CathInfo.com

Queer and Catholic: A life of contradiction, is a new autobiography by a gαy Catholic man in the United Kingdom who recounts his developments in sɛҳuąƖity and spirituality and where those two areas converged.  The book is by Mark Dowd, a former Dominican friar who left religious life to pursue a career in TV and radio journalism, initially with the BBC and now as an independent freelancer.

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4. Your story is so personal and filled with particular details of your individual life. What do you think are some of the elements or emotions from your story that will resonate with other LGBTQ Catholics?

There are so many. For example, trying to make sense of the gospel message is one. It is puzzling to hear all the words about one’s sɛҳuąƖity being “disordered” and yet realizing that for Jesus, this was a nothing issue, not mentioned even once (in fact sex is fairly minor..he seems much more preoccupied with social justice for the marginalized and targeting hypocrisy and empty legalistic religious practice.)

I also think the search to build new family beyond one’s immediate familial surroundings is a common experience, as is the struggle to find a relaxed intimacy and acceptance in a life partner. The alleged “instability” in LGBT relationships can perhaps be traced in my generation (I am 58 now) to feelings of disapproval and self–doubt that we pick up at an early age and perhaps never quite fully overcome. It may be self-deception when we say “we are over it” when there are still lingering wounds and sores to reckon with that perhaps stem from childhood.