What Were Mother Teresa’s Views On Homosexuality?

Mother Teresa at a pro-life meeting in Germany © 1986 Túrelio (via Wikimedia-Commons), 1986 / License: Creative Commons CC-BY-SA-2.0 de

Mother Teresa was declared a saint in a canonization Mass held by Pope Francis in the Vatican on Sunday. The iconic nun’s life and work grabbed hold of public consciousness since she began her work with the sick and dying in the 1950s and has only grown since then, culminating in her sainthood. She is seen as a symbol of peace, love and acceptance throughout the world. Yet one aspect of her personal belief system is not often discussed: her views on homosexuality.

Related: Mother Teresa’s Charity: Better Children Be Homeless Than Adopted By A Gay Person

Teresa’s view on poverty and against abortion are much more well known and have proved controversial. That is in part because she had much less to say on the topic of homosexuality, which itself is telling. In fact, she made no public statement on the issue. What little we do know can be interpreted in multiple ways, fitting for a woman whose work and life have drawn such laudatory praise and harsh criticism.

Most famously, Teresa is said to have stopped an interviewer when asked about her views on homosexuality, objecting to the word, saying they should instead be called “friends of Jesus.” Finding a primary source for this interaction proved fruitless.

If the reports are accurate, however, one could view Teresa’s reaction as a nod of support. At the same time, her objection to the term “homosexual” suggests there is something wrong with having that sexual orientation. This support seems to be of the “love the sinner, hate the sin” variety.

That reading of her supposed remarks would align her with Pope Francis, who has signaled support for gay people only so long as they don’t couple up — transgender individuals, meanwhile, don’t even get off that easy.

Related: Gay Man Fired By Catholic Diocese Files Federal Lawsuit

A former nun who worked with Mother Teresa tells a story that offers another glimpse into what she may have thought about gay people.

Mary Johnson spent 20 years as a Missionary of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa. Johnson, then known as Sister Donata, has written a memoir about that period in her life called An Unquenchable Thirst: Following Mother Teresa in Search of Love, Service, and an Authentic Life.

In one passage, Johnson, who reports having herself had both heterosexual and homosexual affairs during her time with Missionaries of Charity, writes about a sister who was dismissed from the order and sent home over her alleged lesbianism.

“When [Mother Teresa] took one of the sisters to her house, that sister’s mother received them and said, ‘It would have been better if you had brought a coffin to my house today than my daughter in this disgrace.’ And when Mother would tell this story she would always express great sympathy for the [sister’s] mother, as though, for her, it would have been better had she brought a coffin,” Johnson writes.

Johnson also encountered an abusive nun during her time in the order. In an interview posted to her website, Johnson talks about how Teresa gave the woman another chance, and what her motivations might have been for doing so:

Abuse should never be tolerated, and there are no real justifications. Part of the problem is that in official Catholic teaching, EVERY sin against chastity is a mortal sin – there are no gradations in seriousness of matter between indulging an inappropriate sexual thought and adultery – it will all send you to hell. There is inadequate appreciation for the fact that some sexual sins harm other people, and that those are actually worse. Plus, Catholics are taught that the Christian thing to do is to forgive. I’m sure that when Mother Teresa kept giving an abusive sister another chance, she thought it her Christian duty to forgive, the way Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery.  Jesus in the Gospels was never too concerned with justice. Mother Teresa was the same. But I think a mature person has to be concerned with justice, with the consequence of our actions, and not just with our intentions.

Mother Teresa was clearly willing to work in service of those in the gay community. Among those Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity opened hospices for were AIDS patience, launching some of the first such residences in places such as New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

Related: Catholic Priest Outed For Hosting Raunchy Judas-Themed Orgies With Male Prostitutes

Mother Teresa’s decision to not make public statements against homosexuality suggests she was not particularly concerned about the issue, as compared to say abortion, which she quite clearly and loudly condemned. Still, there is evidence suggesting she viewed homosexual acts as a sin that must be avoided, but for which one can be forgiven. This would align with Catholic teachings, as Johnson suggests and as Pope Francis continues to uphold today.

So her views on the matter, like so much else about her life and times, are open to interpretation, speculation and debate. Now that she is officially a saint those debates will continue and likely intensify.

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Troy Aikman Is Still Not Over Skip Bayless Speculating He Might Be Gay Over 20 Years Ago

Troy Aikman. Via “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” YouTube.

Troy Aikman is holding firm to his grudge against writer-turned-talking-head Skip Bayless over decades-old speculation that Aikman might be gay.

