 years, married for 10 of those. The first 12 years weren’t spent living in sin. They were spent building a life and a home together, like all couples work at doing. In 2009, we got married in Massachusetts, since marriage for same-gender couples wasn’t legal in most states at that time. We both had family members attend the simple ceremony and we received lots of well-wishes from friends and coworkers back home. Sound familiar?
My husband and I live conscientious lives, make good choices for ourselves, and are loving and supportive members of our families. He is a veteran, having served in the United States Army. We work full time and pay taxes. We have a mortgage, two cars, an old Chevy pickup, and I have student loan debt. We take turns unloading the dishwasher, buying groceries, mowing the lawn, and cleaning the bathroom. We argue with one another and apologize to one another. Sound familiar?
In a previous letter to the editor, the LGBTQ+ lifestyle was described as “perverse, unnatural, and an abomination to God.” Well, here’s the kicker: My husband and I are both Christians. See, being gay and Christian are not mutually exclusive. These two things can, and do, coexist. It’s impossible to understand fully — and therefore judge — what is acceptable or not acceptable according to the written word. The Bible even says as much in 1 Corinthians 2:11: “For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
I don’t consider myself an “oppressed minority” with an “intense craving to justify [my] behavior.” Why? Because I know who I am: a child of a loving and gracious God, who has a personal responsibility to be a good citizen and to make this wonderful world we all live in a little bit better. Each morning I read a short devotional, which helps me to be mindful and thankful throughout the day. Believe me, my life is too quiet and too normal to be considered anything close to perverse or abominable.
Signed,
Barry Callahan
