The Catholic Student Association sponsored a discussion on homosexuality and the Catholic Church on Wednesday evening, one of several of this week’s awareness events organized by GU Pride leading to today’s National Coming Out Day.
“The issues surrounding homosexuality and the Catholic Church present diverse opinions and bringing [a speaker] with the point of view as a homosexual and a Catholic offered a unique perspective for examining these issues,” Nicole Droog (NHS ’04), who co-facilitated the discussion, said. “We decided that this was an important issue to address and as a Catholic school we are in a unique position to discuss doctrinal issues important to our church in an open forum.”
Dave Brodsky (COL ’03) related his experience as a homosexual affiliated with the Catholic Church. “I believe that we can understand our positions with respect to the Church without having to toe the doctrinal line regarding issues as malleable as this one,” he said.
As someone who was not raised in a religious setting, Brodsky explained his own conversion to Catholicism and the role his faith played in his acceptance of his sexual orientation. Additionally, he highlighted the need to discuss doctrinal issues within the Church, including contraception and homosexuality, among others.
“We need to see ourselves as participants in tradition in such a way as to be able to promote values that might not have been apparent to those who have formed the doctrine of the Church,” he said.
Brodsky also addressed the degree of support that the Georgetown community has provided and the role of the university’s Catholic character. “The university as a community of students has always, in my time here, tended toward the inclusive, especially on occasions such as this,” he said. “Some specific groups and the administration have been comparatively lacking in their inclusiveness, but not necessarily to a fault. It’s a difficult enterprise relating the Jesuit identity of Georgetown and issues such as this.”
Other events planned by GU Pride included last night’s screening of the movie But I’m a Cheerleader, an account of a girl’s decision to come out and her parents’ reaction, a screening of the HBO series Queer As Folk on Tuesday evening and a speech by Jim Gladstone, author of The Big Book of isunderstanding, about the revelations of a young gay man on onday evening.
An e-mail to all university students also encouraged students to wear red today to mark National Coming Out Day. Co-president of GU Pride Rob Anderson (COL ’05) underscored the need to show support for fellow students as members of an inclusive community.
“National Coming Out Day is a national event which was created by the Human Rights Campaign in 1987. It’s an event that attempts to create awareness on the coming out process. It serves to make people aware and help people in the closet to take that step,” Anderson said.
“At Georgetown we have decided to make it a week-long process this year, with various events throughout the week aimed at increasing overall awareness and to create an atmosphere that seeks to include all members of our community, with the culmination [of these events] on Friday,” he said. “We’ve asked the Georgetown community to wear red in a sign of solidarity to illustrate the fact that there is support in this community.”
Anderson also said that several “visibility events” are planned for today in Red Square. “The LGBTQ belongs to a community that is often silent, and by making [the LBGTQ] more visible to the community we hope to break that silence,” he said.
About 50 people attended the CSA discussion, which concluded with small group discussions and a question-answer forum with Brodsky.