Aikman voiced his displeasure recently to Sports Illustrated over Fox Sports hiring Bayless, officially making the two nemeses colleagues. Aikman has long been the lead Fox Sports NFL analyst at Fox.

Related: Former NFLer Dexter Manley On Troy Aikman: “He’s A Queer”

“To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman told the magazine. “Clearly, [Fox Sports president of national networks] Jamie Horowitz and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to building a successful organization. I believe success is achieved by acquiring and developing talented, respected and credible individuals, none of which applies to Skip Bayless.”

Meow!

In Bayless’ book, Hell-Bent, he documents rumors coming from Dallas Cowboys coach Barry Switzer, writing:

“I didn’t spend much time pondering the Aikman rumor until October of 1995, when several members of the Switzer camp told me about new ‘incidents.’ They said the team had been informed ‘by the police’ that Aikman ‘had been in some places he shouldn’t have been.’”

The Ringer reports that Bayless then spoke with Aikman’s agent, a Dallas police source, a team source, and Aikman’s sportscaster pal Dale Hansen. They all said there was no evidence Aikman was gay, and Bayless then wonders aloud why the rumor should matter. He also writes that there were rumors that Switzer himself might be gay, that he sometimes stayed in a hotel in Dallas’s “gay district.”

Related: Some Of The NFL’s Biggest Stars Are Gay: We’re Ready When You Are

“Maybe I imagined this, but I began to feel subtle pressure from the Switzer camp to ‘tell the truth’ about what a ‘fraud’ Troy is,” Bayless writes. “In December, Switzer supporters would wonder if ‘the truth’ about Troy had made him a ‘very troubled young man’ and helped cause his slump. My response: ‘What exactly am I supposed to tell the truth about?’ I had no proof of ‘the truth.’”

Aikman has called homosexuality a “lifestyle choice,” implied he might inflict physical violence on Bayless if he ever were to see him, while also suggesting Bayless himself might be gay.

Things might get awkward around the Fox Sports water cooler.

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‘Eat Pray Love’ Author Elizabeth Gilbert Comes Out as ‘In Love’ with a Woman

Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the bestselling book Eat Pray Love, has come out as being “in love” with a woman, her best friend Raya Elias.

Gilbert opened up about her relationship with Elias in an emotional Facebook post she shared on Wednesday.

Gilbert explained that while she has often been public about her love for Elias as a friend, it was Elias’ recent cancer diagnosis that led her to realize she was in love with the woman whom was already such a big part of her life.

Said Gilbert,

This spring, I received news that would change my life forever. My best friend Rayya Elias was diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancer — a disease for which there is no cure.

In the moment I first learned of Rayya’s diagnosis, a trap door opened at the bottom of my heart (a trap door I didn’t even know was there) and my entire existence fell straight through that door. From that moment forward, everything became about HER. I cancelled everything in my life that could be cancelled, and I went straight to her side, where I have been ever since. […]

She’s my role model, my traveling companion, my most reliable source of light, my fortitude, my most trusted confidante. In short, she is my PERSON. […]

But something happened to my heart and mind in the days and weeks following Rayya’s diagnosis. Death — or the prospect of death — has a way of clearing away everything that is not real, and in that space of stark and utter realness, I was faced with this truth: I do not merely love Rayya; I am in love with Rayya. And I have no more time for denying that truth. The thought of someday sitting in a hospital room with her, holding her hand and watching her slide away, without ever having let her (or myself!) know the extent of my true feelings for her…well, that thought was unthinkable.

Here is the thing about truth: Once you see it, you cannot un-see it. So that truth, once it came to my heart’s attention, could not be ignored.

Gilbert (above left) and Elias (above right). Photo via Facebook.

Gilbert also explained that her realizing she was in love with Elias led to the end of her marriage:

For those of you who are doing the math here, and who are wondering if this situation is why my marriage came to an end this spring, the simple answer is yes. (Please understand that I cannot say anything more about it than that. I trust you are all sensitive enough to understand how difficult this has been. As David Foster Wallace once wrote: “The truth will set you free — but not until it’s had its way with you.” Yes, it has been hard. Yes, the truth has had its way with us. And yes, the truth still stands.)

So. Here is where we stand now: Rayya and I are together. I love her, and she loves me. I’m walking through this cancer journey with her, not only as her friend, but as her partner. I am exactly where I need to be — the only place I can be.

As to why she decided to open up about her love for Elias, Gilbert said, “for better or worse — I am someone who lives her life in the public eye.” She made clear that the pair wanted to share their relationship in public, saying, “We will not be wasting a moment of our time together, for as much time as we are given.”

