GLR May June

Twirl of Fate Boston’s GLBT community exulted when for the first a gay group was permitted to march in the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade through Southie. But rather than boast about their new open-mindedness, the organizers announced— after the fact—that it was all a mistake. It seems they green- lighted “Boston Pride” believing it to be “an offshoot of ‘Boston Strong,’” wrote parade organizer Brian Mahoney in the local paper, noting that the parade doesn’t exclude gay people but only “displays of controversial ideology.” Mahoney was especially rankled when the Pride group showed up twirling rainbow um- brellas: “ It was shocking and unauthorized when they appeared at ‘G’ and Broadway carrying ten to twelve multicolored um- brellas that I would describe as rainbow even though I have been told they ‘technically’were not rainbows. Well, how’s this? Um- brellas of any sort are not allowed.” Something to keep in mind next time it rains on St. Patrick’s day in Boston. Take Me Out Two nouveau stars on cable TV claim they’ve found a cure for homosexuality: baseball tickets! They’re the Benham brothers, Jason and David, and they’re the darlings of anti-gay viewers who tune in to HGTV to check out their latest antics. One of their projects is to convince gay viewers to give up their “lifestyle,” and they’ve found that when you reach out to people, they’ll respond. For example, they talked to one gay man and learned that he liked baseball, so they got him tickets to a Cubs game and voilà! The guy was so moved by their kind- ness that he stated in a thank-you note that he had decided to go straight. It was all very touching, and the Benham brothers drew out a deep moral lesson. Sure his gayness “made me lose my

appetite,” said David, “but I simply responded in love.” Left unexplored was the possibility that this guy really was, first and foremost, an ardent baseball fan, whether gay or straight, who really wanted those tickets. So he meant it when he thanked the Benham boys for reaching out in this way. He just forgot to add: Dudes, you’ve been punked! The Tenth Circle There’s a newly ordained pastor in Puerto Rico named José Santiago, and he wasn’t long on the job before people began posting pictures of a guy who looked remarkably like him—and not just any guy but a well-known gay porn star named Gustavo Arrango. Sure enough, it turns out the two men are one and the same! In his earlier life, Gustavo starred in many films produced by Kristen Bjorn Studios. But that’s all behind him now, claims Santiago, who says he found God and left porn seven years ago. People who’ve observed his sermons say that his mannerisms still spike their gaydar, but Santiago claims to be “ex-gay,” and he’s even married a woman. Reporting on the conversion, Banaguide.com couldn’t resist a wisecrack before showing Arrango at work: “Here are some of the moments in which Santiago may have found God...” And what the scenes show is that Arrango specialized in two things: playing the re- ceptive partner in anal sex and participating in huge orgies. To put this into a Christian context, his sins were not confined to sodomy but included group sex, exhibitionism, prostitution, and extreme lust. Dante would have had to create a whole new circle of hell! In the context of ex-gay therapy, most alums say they weren’t “cured” even a little, so the trip from Gustavo Arrango to Father José is quite an impressive leap indeed.

FINDING LOVE in the CHURCH as a CELIBATE GAY CHRISTIAN

“This is a portrait, not a treatise. It depicts friendship’s flaws and failures but also shows how friendship can bear spiritual fruit. . . . Honest and poignant, Spiritual Friendship is like a conversation with a good friend who has learned much from books but more from loving and being loved by others.” — EVE TUSHNET , author of Gay and Catholic “This is a remarkable book. Drawing on a deep reservoir of biblical wisdom and theological imagination, Wesley Hill explores the possibilities for a truly Christian picture of friendship.” — ALAN JACOBS , author of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

Available in bookstores or by calling 800.877.2665 | Visit our blog: thebrazosblog.com Subscribe to Border Crossings , our enewsletter, at brazospress.com V

978-1-58743-349-8 • 160 pp. • $14.99p

May–June 2015

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