The outing of Rev. Ted Haggard sent shock waves through the evangelical community. The depth of his denial only underscored the tragic nature of living life in the shadows.
The movie Brokeback Mountain was one of the first mainstream movies that portrayed a love story between two gay men. I remember standing in the long lines of gay men waiting to see the movie. I remember those same men leaving the theater in silence with tears in their eyes.
It has always amazed me that Oregon has a State Park that includes a nude beach. I spent many pleasant days hiking the trails of Rooster Rock and discovered that being a nudist came fairly easily to me.
For a couple issues of Haircut and Homily I experimented with short story writing. These did not materialize into much of anything. Truth is always stranger (and more interesting) than fiction.
Prior to coming out, I sought the help of a Christian counselor. He gave me permission to browse Playboy magazines and encouraged me to date. Neither of those helped.
The specter of AIDS hung heavily over the years prior to my coming out. The ravage of the disease did not touch me as closely as it has others. Its shadow is diminishing very slowly but it will leave an indelible stain on all our souls.