Truth was the ultimate motivating factor in Gilbert’s decision, she said:

Here’s what it comes down to for me: I need to live my life in truth and transparency, even more than I need privacy, or good publicity, or prudence, or other people’s approval or understanding, or just about anything else. Truth and transparency not only make my life more ethical, but also easier.

Ultimately, Gilbert says she and Elias decided to come out “for the sake of our own integrity, but it’s also intended to make our lives simpler.”

Read Gilbert’s post in its entirety, below.

The post ‘Eat Pray Love’ Author Elizabeth Gilbert Comes Out as ‘In Love’ with a Woman appeared first on Towleroad.

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NC Gov. Pat McCrory Again Uses Transphobia to Fear Monger for Votes – WATCH

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory is once again attacking transgender people to further his political career.

On Wednesday, McCrory, who is currently up for reelection, put out an ad defending his support for HB 2, the discriminatory anti-LGBT ‘bathroom bill’ that banned all local civil rights ordinances in the Tar Heel state.

The ad called “Common Sense” opens with a title card that reads, “The truth about privacy.”

Said McCrory in the ad,

“You know, when we were raising average teacher pay, creating new jobs and cutting taxes, other folks were actually pushing to make our schools allow boys to use the girls’ locker rooms and showers. Are we really talking about this?

Sadly, we are.

McCrory added,

“Does the desire to be politically correct outweigh our children’s privacy and safety? Not on my watch. Our kids and teachers are my priority. This is North Carolina. Let’s do what’s right.”

This is the second ad McCrory’s campaign has put out which uses transphobia to fear monger for votes.

PREVIOUSLY: Pat McCrory Attacks Opponent Roy Cooper with Transgender Bathroom Scare Ad – WATCH

McCrory has faced an uphill battle against his Democratic challenger, state attorney general Roy Cooper.

Cooper is currently ahead in the latest polls, according to Real Clear Politics.

The post NC Gov. Pat McCrory Again Uses Transphobia to Fear Monger for Votes – WATCH appeared first on Towleroad.

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Eat, Pray, Love a Woman: Elizabeth Gilbert Does!

Elizabeth Gilbert announces her love for her terminally ill longtime friend Rayya Elias in a poignant Facebook post. 

www.advocate.com/coming-out/2016/9/07/eat-pray-love-woman-elizabeth-gilbert-does

Bolivia's Transgender Community Celebrates New ID Cards (Video)

www.advocate.com/transgender/2016/9/07/bolivias-transgender-community-celebrates-new-id-cards-video

Norwegian King's Speech Is the Sweet Sound of LGBT Acceptance (Video)

“Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who love boys, and girls and boys who love each other,” said the 79-year-old king of Norway. 

www.advocate.com/world/2016/9/07/norwegian-kings-speech-sweet-sound-lgbt-acceptance-video

Wedding Venue Places Ad Saying It Won’t Rent To Same-Sex Couples Because Jesus Is Lord

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Channing Tatum And His Troop Of Male Strippers Drop By ‘Ellen’ To Preview Magic Mike Live

Channing Tatum and Ellen DeGeneres and Magic Mike strippers. Via YouTube.

Channing Tatum wants to help balance the scales of objectifaction and empower women with his new Magic Mike Live male strip show, set to premier in Las Vegas in March. He brought a live preview with him to “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Tuesday much to the delight of the women in her studio audience.

Related: Only Beyonce Can Upstage Channing Tatum In Full Drag

The original movie “Magic Mike” did well with gay audiences, but the sequel “Magic Mike XXL,” not so much. Whether the Las Vegas revue will appeal to gay men remains to be seen, but if the reaction of the women at “Ellen” are any indication it may need only to please that demographic.

The dancers don’t get past taking off their shirts and doing some light acrobatic and floor humping moves. How much skin the live show will feature will likely play a large part in determining who shows up come March.

Tatum explained the inspiration for the live show.

“I had a friend that had a girlfriend who went to Vegas and went to some of the male revues there and she didn’t tell my buddy about it and he’s like, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ She was embarrassed. She was like, ‘I don’t know, it just wasn’t cool,’” he said. “We just thought, let’s go make something cool. Let’s go make something really for you guys and hopefully we’re going to be able to do that.”

Related: Channing Tatum Performs “Magic Mike” As Written By Kids

He said he would remain in a producer only role unless he gets back into shape, and then he may hit the stage.

“As you know, I have no issues getting naked,” he pointed out.

Watch Tatum talk about the show and see the dancers show off their talents in the videos below… 

Tatum also previewed the show, and some of the dancers, in a video produced by Cosmopolitan. Watch below…

h/t LGBTQ Nation

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